American Reacts to I Cycled Around the Netherlands…again

In this video, I react to a video of @nicthedoor cycling around the Netherlands. Getting a chance to travel to Europe is always a treat, but getting a chance to truly immerse oneself in the culture of a country is truly spectacular. Even after living abroad for over 1 year, I still experience various culture shocks (especially Dutch culture shocks) while watching videos like this one.

Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cHwykyBxks

This video is about:
Travel to Europe
American in Europe
Culture shock
Living abroad
USA culture shock
Reverse culture shock America
American culture shocks

#travel #travelvlog #american #europe #netherlands #usa

So, I’ve been here in Thailand for just a little under one month. And although I’ve really, really been enjoying myself out here, there are a few things that I truly truly miss about being in the Netherlands. So many things, in fact, that I’m probably going to make a whole separate video just talking about the things that I miss about the Netherlands. That said, one thing that I could think of off the top of my head is the ability to cycle wherever you want to go. That is something that I truly truly miss being here in Thailand because that is simply not an option most of the time. In fact, the only biking I do here is on the stationary bike at the apartment’s gym. Bearing that in mind, the closest I’m going to get is by living vicariously through other people. That said, in this video I’m going to be reacting to a video from Nick Leaport. I don’t know if I said his name correctly, but Nick Leaport. I cycled around the Netherlands again. Day one. It’s been a year, but I am back in the Netherlands. And last time I set out for the better part of a week to see what the country had to offer, be that cycling infrastructure, history, or even the food. While my last trip was a success, I still felt like there was a lot more that I had to see. So, I returned for two more weeks in the Netherlands. You know what? It’s pretty interesting because I know this may seem a little off topic, but when you look at the Netherlands from a plane, you would never ever suspect that it would be as bikable as it is. Because really, most of the Netherlands just looks like this. It’s fields, some water, and then you have the occasional town, city, village, etc. So, this idea, and I’m not trying to get too deep into urban planning or whatever, but this idea that America is too big or there’s too much open land, open space to have adequate cycling infrastructure is complete BS. The Netherlands is proof of that. for two more weeks in the Netherlands. [Music] Just 11 months ago, I was here eager to explore this beautiful country on a bike. I spent 6 days riding over 350 km, which saw me through much of Ranstat. That’s the area including the provinces of South Holland, Utrect and parts of North Holland and Flevand. 350 kilometers. That is a long way right there. Look, I did a lot of biking in the Netherlands, but I don’t think I ever cycled more than 4 kilometers in one day or maybe 4 km in one trip at most. I don’t know how he split that trip up, how many kilometers he was cycling per day, but I can only imagine the types of cramps he was getting throughout that journey. But if you’re the type of person who’s really really into cycling, especially if you like those street bikes, I don’t think there’s a better place to be in the world than the Netherlands. Truly, it’s where the majority of the Dutch population lives and where you’ll find Amsterdam, the HEG, Rotterdam, and of course, the city of Utrect. I learned a lot about the way Dutch cities are designed, the way the landscape mostly stays the same, and how truly wonderful it is getting around everywhere on a bike. But of course, there is still so much more to experience. So, for this trip, my intention is to knock off all other provinces from my passport. There are 12 in total, three of which I visited last year during my bike trip, and Zaland, which I also visited with some friends a few weeks later. That leaves Freezeland, Groigan, Drenth, Overissell, Flavorland, Gelderland, North Brabent, and Lindberg. You know what? This is the pot calling the kettle black, but I just love the way he’s pronouncing these province names. I absolutely love it. I love hearing Americans or I don’t know if he’s American or Canadian, but I love hearing foreigners like myself pronounce these Dutch names. To my knowledge, it’s Zealand, Zerland, Nordland, Utre, Flavorland, Freezeland, Honingan, Trent, Overderland, Nord, Braant, and Lindberg. Let me know if I pronounced those correctly. So, compared to last year, this is going to be a much bigger trip. Ya. By the way, if you haven’t seen any of my previous trip, don’t worry. Every video can be watched individually. There are no prerequisites. But without further ado, this is day one of the Netherlands by bike, the sequel. My trip begins in Amsterdam, and last year I went west to Harlem, but this time I am instead heading east with the day’s final destination being Elmir. But I will be You know what? I know I keep pausing the video. I apologize, but I just realized I don’t think I ever tried cycling in a Dutch city before. I only ever cycled in the suburbs or in the countryside. So, I don’t know what it’s like cycling in a place like Amsterdam or even a place like Denbul or Tilberg. Never