chuckography

Bicycles Rule ..... Over In Europe

I have read the bike blog by E. David Moulton for several years.(Enjoy the fine novel he wrote "Prodigal Child.")

Dave's from England so, a few weeks ago, when I saw this giant bicycle wheel monument on the banks of the Thames in London , I thought "Wow. They REALLY like bikes here!"
No. Turns out that is The London Eye, a Ferris wheel-type ride built by British Airways to offer tourists a soaring high up view from individual "flight" modules that hold 20-25 people each.

It costs 15 pounds sterling a head - about $30 US - and, of course, I rode it. I'm a tourist.

Another fellow blogger Geoff Marshall - also from Britain - will not be surprised to know I sampled many, many tasty pints of cask ales. Extensive research followed by "Mind The Gap."

But, the sad fact is, both the bike and beer seems to be treasured more on "the continent."

Closest I got to being astride a bike was on an Amsterdam Museum exhibit where I pedaled and learned that more than half the population uses bikes for transportation.



It didn't take me long to find that more than 700 different beers are made in The Netherlands and Belgium and each requires its own special glass. Holy dishwasher.

We are starting to catch up with the rest of the beer-drinking world now that we have high gravity beers available here in Charleston, but a glass or two of 10% alcohol content beer - made by Trappist monks - gets your attention as you sit quietly in a 14th century courtyard.

Oh, and the food overseas is great too.

Labels: A'Dam Museum, Belgium, British Airways, high gravity beer, Holland, Prodigal Child, The London Eye

posted by chucker @ 4:31 PM