Netherlands | Mama Cormier

…. here are the next four questions

If you had to move to a country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?

I think I would move to the Netherlands. It’s where my son lives at the moment. If I had to leave Canada and most of my family behind I think it would be somewhat comforting to have one of my children close by. We had an opportunity to visit Amsterdam and Rotterdam several years ago when our son was studying there. We loved it. Even though we don’t speak Dutch most of the people there are very fluent in English. I also like the fact that we are only a hop, skip and jump from Ireland and Germany where both my husband and I have extended family.

Music or silence while working?

It depends what I’m doing. Some days when I’m doing chores I like loud catchy music but other times I prefer the quiet, especially late at night. I’m a bit of a night owl and sometime I do my best work after midnight. My husband and son both like loud music when they’re cooking.

What is your favorite color?

My favourite colour has always been red. I love bright bold colours. Next in line would be a dark rich blue.

Do you have a bucket list? What are your three items? A bucket list are things you want to do before you die.

I’ve never really believed in a bucket list. Maybe the thought of dying puts me off. What if I do everything on the list long before I’m ready to die. I think that I would jinx myself. Instead I prefer to make long range plans for one or two years ahead. What I really like is spontaneity. Just get up and go. The things that I would like to do in the next year or so are:

1. Go to Europe again, either Italy, Germany or Turkey (or maybe all three).

2. Take a trip out west to visit my baby sister (going in March).

3. Do a wine tour in Prince Edward County with my husband this spring or summer.

…. wish we could be more like the Netherlands

Today city council will be discussing the future of the Bixi Bike Share program here in Toronto. It’s managing to cover it’s daily operating costs but can’t manage to pay back the loan. One of the problems here in Toronto is that the program isn’t big enough for a city of this size. We actually need to put more money into it to make it work properly.

My husband came across a great video from the Netherlands…..such a different bike culture. I wish we could be more like the Dutch but I can hear the arguments now….. “we’re too big, winters are too long, why should we subsidize bikes, bikes ’cause congestion'”, etc., etc… Our mayor actually believes that ‘bikes are a pain in the @$$’ and that there is a war against the car. Here’s a video of him when he was a councillor ranting against bike lanes.

My husband and I have used the Bixi bikes in Montreal, where the winters are usually colder and longer than here in Toronto. It’s a great system but I’m always concerned when I see people riding the Bixi bikes where I live in Toronto because there are no stations close by. I wonder if people realize that they’ll be paying more when they don’t return the bikes in the allotted time.

My son lives in the Netherlands and he rides his bike everywhere. As a tourist there’s a bit of a learning curve, especially in the bigger cities, when you’re walking and you have to cross a street. There are lanes for cars, bikes and pedestrians and sometimes special traffic lights for each lane but it works. One of the bonuses is that the citizens in the Netherlands are much healthier than North Americans. Here’s a great video from the Netherlands called King of the World.