Bohemian Rhapsody...or Biking in the Netherlands with the Spirit of Freddie Mercury
- Themi Alexandra
- 5 days ago
- 10 min read
Biking makes me feel most myself and when traveling it makes me feel at home wherever I am. One of my favorite pieces I’ve written for this blog is about how I fell in love with biking and the experience of biking in eight of the ten countries I lived in while on Remote Year (see A Sort of Homecoming).
If you told me back in 2018 on Remote Year that one day I would go on a biking trip with Mary, I wouldn't have believed you! Mary is Ohana: one of my constant companions that I traveled the world with on RY. When I met Mary she was not comfortable on a bike. She will tell you herself about our first month when she had to have a local hold the saddle of her bike to keep her upright. Meanwhile I was seeking out a guided tour of Cape Town with Bike & Saddle. As the only person signed up I got a private tour past the beaches of Bloubergstrand and Melkbos, with Table Bay ever present on the horizon.
I wasn’t at the bike activity where Mary needed a hand, so my first impression of Mary was that she was positively fearless. Positive, as she is one of those people naturally wired for optimism. There is nothing phony or fake about her brand of optimism. Her spirit is pure, her heart is good, she wants the best for everyone. Fearless because during our first month in Cape Town, she staged her own one woman show, “Mary Swipes Left (but not really…)” all about the trials and tribulations of her dating life. I was still adjusting to the time zone and the water shortage, while Mary was out there singlehandedly producing a show and bringing it to a local theater for a sold out run!
After watching her brilliant show, I thought to myself, you should get to know this girl. She was funny, talented, and like me, close to her family. Her dad even flew to Cape Town for the show (he was living in Dubai at the time, but that’s still a nine hour flight?!). I got to the venue early and was still feeling unsure around my Ohana (believe it or not I’m an introvert and I take a long time to let people in). I approached her dad over my Ohana because parents are my comfort zone. I know where I stand with parents, I kill! Turns out what was comfortable backfired shortly after the show started and there was Mary on stage telling a story about an overnight guest and her Dickensian caroling costume - and there I was sitting next to her dad. Insert awkward laughter while staring straight ahead.
I liked Mary from the beginning but I didn’t really connect with her until month five when we were paired as roommates in Split. That magical month on the Dalmatian coast was the beginning of a beautiful friendship that endures today. Since then Mary’s relationship with biking has done a complete 180. Our time on RY provided her many opportunities to get more comfortable in the saddle.
Yet it wasn’t until she moved to New York that she began biking regularly and eventually bought her own bike. Now she bikes for both transportation and pleasure. The woman is biking some of the busiest streets in the world, again with the fearlessness. No one is more pleased with this turnabout than me! It gives us another thing to enjoy when we visit each other in our home cities of Chicago and New York. Since RY ended we have visited each other regularly but we hadn't visited a new country together.
We decided it was time to get a stamp in our passports that neither of us had yet. The only other requirement, besides somewhere new, was somewhere we could bike. We each brought several ideas to the table. Amsterdam became an early favorite for obvious reasons. The more we talked about the time of year we would be there, fall, when leaves are changing and the air is cooler, it became clear there was no competition.
We packed our bags with each of us bringing a helmet inside our carry-on - a flex for any one week trip but considering the helmet took up almost a quarter of the interior space, a total feat of ingenuity! Amsterdam may be the unofficial biking capital of the world. I’ve never been to a city with a more ingrained bike culture where bikes outnumber pedestrians 2:1 (or so it seems). It’s not just about bike lanes, it’s that cars and people know how to share the road with bikers, and did I mention bikers get the right of way…cue up Hilary Duff’s “This is What Dreams Are Made Of.”
Mary and I sat at sidewalk cafes and watched the locals pedal by while observing the most striking thing about biking in Amsterdam. The Dutch bike in whatever they happen to be wearing. I saw a woman biking in pumps and a man in a three piece suit. In the US we suit up to bike: donning spandex, clipping in, wearing gloves - it’s more a hobby than a way of life.
And their bikes are built for two (sometimes three, seriously)! I saw the most bike carriages in my life. It’s not just kids along for the ride, oftentimes the passenger is an adult, sitting on the front shelf or in the extra wide carriage. Biking is a way of life. Everyone is freewheelin’ and next to no one is wearing a helmet.
Helmets were the butt of a joke our canal cruise guide cracked. How to spot a German tourist…they’re wearing helmets. We giggled knowing what sat inside our suitcases. In the end we didn't ride the streets of Amsterdam. I’m glad we walked the city instead. I enjoyed a slower pace, getting to stop whenever the feeling struck, or easily change direction. After observing the bike culture, it would have been overwhelming to weave our way into the daily fabric.
Turns out the ride was worth waiting until we got to Alkmaar. Alkmaar is a 30 minute train ride northwest of Amsterdam and where we stayed for most of our visit (see Coming Home). Like Amsterdam, it sits on a canal, unlike the capital, it already had Christmas lights up in October, so the charm was overflowing in this brighter and quieter city. The perfect place to put the pedal down.
Our Airbnb hosts had bike rental info as readily available as the wi-fi password and they also provided a suggested route for the day, so we were off to a very strong start. Then I hit the jackpot when Mary offered to navigate. Trust me when I tell you, directions are not my strong suit.
We began the day with breakfast at Groenlokaal, a charming cafe with excellent coffee (See Being Funny In a A Foreign Language) where we also ordered lunch to bring along so that we could stop wherever we wanted. Mary had the foresight to bring a small daypack for this very reason, and if you can’t already tell, Mary is the one you want on your bike trip!
