As I've been riding my bike this week, I've thought a lot about the times my dad would talk about having to walk uphill to and from school each day. I think everyone's parent at one point in time or another has used that line. I, however, will never make up a story such as that one to prove whatever point I'm trying to get across. Instead, I will use a different story... a TRUE story, and one that I've experienced first hand.
There is a lot of wind in Holland... which is why we have a few thousand windmills. But, there are the days when we have gale force winds. When the wind is that strong, you have to peddle hard, otherwise you'll be going backwards instead of forwards. Funny thing is, no matter which direction you're going in, you're always going against the wind. Of this I do not lie! It's quite comical to watch the people in front of you peddling as hard as you are, and moving only 2 inches in 30 seconds. It's like watching a clip of a movie where they're showing someone running in slow motion.
When the wind is that strong, it takes twice the amount of time to get to your destination than normal. Only problem is, you never know when it's going to start blowing. Today it was so strong that small branches were snapping off of the trees. I was lucky enough to get hit... not once, but twice by some. And I can't fail to mention the particles of dust flying around just itching to get into your eyes.
Someday I'll tell this story to my own kids, and if they don't believe me, I'll ship them off to Amsterdam to experience it for themselves.
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