Choosing a Bakfiets (box-bike)

It would be impossible to blog about life in the Netherlands and not write about the Bakfiets - the ubiquitous box-bike . It is, in my humble opinion, one of the coolest if not THE coolest thing about living in Holland. Wikipedia, as always, sums it up quite nicely in their definition of what a Bakfiets is: "Human Powered Vehicles designed and constructed specifically for transporting large loads". 

Large loads indeed. It is not unusual to see these bad boys going by with 4+ children, large amounts of groceries and a partridge and a pear tree. I myself have managed to transport my 2 kids and a live animal

to various destinations on more than several occasions. But back to the topic. 

In my 8th month of pregnancy with my 2nd child, I decided that I absolutely had to get a Bakfiets, at that very moment. Without a car or any other practical form of transportation, I began to have nightmares of being housebound with a 1.5 year old and newborn during the eternal Dutch winter. 

And so my Bakfiets research began. For starters, a good Bakfiets is not cheap. A bare-bones model from one of the good quality brands will easily set you back 1,500€ to start. You can try and find one second-hand, but they are quite hard to come by and can still cost you anywhere from 600€ to over 1,000€. Though I am by no means a Bakfiets expert, I spent a good amount of time talking to people, shopping around and testing out different sets of wheels. Here were a few of my learnings that might be helpful to those of you on the market for a Bakfiets:

The Best Bakfiets Brands: De Fietsfabriek, Christiania, Bakfiets, Gazelle

I won't evaluate any particular models because this is more of a personal choice. Expats in general seem to prefer the 3-wheelers, simply because you have less risk of tipping (or at least feel that way when you're on). But those who gone fully Dutch and advanced to the 2-wheeler also sing their praises, particularly about how light they are. Whichever model you decide suits you best, here are the brands that I would trust with transporting around my kids:

1. De Fietsfabriek: Top of the line iconic Dutch brand and with a price tag to match. Starting price for the Bakfiets Classic is €1,895. 
2. Christiania Bikes: The Christiania bakfiets hails from Denmark. We love this one for its light aluminum frame. Starting price for a Christiania Cargo Basic is €1,549.
3. Bakfiets.nl: The original Dutch "Bakfiets" brand. Starting price for the Bakfiets Cargo Trike  is €1,785.
4. Gazelle Cabby: Gazelle only makes a 2-wheeler bakfiets as far as I know, but quite a few friends rave about this bike. You usually can't go too wrong with a Gazelle, in general, they also make great bikes of very good quality. Starting price for the Gazelle Cabby is €1,699.

*The Nihola is another brand that I've seen around quite a bit. I have a couple of friends that have really taken to this bike. Unfortunately I don't know a thing about it so can't speak for it one way or another.

The Bakfiets Brands to avoid: Babboe, Boxbike.nl, Cangoo, Tuk Tuk

If the Bakfiets comes to your house in a big box ready to be assembled, as any of the above brands likely will: SEND IT BACK. There is a good chance that box came straight from China and that your Bakfiets, which is a cheap knock-off, will fall apart soon after assembly. I've heard horror stories about some of the cheaper Bakfiets copies losing their wheels while transporting children etc...You don't want this to happen to you. Just remember that the good ones come in one piece. 

Where to buy a Bakfiets: 

A new Bakfiets from one of the top brands is a considerable investment. If you don't feel like you can drop €1,500+ to transport your large load, the next best option is to get one 2nd hand. There are not easy to come by because good used Bakfiets get snatched up like hot cakes. The overall mechanics and frame of a good Bakfiets generally hold up quite well. With regular maintenance and tune-ups, you can get a lot of years out of your boxbike. 

The best place to buy a 2nd hand Bakfiets is Marktplaats.nl. Owned by Ebay, Marktplaats is the biggest second-hand online market place in the Netherlands. It's entirely in Dutch, but if you do any online shopping at all, you can quickly pick up on how the website works. If I managed to do it, you can do it. Search for the above brands using keywords like "De Fietsfabriek bakfiets" etc...

Beware that transporting a Bakfiets is not easy. If you find a good 2nd hand Bakfiets at a considerable distance (i.e. you cannot bike it back to your house), you will need to hire a little trailer or a truck to get it back to your place. As mentioned above, the good ones cannot be dismantled (trust me, we tried).

