My best friend and I took a trip to Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris in April, travelling by rail. One of my favorite mental images was coming into The Netherlands from Germany, passing through the countryside where there were miles of bike paths, and benches - people were stopping to eat lunch, have a sit and watch the bikes go by before moving on.

I had just decided on my bike before that trip, and was all amped about cycling, so that helped add to the excitement.

Then, when we got closer in to A'dam, each train station we saw was packed full of bike racks, jammed with bikes. I loved seeing that.