tried it before. Let me know what that experience is actually like. Stopping at a few places along the way. First thing is first, I’m going to need wheels. Considering that one of the most common questions I got from my last trip was, “Where did I rent my bike? Might as well hit two birds with one stone. The answer is a bike rental and tours who have graciously offered me a bike for this trip. They have multiple locations in Amsterdam, but I am going to their shop located at the edge of Vondel Park because I’ve heard this is where they have the most stock. To get there, I was able to take a very convenient bus from Chippel, which is also a great time to point out that even here in the Netherlands, there are a lot of cars. Once I arrived at the bike shop, I had to make a choice. And if you’re a novice, you might be overwhelmed with which bike to choose. But it’s actually pretty simple. For cruising around town, a city bike will do the trick. Riding between cities like me, a touring bike will be your best bet, as the extra gears make it more versatile for the rare times you find hills or the much more common Dutch hill wind. It also has suspension for which your ass will thank you for at the end of long days. If you’re planning on visiting the Netherlands and you’re going to rent a bike, it really does matter what type of bike you rent because that wind out there plays a major major role in how much energy you expend on your trip. So, in order to offset that, it really does help to get a higher quality bike if you can afford it. If you can afford to rent a high quality bike, that can really make your trip a lot easier. But if you really want to go bougie or perhaps you’re on a trip nearing 2 weeks averaging 60 to 80 km a day, you should consider the ebike. It’s much like the touring bike, but offers a 25 km perh boost and will take you up to 120 km on a single charge. Considering I said this at the end of my last trip, while I have nothing to truly regret, if I were to do another trip in the Netherlands, I would take an ebike. Yeah, I’m taking ebike. You can also rent saddle bag. I would take an ebike, too, if I was going to cycle 60 to 80 kilometers a day. I guess I probably could do that with an ebike, but that’s still pushing it. I don’t know how much energy you have to expend while riding an ebike. Let me know in the comments if you have one. Or do what I did, bring your own. And in a few minutes, you’ll be cruising the streets of Amsterdam. [Music] Definitely a lot more crowded than what I’m accustomed to in the Netherlands. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many bikes riding around Amsterdam. That was insane. And I just was so excited. I wanted to just like do a Rick Flare. Woo! There’s people around. But I I have to let it out. I have to let out. Woo. Hopefully I didn’t scare anybody. I feel better. Even watching this video back just just ridiculous. Like this is rush hour, which wasn’t my plan to be here at this time. My flight was delayed by 4 hours, so this was a bit of a happy accident. And while I was glad to see these streets at peak times, I still had to get to Elmare, which was only 35 km away. But nevertheless, I had to get a move on. I quickly came across my first piece of infrastructure to highlight. This is an award-winning bridge, which spans the Amsterdam Rin Canal, and it is one of the longest ped cycling bridges in the Netherlands at 780 m long. Wow, it’s really windy. I’m having to hold my hat on my head cuz I’m going to lose it. It’s going to be gone. into the canal. You don’t want that. This really set the tone for the whole trip. I thought it’s that wind out there violates the worst. And if you’re Dutch, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The absolute worst is when it’s raining and it’s windy and it’s blowing the rain in your face while you’re biking and it’s cold outside on top of that. Oh my goodness. That’s something I don’t miss about the Netherlands is that experience right there. I had that far too many times. It’s just windy today. I’ll get a mix, which I did get, but the mix was only the direction of wind I’d be dealing with every day. Here’s a sports park. I think they’re playing field hockey. And uh this is something you don’t see at all in North America. Obviously, like the amount of bikes here is just unbelievable. But as far as like a sports park goes, what comes to my mind is soccer fields, a hockey rink, and giant parking lots filled with cars. And wouldn’t you know, people be like, “Ah, you can’t play ice hockey without you need a car to bring all your equipment.” Well, wouldn’t you know, there’s a bike has a bucket on the front that’s the size of a hockey bag. Pretty cool, huh? As I continued, I got to appreciate the landscape, wildlife, and even the housing. What’s been shocking to me already is just how new everything feels because it is. I haven’t been here before. I was in Amsterdam. I’ve been there many times, but as soon as I went east, never been here. And already, look at that. There’s a castle. This is Moerslot. It’s only 15 km from the middle of Amsterdam, making it a great choice for a day trip. Built in 1370, it is one of the oldest castles in the Netherlands. Today it is a national museum open to the public which has been restored to its 17th century glory and it’s almost like stepping into a time machine. The garden out front is uh it’s pretty nice too. That’s