This may not get everyone’s blood pumping, but my cycle-mad husband was quite excited when he figured out what the sign said that I was photographing. This sign was on the sidewalk in Mortain in Normandy, northern France. Just a few more weeks to go!
Signs announcing the imminent arrival of the Tour de France
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“Goodness! That’s a bit of old fashioned cheesecake style advertising, isn’t it?” Mark looked over at what I was pointing to and smiled as he nodded yes and added, “It certainly is!”
This sign is mounted on the side of the bike shop in the village of Kroppen in Eastern Germany. We were eating lunch in the beer garden of the tavern across the street when I spotted it.
Hope it makes you smile, too!
Retro style 'cheesecake' advertising on bike shop in Kroppen, Germany
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Quick, quick preview with a couple of pictures. A longer post will be coming later today or tomorrow morning with lots more wonderful photos of Berlin from a walk on a sunny Sunday. The two pictures below were taken in what was the old East Berlin and it’s now a lovely and lively area!
The Fernsehturm or television tower was a strong image, not just for the German people, but for the world during the division of Berlin into East Berlin and West Berlin. Built by the GDR during the Cold War period of the mid-1960s, it was meant to be a symbol of power for the eastern side and visible throughout the city, but there are also some amusing facts about it. So click on the link to read the history!
Sunny Sunday in old East Berlin with Fernsehturm shining in the distance
Do you remember the post from Hannover? I included a photo of one of these vehicles sitting empty and I wondered what it would look like with people on it. Here’s a fully loaded version! They look like they are having quite a good time on this multi-passenger bike.
Fully loaded multi-passenger cycle
Check back soon for more wonderful pictures of Berlin!
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Look left, look right, and be aware! There are more bicycles in Amsterdam, used on a daily basis for every purpose imaginable, than any other city in Europe. According to GreenAnswers.com, 40% of the total traffic is made up of bicyclists.
Many other cities around the planet now aspire to be equally bike-powered and green, but ask yourself these questions while you peruse the photos.
Could you ‘car pool’ your children to school without a car — or shop for a week’s worth of groceries and get them home via pedal-power?
Bike riding parent with children
What if you purchased a piece of furniture, didn’t want to pay a delivery fee, and decided to just have a go at bringing it home on your bike?
Walking the table home
Can you hitch a sidesaddle ride on a bike for a breezy afternoon outing?
Hitching a ride on the back of a bike
And as to parking them? Bikes are chained up simply everywhere including along the railings of bridges and fences, to window grilles along building fronts, and to lamp posts.
Bike on a bridge
Even though bikes in this city are chained/latched/attached to anything that seems remotely stable and firm — as you can see by the sign below, that is not always appreciated by the owners of various buildings!
No parking sign for bikes
Another option is to park in someplace safe and secure like this 3 story garage for cycles which is looked after by security guards and is situated quite close to the front of Central Station. BELOW: 3 level bike parking lot. Photo by Mark Harmes
3 level bike parking lot. Photo by Mark Harmes
During our recent 8 day visit, I was especially impressed with the Bakfiets that I saw simply everywhere carrying children of all ages and sizes in the front section as the parents steered from the back. And whether used with or without the hooded ‘convertible top’ to keep the child passengers or shopping dry, the families that we saw using these sensible vehicles all looked relaxed and happy in spite of the winter temperatures.
Bikes with attached cart-style child carriers
This is one of the most charming cities in Europe and any visit to Amsterdam is made all the more delightful by being able to navigate through this beautiful city and enjoy scenic streets which are not clogged with noisy or air-polluting cars.
Unless otherwise indicated, all photography is by Deborah Harmes.
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©Deborah Harmes and ©A Wanderful Life
Please respect the copyright of all text and photos on this website. All rights reserved.