As journeys go this was a quickie, but any destination outside the comfort zone, however short, is inspirational. It's not even
that long ago since I
visited Amsterdam last, but true to form almost everything about the experience was different. Big cities are full of surprises and corners unturned, one of the many reasons why I love them.
Recently I have found myself occupied with the public space. How much of it has been earmarked for cars (and advertisers), and how we are
slowly beginning to question that. In Amsterdam they are not just a few steps ahead of us, it's a whole different ballgame. First: the car is not king, and second the inhabitants have found a way to make the city and the public space theirs. Nothing illustrates that better than the floating bike seats:
You can just imagine the happy dance performed when I came across these. And reading up on the story behind them only made it better. From the site: Zip is for the people and not for cars. Zip invites people to consider the importance of the street as a social space instead of a mere traffic domain. By providing comfort and fun, Zip can transform an empty space into an attractive spot.

Jihyun David, creator of the Zip project, have made it temporary and nomad. If you are in Amsterdam make sure to look up the latest location and strike a pose. Crazy good. Crazy up my alley.
Another way of inhabiting the public space is with improvised urban gardens. Sometimes it is just a way to cover a ground floor apartment window for a little privacy, and at other times it is more of a public garden, but it is not confined to back yards and appointed areas, as is the case in Copenhagen. I want to do something about that now. As in right now. Or at least come spring.
Liebe / Love
Vertical garden curtain for ground floor privacy.
Built-in potted plants. Poke some holes in the wall and attach plant holders, a super simple solution.
And even fake mixed with real ones. I am predisposed to love them because of my grandmother, who kept plastic plants in every room in the house. Classic "farmor". You can just tell these were planted by a good person.
One thing that never changes in Amsterdam is the overall laid back feeling. Traffic moves at a human pace, and there is no display of fear. The pushing of unnecessary protective gear is not promoted here, and as a result people move about their business with nothing but wind in their hair. As it should be. Can someone tell me why the Danish Cycling Federation* have not only been allowed, but also succeeded in shocking and bullying my people into overpriced plastic hats that they really don't need? If they really consider our infrastructure unsafe (which it is not), then change
that, don't make us dress for it. Seriously.
And just when you thought you had seen everything on a bike...
♥
(to be so very continued)
Links:
*Incidentally The Danish Cycling Federation makes a profit selling helmets and similar "protective gear" in their
online shop. You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to smell something wrong with that..