something that I always struggle to process being in Europe or even being here in Asia is this idea that people that long ago actually walked those same streets. And when I say those same streets, I mean those same streets where things looked relatively similar. Whereas in America, I mean the area I grew up in wasn’t developed until probably the 1980s or something like that. So very, very stark difference right there. Sadly, my late start to the day foiled my plans for getting inside, but that just meant I had to augle a different piece of history nearby. So, this is probably one of the coolest things I learned in quite a while. So, somebody commented on one of my videos. They told me to check this out, which is Stelling Van Amsterdam. The defense line of Amsterdam was constructed between 1880 and 1920 and consists of 45 fortifications stretching 135 km around the city of Amsterdam. Most have this trapezoid shape. However, there are many more to be found, including Fortilland Pampus, visible from here, but only reachable by boat. But they are so common that you may go by one and not even realize it, like I did on the first day of my trip last year. Some of the forts are closed completely. Some have been retrofitted for different uses. And many are museums run by volunteers, like Fort Andenham, northwest of Amsterdam. Here, the volunteers graciously took me on a tour when it was supposed to be closed for the day. Now, when you typically think of using nature or the natural surroundings to make a defense, you think of maybe during World War II, for example, in Normandy, they use the bluffs to create defensive positions for people who are storming the beaches. Now, the Netherlands doesn’t have that for the most part. It’s very, very flat. So, they use what they have. They use that flatness and they use their expertise when it comes to managing water to create a defense network. That is Stelling Van Amsterdam. What makes this defensive network so unique is the fact that it’s activated by inundating the lowlands with 12 in of water. Too shallow for boats and a mess to trudge through on foot, which would funnel the advancing army into the line of fire from these strategically placed forts. Each was fit for survival, hosting everything a soldier needs. Rainwater collection, kitchens, mess, bunks, and even laundry. Unfortunately, by the time Stelling van Amsterdam was ready for action, it was rendered obsolete by the invention of the airplane. It was partially inundated during the Second World War, but the Dutch capitulated before the Germans reached it. After uh we surrendered to the Germans, they took over this fort and they wanted to use the old cannons for their weapon industry. So, they melted the steel and they used it for to build tanks or something like that. But they blew up the foundation and they didn’t figure out that it was French concrete. It’s not armored concrete. So they blew up the first foundation and the first parts of this concrete flew across the fortress to the other side of the road. Oh my god. They said, “Oh wow, we used too much explosives.” Thanks again to the volunteers at Fort Anenham. Before leaving Maiden, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to spot this canal bridge or tunnel underpass. What do you even call this? Aqueduct? Either way, it is just so Dutch. Similar to the one across the Velamir, which unfortunately I didn’t actually get a chance to see, actually. Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before. That’s kind of crazy. And that is to his point very, very Dutch. That is a very Dutch thing. I feel like this is cool. I literally always say this in every video about the Netherlands, but I feel like Dutch engineers, the civil engineers and the urban planners, they should be amongst the highest paid people on the planet in my opinion because their work is cutting edge and it’s honestly world class. World class. If you are a Dutch civil engineer or if you’re involved in any part of the process of creating things like this, just cool things that are unique to the Netherlands, then comment below because you deserve your flowers. Continuing east, I did my best to just take in the experience. It’s too nice. God, it’s too nice. This is ridiculous. It’s not fair. So peaceful. As you can see, the sun is beginning to set behind me. I’ve only been in the Netherlands for maybe two 2 and a half hours maybe almost 3 hours now. I’ve had a lot of fun checking out those defenses, but uh I need to get to my destination which is one thing that really surprised me about the Netherlands when I got there. I had no idea this was the case before I got there. But the amount of animals you see, the amount of wildlife, and I don’t know if you would necessarily call it wildlife, because a lot of these animals belong to people, but the amount of animals that you see, horses and cows particularly, definitely caught me off guard. I saw more horses in the Netherlands than I ever did in Texas, which is saying something. And from where I am right now, it looks like it’ll be about 45 minutes. The ebike had already been a gamecher. Even with the wind, I still had plenty of battery left after 25 km of riding. I’ve got some days that are going to be reaching just around 90 km on just the travel in between the cities alone. So, we’re going to really put this bike to the test. I passed through Maidberg, a lovely little town on the water