I Want To Ride My Bicycle

Think of Copenhagen and chances are one of the first things that comes to mind is a load of bikes. Biking is by far the best way to get around the city, thanks to the bike lanes that are, well, everywhere. Knowing this, obviously the first thing I had figured out when I got here was a sweet ride. Seriously- that was the only permanent thing I had settled when I landed here.

This is not my bike. But that's how common they are here- they wind up tossed in lakes.

My bike and I have an interesting relationship. He (most definitely a male, though I have yet to decided on a name for him yet) has already tried to kill me twice, tipping over on me/with me on him in some rather unfortunate situations. But other than that, he's been a good and faithful steed, allowing me to transport all worldly goods to my new apartment in just 3 trips. Yes, I biked across the city with 50lb suitcases. Who needs a gym?
But that's not the point of this post. The point is, biking roadrage. Or rather, biking frustrations. 
I will be the first to admit that I haven't been biking here long. But there are rules to biking, and there is etiquette. And just as with driving, when people violate those two things, I become peeved. There are a lot of people on the roads, and these are the only things that keep them drivable.

Pictured: very light bike traffic on a summer afternoon.

The worst violations, in my opinion, are people walking in the bike lane, slow bikers diddling down the center of the lane or worse still, swanging side to side, and of course, people who don't signal. So basically all the worst annoyances of actual driving. But on a bike you can see the faces of the people around you, and they can see yours, so it is possible to pass someone disdainfully. And let me tell, you, that feels good.

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Word of the Day:

Bryst: Breast. Pronounced "broyst", but with a soft-sounding R. Yes, this an important word, and one we learned from watching real Danish TV. We still have no idea what the show was about, but this word kept turning up so much that eventually we had to Google it.