Photojournalist

Here are some uncaptioned photos of my travels from last week, including my trans-Netherlands bike trip and my Brussels trip.

Decline and fall and repair of bike

I've started reading Edward Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (actually this version). The remaining titles in my room's library looked a bit short on quality, and I figured that it might exercise my brain muscles a bit more than some of the other offerings that were left in that drawer.

Also, in my emails I might have overstated my affection for my bike (pictured below); I enjoy riding it, but it left a lot to be desired. That is until the point where none of the following safety features were in working order:

1. Light. Not really all that useful in illuminating a path, the bicycle light is more of a warning signal to the dog-walkers and other cyclists on the road at night. Broken when I arrived.
2. Bell. I laughed at the bell on my bike when I first saw it, until I realized that all bikes have it. It is considered common courtesy if you are passing someone on bike paths or narrow streets to give a ring of the bell as a warning. Broken when I arrived.
3. Rear brakes. I am fortunate to have a bike with hand brakes (all of the rental bikes at the conf. centre have back-pedal brakes), but I'm not a fan of riding with only the front brake as it can lead to some over-acrobatic cycling. Broke during normal use on Friday.

The brakes were the last straw, and I talked to the maintenance guy here, and he took the bike in. 76 euros later ($117.73 CDN, thankfully I wasn't paying), its almost a new machine. A back fender/rack issue was also fixed.

I am counting on this beast of burden to carry me across the Netherlands next weekend (16-17 October).