Amsterdam has been described as a city of bicycles. The bicycle is the primary mode of transportation for most in the City. Adults, children, pets, groceries, plants, you name it, it gets transported by bicycle. The numbers, even vague ones, seem staggering (but do not surprise us, having witnessed the bicycle invasion there). Even several years ago it was estimated that for the 750,000 people who lived in Amsterdam there were over 600,000 bikes. Some say that each year 80,000 bicycles are stolen and 25,000 end up in canals.
Amsterdam bicycles are unique in that they are often colorfully or elaborately decorated. This is said to be for two reasons: First, so they can be located easily amongst the thousands of other bikes and, second, in the hope of foiling potential thieves. We also saw lots of "Bakfiet" or box bikes. These are bicycles with what looks like a wheelbarrow attached to the front. They have a long history in the Netherlands and initially were used to transport foods and goods, but now are often used by families to transport children. And speaking of children, there are lots of different configurations of child seating on bicycles. We took lots of pictures of Amsterdam's bikes. These are some of our favorites.
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