High Road to Culture in Flanders and the Netherlands

Publications

High Road to Culture in Flanders and the Netherlands

The Netherlands Gets on its Bike
0 Comments
For subscribers

The Netherlands Gets on its Bike

(Anton Korteweg) The Low Countries - 2004, № 12, pp. 46-57

This is an article from our print archives. Please be patient as we have to scan it

If you had to take one photo that summed up the Netherlands as the average foreigner sees it, what would it show? Queen Beatrix in clogs, cycling past a row of windmills, with the glassy eyes of dozens of cows staring at her in astonishment. It is not very likely that Her Majesty would offer her services for this Dutch promotional spot, but the fact is that she does cycle, as do most of her subjects. There are as many bikes as people in the Netherlands, and the author tells us about a number of aspects of the nation's favourite form of transport. Including poetry, because without cycling there are no thoughts, or at least far fewer thoughts, and without thoughts there are no poems. (with ten translated cycling poems by C. Buddingh', Jan Kuijper, Gerrit Komrij, Gerry van der Linden, Kees Ouwens, Ad Zuiderent, Jan Kal, H. van Teylingen, T. van Deel and Robert Anker)

Continue reading?

The article you want to access is behind a paywall. You can purchase this article or subscribe to access all the low countries articles.

€3

€4/month

€40/year

Sign in

Register or sign in to read or purchase an article.

Sorry

You are visiting this website through a public account.
This allows you to read all articles, but not buy any products.

Important to know


When you subscribe, you give permission for an automatic re-subscription. You can stop this at any time by contacting emma.reynaert@onserfdeel.be.