European Style

During my few weeks away from blogging over August, I spent some relaxing and delightful days with my family in Delft, Holland. Every time I go to the Continent, I am always struck by how civilised and stylish many of the cities there are - a great contrast to the chaotic, sprawling, hectic and stressful metropolis that is London.

Delft is tiny - the centre is probably not much bigger in than my South London suburb. Like many Dutch cities, it is the canals that dominate. The streets alongside are too narrow for more than the occasional car so pedestrians and cyclists are king. Unlike the cyclists in London who are all decked out in Lycra, helmets and goggles and who will find any excuse to pick a fight with cars, trucks and pedestrians, routinely swearing, shouting and waving fists, the cyclists in Delft are in their ordinary clothes, the breeze blowing through their hair and give pedestrians right of way, stopping to help lost tourists and generally, taking the time to stop and chat with friends they meet on their way.

It was delightful to sit at canalside cafes and chat without having to shout above the sound of traffic and breathe in fresh, cool air (in London, sitting at a streetside cafe gets you lungs full of CO and you can barely hear yourself think from the noise). It was a joy to hear the sound of church bells wafting over the city (in London, they are drowned out by traffic noise). It was relaxing to stroll along the streets while cyclists wove around you (instead of being shouted and cursed at as per London).

We took a cycle ride ourselves out to a farm which had a restaurant and cafe. Outside of the centre, the roads and streets are specially adapted for cyclists with cycle lanes and special traffic lights at major intersections. In the country roads, there are much fewer cars than in the UK, with most people preferring to hop on their bicycles for errands. We saw older ladies in smart skirts and high heeled shoes pottering along country lanes on their bikes with their groceries in one arm.

The one weird thing about Dutch cycling for us is the brakes - they are in the pedals and not on the handlebars so you have to back-pedal to stop. Eeks! It takes some getting used to and is particularly nerve wracking as you wobble towards a canal and are trying frantically to brake with non-existent levers on your handlebars…. I’m relieved to report that none of us fell in though we had a close shave one time!