Autumn Rush Hour on the Søtorvet Intersection

 

Spend some time people watching in Copenhagen during the afternoon rush hour and this is what you get: Cool people commuting on a bicycle. As they drift away in the autumn sunset, the image creates a quick, urban story...

 

 

Happy Cycling!

Friendly Exchange on a Cargo Bicycle

 

Every moment in the urban landscape is different. Every second we can admire something special and unique if we pay attention. We spotted a confident, beautiful woman trasporting on a cargo bicycle with an adorable, young passenger enjoying a snack. It was noon on a fall day, they both spotted the camera and acknowledged it with a smile. 

Nice, instant exchange between strangers sharing the urban space. 

 

 

Happy Cycling!

Cargo Bikes and Kids

Even with 40,000 cargo bikes in Copenhagen, most cargo bike action involving kids takes place in the neighbourhoods, where families live close to the schools. 26% of all Copenhagen families with two or more kids have a cargo bike. It's the Copenhagen version of the SUV.

There are cargo bikes with kids in the morning rush hour however. Here are a few of them. Just a kid reading a book on their way to school.

Barcelona, Kids and Bicycles

The Kids and I are heading back to Barcelona on our summer holidays in a couple of weeks. We were looking at photos of the last time, four years ago, that we headed to Catalonia.

There are not many large cities in Europe that are bicycle friendly and that have beaches - which was one of the reasons that we went to Barcelona. I wanted to ride around with my kids. Copenhagen, with its amazing beaches, is one city, but you have to look far and wide for others.

Barcelona is amazing. It is well on its way to being a bicycle-friendly city. It ranks on the Top 20 in the world on The Copenhagenize Index 2015 - Bicycle-Friendly Cities Index.

Here are photos of our last trip. We borrowed a clunky Bakfiets from a friend with a bike shop. Not sleek, light or stylish like the Bullitt, but it did the job. 5 kilometres to the beach and 5 km back each day, up the hill to the amazing neighbourhood of Gracia, where we stayed.

This year we'll be staying in an amazing home exchange through Behomm, in the El Born neighbourhood, and we're looking forward to exploring this area.

Follow me on Instagram - @copenhagenizer - for daily photos.

How Copenhageners Lulu and Felix wait for a red light in Barcelona. Not bad at all.



My view each day on the cargo bike.

Heading towards the beach with our beach gear.

Afternoon snacks on the way home from the beach.

Bikes are the best hair dryers after a last swim before heading home.

In our local neighbourhood there were ample opportunities to continue rolling.

Heading up the hills behind Barcelona. Felix was so proud he nailed it. Daddy nailed it, too, on a Bakfiets with The Lulu inside.

Damn skateboarders blocking the bike lane.

Loads of bikes at the beaches.



Beaches can be tiring. Nap time heading home for The Lulu.

All Aboard!

Throw your best friends in your Christania bike and ride on!


Copenhagen mums are just too cool for school.


The lucky ones who get to balance on the bicycle back rack whilst their friend does all the hard work! Oh the easy life...


And this is why I love Christania bikes!

Over and Out!

K.E.G. x

Kids Today

Sheesh. Kids today. Living a life of independent mobility in their city.

Tour of Frederiksberg

Felix and his buddy Kasper get it on the action.

It was a friendly race.

That ended with ice cream.

Tall Mike Bike

So now I've tried a tall bike. Although not in Copenhagen's North-west neighbourhood or in Portland, as one would assume. But in a distant suburb of Sao Paulo, Brazil and quite by coincedence, while working on our Escolas de Bicicletas / Bicycle Schools Programme. To read how we are putting bicycle course into schools in Brazil, there's an article about it on Copenhagenize.com.


While visiting one particular school in Sao Paulo, the team went for a ride in the community, to check out the safe route the kids will be riding to school on. Then this wonderful kid came rolling up on the bike with a For Sale sign on the front. I asked him if I could give it a try.

He showed me how to hop up onto it and I was off. Bicycles bringing people together. Nice.