I can get around anywhere I want without a car and I can look around since I'm not the one driving - I consider it a great way to get a tour of the city!
I've really loved getting to bike everywhere. When you are biking and you want to turn right you have to point your right arm out to the side to show everyone around you where you are turning (you have to do the same if you want to turn left). When I first got here I had to practice for weeks to take one hand off the handlebars to make sure I could point which way to go, but now that I've been here for two months and I bike every day I can bike with one hand in my pocket to keep it warm! The Dutch bike no matter what the weather is. I'm not sure I'm at that level of biking yet, but I did buy a rain suit (a pair of waterproof pants and shirt) to get ready for all-weather biking!
Yes, The Netherlands is a very environmentally friendly country and the city I live in was just voted the most Earth-friendly city in Europe this year! By taking public transportation and biking the Dutch use less gas and release fewer toxins into the air; this is really good for humans, plants and animals because there is cleaner air to breathe. Public transportation is used by everyone equally. The Dutch do not think that any job is more or less important than another. So it doesn't matter if you are a mailman, a teacher, a fireman, a librarian, or a politician. Everyone uses the same busses and trains and this practice helps to keep everyone connected.
