We're getting there - the living room looks like a living room, and the small bedroom is now a procrastination room. A room that we've put boxes of things in to sort out later.
Much later. First things first, Claudia's 'specialized' bike needs to be secured. In London, this would be a normal run of the mill bike - a bike that thousands commute to their offices on - whilst wearing the latest lycra, bouncing off buses, prickling the pedestrians and cutting up cars. Here in Amsterdam, cycling is a very different story. It's commonly known that the Dutch share their wombs wth bikes. This familiarity breeds a whole number of uses. In London, bikes are a singular weapon in the war of commuting. In Amsterdam, they're used for pretty much everything - and often modified to suit.
The couple of pictures here aren't difficult to take - they're images that are so frequently played out that nobody bats an eyelid (see this site - a photo essay on bike usage). Enough photos & surfing - time to get down to the hardware store to get a good lock.
Thankfully, there's a hardware store nearby, rather than out of town on a ringroad (I'll talk about chain stores later... - no pun intended). I give the guy some door keys to copy while I browse locks. There doesn't seem to be your normal run of the mill bike lock - no little U type locks, or little chains with little padlocks - just the gargantuan chains and padlocks normally seen on motorbikes & heavy digging equipment. Well, I need a lock, so why not get one of these? The extra weight will keep Claudia fit, and it's better to over deliver - she'll have the best secured bike in the 'Dam. I heave the lock & chain onto the counter. "Welcome to Amsterdam" the assistant chirps. Job done, I say.
