Mia learns to bike in Holland

There's really no excuse for us to not have taught Mia to bike sooner, but it's been hard to find time and the right (safe!) place near our house.  What better way to learn than to show up in the one place in the world where everyone rides a bike and even the cars have to give way to the "tweeweilers."

Mia on her bike

We decided to rent bikes for the whole month so we can get around town and go out to see the countryside.  We picked up the bikes at noon and walked them down the block to the local gradeschool that was out for the day.  We had the playground to practice.  Mia got the hang of riding pretty quickly.  Turning corners was a little harder.  After a few minor crashes she figured it out.  But riding in an open lot is a different story than riding alongside the cars on the road--even if you do supposedly have "right of way."

Narrow street in Nijkerk

For first time riders it is hard to stay in that narrow bike-lane on the already narrow streets.  So we walked the bikes back to the apartment and gave it a rest for a few hours.  That evening, Marike came to lead us on bikes from our apartment to her house--through Nijkerk traffic!  Mia did great until the "big hill."  That steep slope scared her into walking the bike for a bit.

The next day we were on the train in the morning and then biked back to the apartment with no problems.  So--the next day--less than 48 hours after Mia learned to ride a bike--we decided to go on a serious ride... (see blog on Spakenburg.)