Another place to try for 2nd hand bakfiets are directly through the retailers or big bicycle shops. They occasionally carry used models still in good condition. 

Where to maintain your Bakfiets:

The Beer Transportfietsen in the Hague is THE place to get your Bakfiets in tip-top condition. These guys know everything there is to know about the Boxbike and you can often go and try a bunch of different models out. If you live in the Hague, it's a good place to start for feeling out the Bakfiets scene. They also have a whole slew of accessories for your Bakfiets and can customize your Bakfiets in the configuration you need (Installing an additional bench, Maxi Cosi adaptors etc...).

If I missed anything or if you feel otherwise, please feel free to tack on your experiences and advice.

In the meantime, good luck finding the best way to lug around your big load!

Best cat-sitter service in the Hague: Kattenzorg

Are you looking for a cat-sitter in the Hague/Den Haag?
Look no further than Kattenzorg, a volunteer-run cat-lovers organization!

{#2 and our cat, Fuzz}

As an expat, many of us toil with the dilemma of getting a pet. There are those who believe they must wait until they are firmly implanted in North American suburbia complete with white picket fence before taking on the responsibility of a furry friend. An understandable choice. But then there are others who don't know if and when they will ever stay on one continent long enough to call it "home" and thus must seize the day and live now how you would want to live in 10 years.

As you might have gathered, I fall into the latter category. I grew up with a cat (my parent's compromise to a dog) and feel like pets were an integral part of my childhood. A good soft introduction to the fun things in life like responsibility, communal living, illness etc...Thus I have been nagging and nagging to get a kitten to complete our happy little family.

My husband questioned and re-questioned this decision with understandable concerns: "Who will take care of it when we travel?", "Don't you have enough shit to clean up already at home" etc...But the answer was "No, I don't have enough shit to clean up, I want more more! And preferably of a small feline variety". So there you have it, be careful what you wish for.

For Christmas, we finally received a sweet little Chartreux kitten whom we named "Fuzz" (all pedigree Cats born in 2010 had to have a name beginning with the letter "F", I say this as if it is a totally normal thing). Fuzz comes from a fine line of pure-breed Chartreux cats - so pure, in fact, that his great-parents were all somehow related, but let's not get stuck on that detail. Anyway, the kids loved him - or pulling his tail, at least - and I was vindicated. I knew having a cat was a great idea!

But then came our annual winter vacation, a long-weekend in France etc...and all of a sudden the striking realization of: what the hell to do with Fuzz?! I needed a cat-sitter and quick. I couldn't unload him on any of my friends because they all have kids and there is that unspoken agreement not to add to the already considerable burden of child-care. I tried befriending my previously ignored neighbors but despite all of my best subtle efforts couldn't quite manage to get out that: "Hi nice to meet you, oh by the way, can you clean up my cat's crap for a week while I'm in Italy. He will catch mice in exchange."

All of a sudden, the cat was starting to feel like a royal pain in the ass.

In the end I found two solutions:

1/A quirky but genuinely nice couple of Canadians (are there any not-nice Canadians?) were offering their cat-sitting services for free on the ASH classifieds. No, they don't own a Chinese restaurant. And no, they don't take cats in and then stow them away forever (my Husband's theory). They simply love cats but feel they travel too much to justify keeping a cat of their own. Thank you Canada for making these kinds of people! The only very minor draw-back is that they go on quite a few Curling trips (yes, curling) so are not always disposed to take the Fuzz-ball for kitty holidays. well, one can hardly complain considering the circumstances, can we?

2/The second option is perhaps a bit more viable one for everyone and it's called the Kattenzorg. It's purely run by Cat-lovers and volunteers. There are services located in Den Haag, Dordrecht and Nijmegen. If you become a member for some paltry annual fee of 10€, you can have access to their "cat holiday" services. This means that they will help you find a kitty-friendly person in your neighborhood to come and cat-sit while you are away. It's 2.50€ per cat per day which I consider a pretty damn reasonable price to pay for having one less thing to worry about before departing on a trip.