This is how we roll

One thing I have always wondered about is the European type of bicycle lock. It prevents your front wheel from moving and that's all. When visiting places like Amsterdam I spent much of my time (probably too much) musing over why this system works. It would be quite simple to steal any of the bicycles - I could pick it up, I could roll it by the back wheel, or really I could park my van next to a bicycle area and just throw a few nice ones in the back. Yet, as far as I can tell this doesn't happen. In Montreal we tended to buy decent bikes that looked worse than they actually were. We then went ahead and spent about half the amount we just spent on the actual bicycle on a great bicycle lock. Bicycle locks that were so heavy duty and clunky they could be used effectively to defend your home as well. And even so we have had both had bicycles stolen and vandalized. 

 

I am the happy owner of a bicycle now. And my bicycle has not only afforded me lovely waterfront rides in the sunshine it has also been boosting my esteem of Canberra. This is a safe city. This is a city like Europe where folks use their flimsy locks to attach the frame to the front wheel and walk away confident. There are no bike lock areas at our building. I noticed that all the bikes are casually put in the front part of the parking spaces. Some are locked in the above manner and some are just  there. So I did the same though I have to admit that I went down each day for the first week to see if it was still there. 

 

And then over the weekend I had a true test of my Canberraness. We went to an event to celebrate Norwegian independence day. We met at the international flag display by the crowded waterfront. I put my bicycle near the crowd thinking I could keep an eye on it. Then we started the parade of Norwegian pride. Feeling a bit nervous I quickly locked the front wheel. But our parade meandered through parliamentary buildings and eventually ended in a far rose garden about a kilometer away from my bicycle. I figured for sure it would be taken by someone or moved by one of the many security guards in the area. It was, after all, right in the middle of an international monument. But after three hours I nervously went to reclaim it and there it was glittering in the sunshine. 

 

This is just an honest sort of city. A friend accidentally left his daughter's bicycle somewhere unlocked and there it still was when he went to reclaim it two weeks later. He tried to give away his child's scooter by leaving it on the curb. And nobody took it. Ever. 

 

We have also decided to fully integrate into our new home and bought a car. While it is the newest car we have ever owned it is still ten years old and rattly. But it's gold - literally. We are hoping if it wants to break down it waits a good 7 months. Meanwhile, we are discovering what it is like to cruise around the country side in an old gold car. We sometimes feel very hip and sometimes like a flashy old retired couple on our way to the golf club. We don't even bother locking up the front wheel. 

There she is!

On a car trip