Bicycles may be the best invention in the world but they sure aren't perfect for every situation. Today I discover just how imperfect they can be for certain situations. This weekend was a busy one for just staying around the school. Normally my busy weekends involve me going somewhere and going on an adventure. But one does not always need to go somewhere to go on an adventure. And one especially doesn't need to go anywhere to be busy.
This Friday we more or less solidified a tradition; we talked about making it a tradition and didn't have any opposition so it probably will be. We decided to make Friday suppers together and not eat in the cafe. We also chose the cuisine for the meals. Always pasta Fridays. Once again, no complaints. The verdict stands. I am excited. The next morning we also decided to make our own food. I made hash brows, and others made eggs and pancakes. A great meal. We were nearly late to the welcoming ceremony for the new students, but we made it by the skin of our teeth. Saturday night I was supposed to go to Berlin with some friends for the Festival of Lights.
No dice. I opted out when there weren't enough seats on the Rufbus (For the American audience, here public transportation doesn't come on the weekends so you have to call a special service to come get you. Still free if you have a semester ticket for travel. If you call a taxi it's not cheap but still an option). The Rufbus didn't have seats for 5, only 4. I was the one who made the most sense to stay behind so I did. I hear from my friends that it was pouring rain the whole time. It's good that I didn't go then because not 3 minutes before I broke my umbrella. But more on that later. Instead I spent an evening with the friends, hanging out and watching a movie.
Me and hilariously tragic and ironic mishaps go together like peanut butter and jelly. I'm not always a fan of either but both seem to bring great joy to everyone around. Earlier this year I met a step at an alarming rate and tore my pants. This week I had a Mary Poppins incident. That's what I am calling it. Since it had been raining for several days I had mastered the art of riding a bicycle with an umbrella in hand like Mary Poppins. Or so I thought. Apparently the riding of the bike with said umbrella isn't the hard part. It's the start. Because I am elevationally gifted I prefer my seat to be at a higher level than is considered safe for most people. As it turns out, I also am sometimes on that list. Because of the rain my seat was wet, and I didn't care to wipe it off since I was also wet. So I began the climb to the heights of my seat umbrella between my chin and my shoulder and my backpack with my camera on my back. The wet seat became a glorified slip and slide turned slip and die and I began the slow motion descent to the ground with alarming accuracy. In the attempt to right myself I dropped my umbrella, and as fate would have it, right into the path of my descending bicycle. Now I am trying to avoid catastrophe. Disaster not averted. The slow motion became high speed and within a matter of what seemed like .0001 seconds I found myself half in a bush and on/under/around my bicycle and my umbrella in tatters. As I replayed the scene in my head I figured out what happened. On my way down I flailed my feet around trying to correct the balance and stay onto of my sky scraper of a bike. I also didn't want to tuck and roll because my camera was on my back and a bush in front. I landed in the bush and tried to push off, but it didn't provide much support and I bounced off like a fat kid on a blob. One of the guys looks up at me and says, "I am so glad I just witnessed that." In all honesty, I was jealous for him. I wish I could witness something like that too.
Today a professor asked us if we wanted to go see a castle/palace/giant house thing. We would have to ride our bikes there. With the memory of it trying to declare mutiny on me the night before I was anxious to show my bike that I was still in charge. Besides there was coffee and cake involved, and the potential for awesome pictures. These are a few of my favorite things. (Like the second Julie Andrews reference?) The bike ride was unlike any I had ever experienced before. If any of you get it into your head that riding a road tour bike through sand and mud and trails through the woods, I might suggest a more suitable bike. Unless you are addicted to peculiar adventures like myself. If that is the case, go for it. Needless to say, my bike was ill-equipped but my demeanor made up for the rest. The ride was challenging but the reward was amazing. Not only did I get some of the best cake and awesome pictures, but I also got a great memory of an epic adventure. On the way back Michael met the ground by the insistence of a large log in the path so I didn't feel like my bicycle adventure was singular anymore.
Not only did I stay busy this weekend, but I had a great time with friends and I learned more German language and culture. I did learn that it is impolite to leave a backpack on the ground next to me when I eat when there is an empty chair right next to me I can put it on…at least I think that's what the lady was saying to me. She was happy when it was moved. I also learned that while a bicycle can be your best friend, but sometimes you have to not be friends, you have to show it who is boss, and make it respect you, then build the friendship from there. Altogether an awesome weekend.
