Have you ever left a dense city and extremely busy train station and been cycling next to cows within minutes?  What a thrill! On Saturday morning, Nick and I rode a bike ferry (the coolest) to Noord to start a longer ride outside the city.  After getting a bit stuck in a couple of canals and parks thanks to my poor sense of direction, we were soon outside the A10 and plopped on the Netherlands National Cycling Routes.  We were also surrounded by cows and fields.  The A10 effectively serves as a growth boundary on the Northern edge and urban to rural transition is stark.  What makes it unique is how well-marked, integrated, and safe the rural cycling routes feel.  We were just on city bikes (without helmets) but we felt extremely safe on narrow off-road paths.  We meandered around the countryside and were at one point chased by cows who were running full speed along our bicycles.  Following the routes was easy and clear.  We got to ride a second low-tech ferry across another body of water that cost 25 cents each.

The cycling in Amsterdam is world-renowned and incredible, but this access to the countryside with safe and clear infrastructure is truly unmatched.  Denmark is working on their own cycling strategy, but it’s safe to say that the adage is true – The Netherlands is a cycling country while Copenhagen is a cycling city.