On Skirts and Cycling . in The Netherlands

The sun has shown it's radiant face for days on end here in The Netherlands, and under these circumstances there are two things that the Dutch can't seem to get enough of - bicycling and skirts. In regards to the latter, women like to wear them, while their male counterparts generally prefer to gawk or - as they say down under - "have a bit of a sticky beak".

It never really occurred to me that the skirt and the bicycle are not compatible. They're both such integral parts of Dutch culture that I guess I simply forgot how awkward it is to pedal about in that sort of attire.

And, as if it weren't hard enough to keep your knickers from being exposed to the world whilst teetering precariously atop the before-mentioned two-wheeled transportation apparatus, the winds of the Baltic gleefully taunt you, changing directions with your bike.

I know this because I tried yesterday, in vain, to hold my skirt down whilst bicycling. And although Pauline Harder has some interesting tips in her satirical article on cycling in skirts, I'm still looking for a fool-proof way to keep the flash-cycling to a minimum and my mind on the road. Call me crazy...

Sadly, I have no photos of me on the bicycle yesterday, but I do have one of the boys and I picnicking at a nearby butterfly garden. That'll have to do for now. And if you know the secret of the Dutch women and their skirts, be a friend - won't you - and post it here. :)