Get Lost...

Travelling in the EU. . .

One of the main advantages of living in a country that is a European Union member nation is the ability to travel easily across borders.  Considering how close European countries are to one another, crossing borders without having to stop to have your passport checked is a pretty big deal!

This policy of "invisible borders" is called Schengen, and it is something that Danes living in Copenhagen can experience all the time.  You see, Copenhagen---Denmark's capital---sits just across a narrow body of water called the Oresund from southern Sweden, and in 2000, the two countries completed the Oresund Bridge connecting Copenhagen with the Swedish city of Malmo. 

The bridge has literally changed life for both Danes and Swedes---and has strengthened the economy of both countries.  Because the journey over the Oresund Bridge only takes 35 minutes by train, people can live in one country and commute to work in the other.  Students can also take college classes at universities in both Malmo and Copenhagen. 

Heck, goofy American tourists can even travel from Denmark to Sweden for dinner!  Don't believe me?  Then check out this video:

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Pretty interesting stuff, huh?  By building a bridge, Denmark and Sweden have made travel for their people easy. 

Can you think of other advantages that the EU's invisible borders might provide for countries?  For EU residents?  What about disadvantages?  Are there potential problems in letting people travel freely between countries?

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Fonden Bycyklen i København

Probably my favorite thing about my trip to Denmark was a neat City Bike program in Copenhagen.  Basically, any where you went in the city, you could find colorful bikes that were available for tourists to rent for 20 Kroner. 

After sliding a Kroner coin into a City Bike lock, you could essentially take a bike and ride it around Copenhagen for as long as you wanted!  Each bike included a map to popular tourist destinations so you could get to anything that you wanted to see---and feel like a real Dane at the same time!  To get your Kroner back, you simply returned the bike to the place where you found it, refastened the lock and your money would be returned.

Renting a bike was the only thing that I really wanted to do when I got to Copenhagen....and my mission was quite successful!  Don't believe me?  Then check out this video:

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So what do you think of Copenhagen's City Bike program?  Have you ever seen similar programs in other big cities that you've been to?  What would make such a program valuable to tourists?  Would you want to see a city by bike?

Would there be any disadvantages to a city bike program?

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Image retrieved from my own personal collection!  Cool, huh?

More on Danish Pottys!

They say you can learn a lot about a man by the sites he chooses to document on his video blog.  If that's right, I must be just plain crazy!  You see, for whatever reason I've found yet another video clip in my collection about a Danish Bathroom.

Only this Danish bathroom isn't the nicely kept indoor version.  Instead, this is the hard core outdoor porta-potty type covered with grafitti---You know the kind of place that I'm talking about:  The ones that you would only step into if you were about to burst.

They're all over the place in Denmark.  Want to know why? 

Then check out this video:

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Can you think of any other ways that life in a city where people got around by bike would have to be different from life in a suburb or in the country-side? 

Leave us a comment to share your thinking and join us again soon on Get Lost!

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Image retrieved from http://files.turbosquid.com/Preview/Content_on_6_25_2001_00_16_24/Porta_Potty.jpgAC79941A-A6DB-4897-BC5AB086AEBEE81D.jpgLarge.jpg on September 15, 2007.

The Land of the Interesting Auto...

I'm not going to lie to you:  One of the greatest days of my entire life was the day that I got my driver's license!  Being able to hit the road in my family's 1977 Chevy Beauville van was instant freedom. 

I'd roll the windows down, turn on the kickin' AM radio with a single speaker installed under the dashboard, listen to a riveting talk radio show and drive EVERYWHERE!  It was so nice to be able to go somewhere without having to beg my mom and dad to take me that I didn't even mind driving my little sister to dance class!

That's why I was so worried about the bikes that I saw everywhere in Copenhagen.  "Do the Danes even own cars?" I instantly wondered.  "Could I live here without being able to drive?"  So I did some asking around and found out that lots of people own cars...but very few own cars like the ones that you'll see driving around your neighborhood or sitting in the carpool lane at your school. 

How are they different?  Check out this video to learn more:

Click To Play

Whaddya' think?  Do you admire Danish cars?  Would your family be able to live in Denmark using the kinds of cars that most Danes are driving?  Why or why not?

Better question:  Is Denmark's policy of charing a ton of taxes for car owners a good idea?  What would be the advantages of making big cars really expensive?  What would the disadvantages be?

Best question:  What are the biggest barriers preventing Americans from driving cars like the ones driven in Denmark?  Is there anything we can do to fix that problem? 

Leave a comment and share your thinking!  I'm kind of jazzed to hear what you think about the Danemobiles that I had a chance to see in Copenhagen.

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Image retrieved from http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/06/cool_cars/image/4fordshelbygt500mustang.jpg on June 30, 2007

Denmark's "Bike-Friendly" City...

With almost 2 million people, Copenhagen---Denmark's capital, which is found on the island of Zeland---is the largest city in the entire nation.  Having spent the majority of my travels in Copenhagen, I can guarantee you that there are PLENTY of bikes! 

In fact, one of the hardest parts of being a tourist in Copenhagen is getting used to looking around for bikes all the time.  Like many cities where bikes are common, bikers have NO patience for tourists who stumble into bike lanes.  In fact, you're more likely to get run over by a bike than by a car when your travelling in the Danish Capital.

