Greenwheels
Across the canal from us two little Peugeot cars have been ogling at us since we moved in. For those who don't know about Greenwheels: those cars reflect the last bastion of approved sin in this "we all use public transportation" country. We do have like most countries our quorum of sinners as 7 households out of 10 do have a car.
As a contrast, the US considers soft drug use sinful and our 2.28 cars per household a necessity. One must reflect here however, that Holland has 1045 people living together on one square mile instead of the 88 in the US. And please also consider that 9000 people per square mile live and park cars in Amsterdam, making parking each day in the city 5 times more expensive than having a joint once a day per household. Which of course does not imply that every household smokes joints. Sandee and I have never tried one.
Almost every Dutch resident has an "OV card" loaded with euros, which allows an easy hop on and hop off on trams, metro, bus and train even on a bicycle, all simply charged against this card based on a countrywide gps calculating fare system. A web based itinerary system gets you from place A to B within minutes precise, telling you where and when to get on what tram or train and how long your legs will have to do the walking to tram or train, while at the same time presenting you the budgeted cost beforehand. A google map system assist those who don't know where they are or where they are going.
So why would you commit the sin of driving a car? Well for one, the beckoning presence of a car for hire across the canal that says subliminally "come drive me at a discount with your OV card". So Sandee and I fell for the siren call and rationalized, that some locations are too cumbersome to reach without that red green decorated monster, that tells everyone who we meet on the road that we are abandoning the public transportation system for the day. Yesterday we did it for the first time. We visited my brother and sister-in-law in a location easy to reach by public transportation while using our OV cards, as we have done before, but rationalized that after that visit proceeding to my parents graves would be the real reason to go greenwheeling, since it would take a half hour bicycling or extra walking from the nearest bus station, something we also have done before.
We will spare you the details on how to get in the car and what to do with a board computer while in the car, even about the process of tanking with the Greenwheel gas card which requires a payment pin that alluded me. One cannot enter the wrong pin more than 3 times or one will have to pay without reimbursement the 9 plus dollars a gallon. Frantic calls therefore to the "Greenwheel madam" ensued.
So what were the pleasures of that driving day?Besides needing 40 minutes to get out of town, where one-way narrow roads filled with pedestrians, bicycles and trams fill Sandee with horror, as she expects an accident anytime and almost not placing the car back in its parking spot within the allotted time frame for the same reasons?
The trip led us over country back roads with views of wonder, picturing small communities and open meadows with udder laden cows and little lambs prancing around mama, country estates of long gone days encroached by roads and homes more recently built on their previous manicured gardens. It was a sinfully delightful day and we watch "our" little cars across the canal wistfully anticipating a future fall to their everlasting tease.
As a contrast, the US considers soft drug use sinful and our 2.28 cars per household a necessity. One must reflect here however, that Holland has 1045 people living together on one square mile instead of the 88 in the US. And please also consider that 9000 people per square mile live and park cars in Amsterdam, making parking each day in the city 5 times more expensive than having a joint once a day per household. Which of course does not imply that every household smokes joints. Sandee and I have never tried one.
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| See our Apartment across the Canal? |
So why would you commit the sin of driving a car? Well for one, the beckoning presence of a car for hire across the canal that says subliminally "come drive me at a discount with your OV card". So Sandee and I fell for the siren call and rationalized, that some locations are too cumbersome to reach without that red green decorated monster, that tells everyone who we meet on the road that we are abandoning the public transportation system for the day. Yesterday we did it for the first time. We visited my brother and sister-in-law in a location easy to reach by public transportation while using our OV cards, as we have done before, but rationalized that after that visit proceeding to my parents graves would be the real reason to go greenwheeling, since it would take a half hour bicycling or extra walking from the nearest bus station, something we also have done before.
We will spare you the details on how to get in the car and what to do with a board computer while in the car, even about the process of tanking with the Greenwheel gas card which requires a payment pin that alluded me. One cannot enter the wrong pin more than 3 times or one will have to pay without reimbursement the 9 plus dollars a gallon. Frantic calls therefore to the "Greenwheel madam" ensued.
So what were the pleasures of that driving day?Besides needing 40 minutes to get out of town, where one-way narrow roads filled with pedestrians, bicycles and trams fill Sandee with horror, as she expects an accident anytime and almost not placing the car back in its parking spot within the allotted time frame for the same reasons?
The trip led us over country back roads with views of wonder, picturing small communities and open meadows with udder laden cows and little lambs prancing around mama, country estates of long gone days encroached by roads and homes more recently built on their previous manicured gardens. It was a sinfully delightful day and we watch "our" little cars across the canal wistfully anticipating a future fall to their everlasting tease.
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