where you could really see how windy it was. Holy, look at all the kite surfers. Holy Oh my god, there’s so many. and also a glimpse of my destination. Is it possible for those kites to get tangled with one another? Does that happen? Because it seems like they’re kind of close to each other. I feel like if I was one of them, I’d want to be a little bit further away. But hey, I guess they know what they’re doing. But I would definitely be a little bit concerned about that. Oh my god, there’s so many. And also a glimpse of my destination. I eventually made it to the Dutch bridge, and yes, that is its name, where I passed my first milestone. About to lose my hat again, but it’s really loud here. Here we go. We’re about to cross into our first new province. Did you feel it? We are now in Flavorland. Is that what it is? Flavorland? I don’t remember. Flavoland is the newest province in the Netherlands. Officially established in 1986, nearly all of it sits on land reclaimed from the sea in the 1950s and60s in what used to be the Zer, now the freshwater Eselamir, making it one of the boldest feats of engineering in Dutch history. It is the smallest province by land area, but home to nearly half a million people. They created a whole new province. Let me just reiterate, Dutch engineers should be the highest paid people on the planet. Full stop. Is the capital, but the more populous Elmir is my destination. And after crossing the bridge, I encountered one of my all-time favorite features of the Dutch traffic system. Look at that. It changed. Did I catch that? It I hit the thing. I hit the thing and it changed. So cool. Wait. It I hit the thing. I’ve never seen that before. Is that common in the Netherlands? I never ever saw that while I was there. Is that just unique to certain parts of the Netherlands or is that everywhere and I just didn’t notice. That’s crazy. I didn’t know that that was a thing. They have the detection loop, I guess it’s called. It can detect when a cyclist is approaching. So, the light will turn green. That’s crazy. Again, Dutch engineers, Dutch urban planners, you need to ask for a raise. You need to ask for a raise. Yesterday, I hit the thing and it changed. So cool. So cool. Love it. And not just for the convenience on a bike. This is better for everyone. People get caught up in the debates about whether or not you’re breaking the law if you run a red light when no one else is around. When we really should be questioning why you have a red light to wait at in the first place. Take note, North American cities. This is beautiful. Like, this is so lovely. I love going through nature. I love the the winding paths. It feels like What he was just saying reminded me of something that happened while my girlfriend and I were on our trip, our van life trip through the US. We were in Iowa, I think. So, middle of the country, middle of nowhere, and we were pulling off to go get gas. We pulled off of the highway. We get in the off-ramp and then we end up at a light, a stoplight. No cars are coming from the left or the right side, but we’re at the red light. And when I tell you I saw the light that was perpendicular to us, so the light for the cars or for the traffic going left and right, that light went through three or four traffic cycles before our light turned green. Literally, it wasn’t until a car pulled up to my left side that the light turned green. So honestly, if that car hadn’t pulled up, we would probably still be there right now at that intersection. America has a lot of catching up to do. Y like you’re kind of getting lost in the woods a bit. But the thing is, it’s not the most direct route to Elmir. That’s what I’m finding here. It is very convoluted compared to if you were in a car, much less distance need to travel. I would later eat my words, but after passing under Highway A6, I made my way to the center of Elmir where I sniffed out something familiar. There was a smell that most Dutch cities have. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know if it’s fast food restaurant, some kind of restaurant or something like that, but they it just hit me now as I got to the center of Elmir, and it it just brought me back. So, I haven’t eaten anything since I was on the plane, which was just a cheese sandwich. It was very lovely. It was nice. I like the feel of this city. I’m the type of person, I like modern architecture. So, as of right now, Rotterdam, that’s the city that I would want to live in if we moved back to the Netherlands today. But after seeing this, this might No, this doesn’t have beat, but I haven’t been to either one, so it could. But it definitely just from an architectural standpoint in my opinion based on my taste is right on par with what I saw or what I see in pictures of Rotterdam cuz again I’ve never been there yet. It was nice but uh didn’t hit the spot. You guys know what I want. You guys know what I’m craving. It’s not McDonald’s. What I’m craving had me scared for a second. Freaking dela. We don’t have that in Canada. So, I need to find me an Albert Hyen at least. Sadly, no pastries were to be found. So, I settled for some fries at a local burger shop before getting some much needed sleep in anticipation for day two. And now, I am going to book a flight back to the Netherlands so that I can get a freaking delia and so that I can enjoy the worldass cycling infrastructure that the Netherlands has to offer.