Today, I bought a bike.

One of those is mine. Picked up in Oostplein, parked in Blaak.

Argel introduced us to these buy and sell Rotterdam pages in Facebook, I instantly got hooked and three days into it, I found myself in a meetup appointment to check out a used bike over at the Oostplein Metro station.

It's a trust-based system, meeting up with total strangers. But, being my first time, I needed company. Argel and Ate Roxie were kind to do that - thank you! So anyhow, I met the guy. I tested that bike. Checked for height. Checked for major damages. The test ride was a bit rickety, some loose screw maybe, but okay enough for the price.

So, there.

Going Dutch -- one pedal at a time. Argel's bike is a white beauty. Mine's a Dutch one, pedal brakes and all. Will need some getting used to. Oh, but we actually walked our bikes going to Blaak (two blocks away) to keep pace with Ate Roxie. (Photo by Ate Roxie Y.)

It was a Saturday, another Blaak street market day (in addition to Tuesdays), so we explored -- and shopped.

We parked at the building next to the Cube House.

We all went separate ways while exploring/shopping. So biking solo, I was a nervous wreck on my way back to the dorm, stopping every so often, hesitating at each stride, but I had to push on. 

Today, I bought a bike, biked and survived.

I made it back to campus!