I recently visited a friend in Amsterdam to escape the non-stop 40km/h wind of Toulouse. She asked me if I wanted to use the public transport or ride a bike this time around. I agreed enthusiastically to cycle. But to agree is one thing but to actually bike is another.
Most bikes here are meant for tall people because the Dutch are the tallest humans in the world. Although I learnt that only in the last 150 years did their heights shoot up. They credit good quality milk, meat and genes for this growth. But on the flip side, their growth seems to have stalled. We don’t know why yet - immigrant mixing, changing diets?
Anyway, if you are under 160cm, think before you decide to cycle because you may get foot cramps and hurt your vagina. But despite this discomfort, the possibility of an accident and aggressive bike traffic, it is surprisingly easy and de-stressing to bike around. The bike paths are massive, completely flat and rather quiet. Over 38% of the journeys in Amsterdam are made on bikes while a mere 2% in Toulouse to which I gladly contribute. But I would still say that toulousains and toulousaines are happier people. More on this conclusion later.
In other news, I recently spotted this image that reflects honest feelings of young French people. I have been following this local magazine called SEUM that talks more on similar topics along with a few pages of Tintin. I haven’t spotted the guys who distribute this free magazine since October 2021 in the city so that makes me concerned. I shall look for them and tell you soon.
Hope you enjoyed these random bunch of facts and have a good week!