Next we were greeted by Olof with an enthusiastic “Chicago!” as we entered Pesie bikes to pick up our rides. It took me a beat to realize my earlier phone call had given him the geographical tip off, and not my hard a’s for once. Olof set us up with some sweet steads for our journey and away we went through the cozy heart of Alkmaar’s town square and into parts unknown of the Netherlands.
You always hear scent is the sense most closely tied to memory, but sometimes it’s a sound that sticks to my brain like gum on the bottom of my shoe. When I think back I can still hear the cobblestone rattling under my tire as we pushed off from Pesie. That one stone like a loose tooth, shifting in its spot, under the weight of my wheel. I had never heard a more beautiful sound: the sound of movement, the sound of the adventure that awaited us. If you're new here, yes, I am wildly romantic.
Away we rode, past the local train station, out of the city and into the country…farm country. It wasn’t long before we were surrounded by green fields filled with cows, horses, and cottages, oh my! We definitely weren’t in Kansas anymore. We were sharing the road with tractors for crissakes!
Even though we were sharing the road with machines ten times our size, I’ve never felt safer on two wheels. The bike paths were protected even alongside the highway. But what really blew my mind were the crossings. Bike crossings are built-in along the highway and without question cars defer to bikes. We got off the bike for the first time to take in a roadside attraction - one you are likely only to find in the Netherlands, a tulip stand.
Our next stop was for lunch and we decided where better than by the sea, even if it wasn’t exactly beach weather. We locked our bikes and headed towards the shore of the charming Egmond aan zee. A village on the North Sea coast of the Netherlands. We found a bench by the water and had our packed lunch picnic. It was cold and windy but we didn’t care, we were captivated by the charm of Egmond aan zee and our view.
As it turns out, the seafront was busy with families having lunch, walking about, and literally flying kites (I thought kite flying was reserved solely for cinematic purposes and children’s books). Apparently the Danish are not scared of a little wind and are just as comfortable wearing sweaters at the beach as they are bikinis. At home I would never think to go to the beach in the fall, but on vacation you’re more willing to adopt a while we’re here mentality and I’m so glad we did.
From the sea we headed to Bergen, a town in the province of North Holland. Don’t even get me started on my confusion between Holland and the Netherlands…as a child of the 80s I could swear I learned the country name Holland. Turns out Holland is the name of 2 of the 12 provinces in the Netherlands. Then again you’re in conversation with a woman who consistently confused Copenhagen and Amsterdam as I prepared for this trip. I would have to check my inner monologue, thinking “I can’t wait for our Copenhagen trip!!! Oh wait…I mean Amsterdam trip.” And I’ve been to Copenhagen, last year, you think I could keep it straight, but I digress about my own geography fails.
The ride to Bergen was seamless, which is how I would describe biking in the Netherlands period. Every push of the pedal from Alkmaar to Egmond and beyond was protected. We were never biking among traffic - always in a protected lane - even along the highway! Which just shows how their world is designed with biking in mind, not an afterthought. Of course everyone bikes in the Netherlands, you can do it safely because it’s woven into not just the infrastructure, but the culture of daily life.
As we biked through a particularly lush stretch of road that felt like an enchanted forest, the thing I kept thinking about was how biking without worrying about cars really brings the enjoyment level up to 11. For once you can be in your body more than your brain (or maybe that’s just me). The Netherlands allowed for this level of freedom, not afforded in most places, and to say that it added to the experience is an understatement.
Throughout the day, there were several moments in the saddle that were downright euphoric. There I was pedaling along, basking in the view of nature, reveling in the present, with Freddie Mercury whispering to me, “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” Fuck if I know Freddie, but I’ve never walked a thinner line between the two and it was glorious!
After I tossed around Freddie’s questions a few times like coins in my pocket, I let him continue with the first verse of “Bohemian Rhapsody:” “Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality/Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see.” I was caught in a landslide of sheer bliss and I had a beautiful rock n’roll spirit guide reminding me to keep my eyes open, can do my friend!
I didn’t need the rest of the almost six-minute rock opera. Mr. Mercury’s work was done here. He had gifted me the perfect lyrics to capture the moment, the feeling, and the memory of the best experience of the trip!
It may be hard to believe after that rhapsodic detour, but the day got even better when we reached Bergen. Bergen was a proper pit stop: time to lock up the bikes, walk around, and do our civic duty as tourists. I mean it may be illegal to visit the Netherlands and not try its iconic dessert, dutch apple pie.
We sat on the patio of a charming cafe, people watching and listening to the bells of the nearby church play “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” while we enjoyed our pie. It was downright idyllic. I’m sure the sugar and caffeine were of assistance but I could have ridden back to Alkmaar on the serotonin high alone. If you’re wondering about that apple pie, let’s just say this, there’s a reason the Dutch own the title of the desert, it’s a national treasure!
The ride back to Alkmaar was just another slice of pastoral paradise. More views of the lush countryside, waving to the cows and horses we passed, and plenty of daydreaming about what it would be like to live in one of the cottages we pedaled on by. As we rode I gave a friendly “Hoi” to passing bikers and getting one in return was sweeter than that slice of apple pie. That one word made me feel like for that fleeting moment I was right where I belonged.
“I Could Have Danced All Night” is all about riding a high, well trust me when I say I could have biked all day and “still have begged for more” as the song goes. But we did have to return our rentals eventually. We probably rode 20 miles give or take but I didn’t feel exhausted because the riding was flat as a pancake, not to mention, we broke up the miles with memorable stops along the way. Mary was feeling similarly joyful, so we decided to celebrate with cocktails, where else…our spot, 1480 FoodBar.
As we sat at the bar revelling in the highlights of the day, I added Alkmaar and the Netherlands to the list of places I would visit yearly if time and money were no object. Who wouldn’t want to return to a place that makes you question whether or not your real life is a fantasy?!
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