a bike with a story

Yesterday, I dragged my luggage onto the train in Eindhoven headed toward Schiphol Airport. I found an easy place to store my bags and sat down joining a man and a woman who had brought, along with their luggage, a beautiful and vintage looking oma fiets (bicycle). We got to talking and I asked them about the bike, it turned out that it had belonged to their grandmother and that she had passed it down to the woman years ago but she had left it in The Netherlands with her mother while she was in another part of the world. The bicycle, while in the possession of her grandmother, had been stolen twice.. and found/returned again twice by her grandfather due to its bright and recognizable red bell. The bike has been in their family for generations and the woman I met on the train was now taking it with her back to her home.. in Canada. Believe it or not we were on the same flight and both have a place to call home in Ontario, not that far from one another. The whole story of the bicycle and its journey made me smile. I think it is such a wonderful story and what a unique family heirloom. 

I asked the woman if she intended on using the bike and she answered absolutely, yes. I was very pleased and I hope she enjoys using it here in Canada some day soon.