What's interesting, however, is that the most "bike-friendly" city in all of Denmark isn't Copenhagen!  Instead, the most bike-friendly city in this bike loving land is Odense---the third largest city, which is found on another island called Funen.  Complete with several bike trails and lanes...as well as tire pumps like the one found in the top right hand corner of this post---Odense has everything that a city needs to attract a ton of bikers.

And a ton of bikers call Odense home!  Check out this video to learn just how many people ride bikes in this interesting Danish town:

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So what do you think?  Are you amazed by the number of bikers in Odense?  Do you think it would be neat to live in a town where so many people use bikes to travel?  How would people be different in a city where biking was so common?  Would they carry less belongings?  Travel shorter distances?  Eat more food?  Wear smaller clothes?

Interesting questions, huh?

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Image retrieved from my own collection!

What does Your Bike Look Like?

When I was a kid, my bike was one of my favorite possessions.  I used to trick mine out with a giant neon orange flag, a kickin' bell, a speedometer----so that I knew just how lightening fast I really was----and some baseball cards locked in the spokes which made a really cool racket when I rode around. 

Now, you may not think that my bike was all that cool----after all, I'm a ton older than you are and "coolness" changes over time---but I'll bet that your bike is unique and important to you too.  You might have a certain color that makes your bike stand out or a certain kind of wheel or foot peg that allows you to do interesting tricks.  Maybe you have a bike that is themed after something you really enjoy----whether that's racing, riding or wrestling. 

Either way, bikes are something that people take great pride in.

Bikes in Denmark are the same way....people love their bikes and try to "personalize" them a bit.  But bikes in general tend to share some common traits and characteristics.  Check out a Danish bike up close and personal by viewing this video:

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So what do you think of Danish bikes?   Do Danish bikes make sense for the people of Denmark?  Why or why not?  Would they make sense for you?  Why or why not?  If you jumped on a fly Danish ride in your neighborhood today, would your friends be jealous, or would they make fun of you?

Leave us a comment and share your thinking about Danish bikes!

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Image retrieved from http://www.scorcher.org/screed/html/bklyncm-peewee_files/bklyncm-peewee-bottom.jpg on June 30, 2007

Bikes on a Train!!

I'm a big fan of cheesy humor.  Movies like Spaceballs and School of Rock are right up my alley.  That's why I was one of the first people to see Snakes on a Plane when it came out at the theater.  While it ended up being a disappointment---and a movie that I DEFINITELY wouldn't recommend to kids---the idea behind the movie is something that made me laugh!

And I could imagine an equally funny movie titled Bikes on a Train set in Denmark. 

Why?

Well, you'll have to watch this video to find out:

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Can you imagine living in a city where you never had to own a car?  Would that make your life better or worse?  Why?  Leave a comment to share your thinking...and remember that every question has two viewpoints!  Consider both the advantages and disadvantages when crafting your answer!

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Image retrieved from http://www.skyemastering.com/tokyo_commuter_train_r-.jpg on June 30, 2007

Johnny...PUT YOUR HELMET ON!

When I was growing up here in the United States, the only people who wore bike helmets were the geeks whose moms walked them to school and cut the crusts off of their peanut butter sandwiches at lunch time.  Us "cool kids" picked on them all the time....

Until we fell off of our bikes and knocked our crowns on the curb in Humpty Dumpty-esque fashion, that is...That's when we got smart and started wearing helmets too.  Or at least that's when our towns and states got smart and passed a law saying that bike helmets were required for kids!  Now, helmets are actually cool to wear---and you won't see many bikers in our country riding unprotected.

But what are the rules for bike helmets like in Denmark?  In a country where everyone owns a bike and rides it everywhere, are bike helmets popular and common?

Find out the answer here:

Click To Play

What do you think about bike helmets?  Are they common among your friends?  Have they become "cool" yet?  Do you wear a helmet when you ride?  Why or Why not?  What are the advantages of wearing a helmet?  The disadvantages?

Leave a comment to share your thinking....we want to hear how you feel about bike helmets!  After all, kids are the number one bike riders in our country, aren't they?

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Image retrieved from http://www.umcarizona.org/sitemaker/websitefiles/umcaz53684/images/trauma/helmet-right.jpg on June 30, 2007

Do You Want to Ride My Bicycle?!

Think for a second about your bike.  It's a beautiful thing, isn't it?  One of your proudest possessions?  You probably have it decorated with stickers that you think are cool and ride it everywhere, don't you?  It gives you freedom and a sense of being grown up.  When you jump on it to go for a long ride with friends on a spring afternoon, you can't help but smile.

If so, then you'd love the country of Denmark!  You see, Denmark is a flat nation with few hills and mountains.  As a result, bike riding is really easy...and really fun.  People love to get out on their bikes as much as they can to enjoy time with friends just like you. 

But bikes mean even more to the Danish.  In fact, bikes are often the main form of transportation for Danes.  People ride their bikes to work and to the grocery store.  They take bikes on trains and have double decker bike racks.  Students rarely take school busses to school----instead, they hop on their bikes and ride!

Don't believe me?  Then check out this video that I shot outside of the main train station in Copenhagen---Denmark's capital city:

Click To Play

Then spend a few minutes talking with a classmate about whether you think that travelling by bike is something that is even possible here in America.  Could your parents trade in a car and begin riding a bike to work or to the grocery store?  Why or why not. 

Be sure to leave a comment to share your thinking....We want to hear what you have to say too!

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow

Image retrieved from http://emresaglam.com/blog/images/zerobike.jpg on June 30, 2007