I just loved these blues-brother-like guys, appearing on the borders of the Amstel river. It made me wonder, though: are they just colleagues on their way to have a drink or is this a smart dressed entrepreneur, taking his client out for lunch to one of the nicer restaurants on the borders of the Amstel. In any case, you must have a good deal of self-confidence to sit on the front seat of a bike like this, because a clumsy fall of the bike in front of a fully occupied terrace does not really match with this cool image!
The Dutch take picnicking to a whole new level. Once the sun comes out, it’s like entire kitchens are brought to the park! And the best way to get to the park is of course by bike! The Vondelpark was packed with picnickers this weekend. Where were you picnicking this weekend?
Looks like these curls are heading to the park for a picnic, bike bags are packed!
Seems like he’s got the better end of the stick though, right?
In September 2012 our Cycle Chic team member Else moved (temporarily) from Amsterdam to Buenos Aires. She has been living here for about four months and already succeeded to set up Buenos Aires Cycle Chic, so we really believe she deserves to be crowned as our Cyclist of the Month!
WHY DID YOU MOVE TO BUENOS AIRES?
After I finished my studies it was a good time to flee the country for a while, not having a permanent job and all. Besides, like so many others, I wanted to experience living in another environment with a different culture, learning a new language, and all that.Although I never visited before, Argentina seemed like the perfect place. It’s a country with a very interesting past and present, beautiful and very diverse nature, lots of sunshine, wine and steaks. And hearing many good stories about Buenos Aires – most of them true – made the choice pretty easy. The ocean separating it from the Netherlands is also a plus.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN BA?
Of course I’m learning Spanish. I also write a little about art and culture – not in Spanish – for a magazine/paper. Besides that I’m organizing a bicycle event with the Netherlands Institute Buenos Aires (NIBA). This institute aims at establishing cultural and scientific exchange between the Netherlands and Argentina. The bicycle event is called Holanda en Bici and will take place in April. There will be an exhibition in the public space, a big bicycle tour and expert meetings about various subjects, like urban planning and infrastructure. The aim is not only to portray the Dutch bicycle culture, but also to hitch in to the current interest and development of the bicycle culture in Buenos Aires and contribute to it.
YOU HAVE STARTED BACC, CONGRATULATIONS WITH THIS. CAN YOU TELL US HOW THIS ALL HAPPENEND?
As I was part of the Amsterdam Cycle Chic-team, it seemed like an obvious choice to continue my involvement with cycling in Buenos Aires. As a Cycle Chic blog promotes the daily use of the bicycle and, at the same time, portrays a city’s cycling culture, it would really add something to the scene here. Besides that it’s just a lot of fun. That’s why I started it and am now blogging with several others (Dutch and Argentinean).
HOW IS LIFE ON 2 WHEELS IN BA?
It’s a bit of a jungle out here. The city is not very bicycle friendly. You have some bicycle lanes, but most of them are narrow and curved. Though you are relieved whenever you encounter one; zigzagging past cars, taxis, buses, motors, etc. can be pretty intense. But besides that, the city is working hard on becoming more bicycle-friendly and getting people to cycle. There is a very colorful and lively bicycle scene. Plus, the city’s landscape is ideal for cycling, and eventhough it might cause you several heart attacks, there’s nothing better than cruising through Buenos Aires on two wheels.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE ACCOMPLISHED BEFORE COMING BACK TO AMSTERDAM?
I hope Buenos Aires Cycle Chic is fully up and running with a lot of followers and ‘likes’ on our Facebook page, and an enthusiastic team who will continue blogging.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WHAT IS YOUR BIKE LIKE?!
It’s a second hand bicycle, which I bought through Mercado Libre, the Argentinean e-bay. It’s a bit rusty and unstable, but I already got attached to it. As I will not be here forever, it’s perfect for the time being.
Thank you Else for this interview and those nice pictures.
We look forward to seeing you soon in Amsterdam!
Aude, on behalf of the ACC team
It is now a year ago that I (Aude) travelled through Asia with my husband for more than 4 months! At the time, I was already taking pictures of bicycles for the blog of our friend Philip: Dutch in Dublin.
BIKASIA is a compilation of images showing that bikes are very popular all over Asia: from India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia to China! But the best thing is that they are all cycling chic!
Sunday it was ‘Open Monuments Day‘, the perfect day to discover buildings that you pass every day on your bike but you never see from the inside. One of the buildings we visited was the ‘Muiderpoort‘, an old gate and former entrance to the city where people had to pay toll. Nowadays it is the office of the Association of Dutch Tax Advisors. From the top of the gate we had a nice view over the area and over the cyclists passing by on a exceptionally warm September day.
We see tourists walking through the Red Light District, queuing for the Anne Frank house and sitting in ‘coffeeshops’. But what we, ‘Amsterdammers’ don’t see is that a lot of them also leave the city to discover its surroundings and see a bit more of the Netherlands. One of the places they like to visit is the Zaanse Schans. And, by accident, I was there too on one of my cycle tours on a lazy sunny Sunday. And what I saw were windmills, many windmills, and bikes!
I often get spotted while taking pictures of our beloved Amsterdammers on 2 wheels! Most of the time people smile at me or even strike their best pose for the picture. And sometimes people also wave at me, like this nice guy I photographed from the bridge above the Vondelpark.
Milou, one of the Amsterdam Cycle Chic team members, moved to Berlin a few months ago. So Else and Joni of Amsterdam Cycle Chic decided to visit her there.
We loved it! And in between enjoying one of the many terraces, parks and museums, we spotted cyclists, quite a lot of cyclists, and many of them in cool Berlin style!
Check out these elegant ladies on their pink bicycles…
The cycle chic team has been travelling a lot in Europa during the summer. Lately Aude and her sister were invited by their mum to go to pAris! Of course they rented a velib’ to move around. And they met many locals on a velib’ too. Here you can see a girl on high heels…
Guys chatting on Pompidou square…
Some youngsters heading for a party…
Cycling is getting more and more popular here so many people have their own 2 wheels. Look at these:
Frenchy on a race bike…
Dude on lady’s bike…
Girl on a city bike with basket…
The trio Aude-sister-mum have been cycling through the whole of pAris. They came to see the exhibition “Panorama” from Gerhard Richter on the top floor of centre Pompidou. Dedicated to modern and contemporary art, le centre Pompidou is a place you can’t miss if you are interested in art. This painting called “le vélo” is from Alain Séchas, it is part of the permanent collection of the Museum.
Today, the weather was so beautiful that we decided to take our bikes up to the North of Amsterdam. Half an hour cycling takes you away, right into the heart of the real idyllic Dutch countryside where water is everywhere. So all kinds of solutions have been created to cross over, like for example this “floating platform”.
We were not the only ones with this idea today: we met those 2 friendly Amsterdammers while crossing the river. Thanks for posing girls!
As the summer in Amsterdam is more rainy than sunny, the Cycle Chic team members pack their bags and go to sunnier places. Joni went to the south of France; Nice in the Côte d’Azur, to enjoy the sun, lie on the beach and do some sightseeing. Needless to say, she took a bike to cycle through the city, testing Nice’s cycling infrastructure and checking out Nice’s cycling culture. And as you might expect from the chique Côte d’Azur, Nice is quite Cycle Chic!
‘Just taking my two bikes out for a cycle’
The sun is out, the sky is blue, the city is waiting for you….