[SWEDEN] Bike City

(I've decided to change the way I blog since some people may only be interested in reading about my experiences over here in Sweden and not all the other stuff. So if you wanna know what's going on with me here, look up the messages that begin with [SWEDEN]. Cheers!)

It's common in university cities, at least in Western cultures, to have lots of people riding bicycles, and Lund is no exception. Meandering through the city center's web of intricately woven streets, you will be hard-pressed not to spot someone on a bike. It is, after all, a healthier mode of transportation, and a lot more environmentally-friendly than a car. I've also been told that it's not that easy to park inside the centrum*, and when you add that to the fact that a bike costs a lot less than a car and is a lot easier to maintain, then it shouldn't surprise you that the bike is the transportation mode of choice here. I was toying with the idea of getting one myself until I saw someone biking in the rain last night. Then I thought, I'm not particularly sure I'm ready to increase the wind-chill factor I am already exposed to in this very windy city, and with it raining half the time, maybe a bike isn't the best thing for me to use here at the moment.

So I guess I'm sticking to walking, which is always a good way to get a better feel of whatever place you visit and soak in the culture. You definitely know that you are in Europe as you amble along Lund's cobble-stone roads that are walled in by charming buildings and medieval architecture. I always wish the Philippines was more like Europe in the sense that Europe has managed to strike an impressive balance between preserving and promoting its history and being on the forefront of modernization and technological advancement.

I've mentioned before that on average, things are cheaper in Lund than in other major European cities. For the most part, it's true. The one area where this statement just doesn't hold is with taxi fare. I take a taxi from my hotel to the office and back everyday because the train doesn't stop anywhere near the office, and that 5-10 minute trip costs more than 100 kronor** (which is about P700)! Can you believe that? Taxi fare in Brussels for a trip two to three times that distance would cost just a bit more than that amount. And let's not even compare that to the Philippines.

So far, I'm still on business expense so cab rides are still within budget. But when I finally move to my own place (hopefully in the next 2 weeks), they just won't be affordable anymore. Maybe then, I'll think about braving the weather and getting my own bike.

* another word for city center
* plural of krona