back on the bike!

I'm SO happy to be riding my bicycle to and from school again! That is one piece that I've missed from when I lived in Opera. I haven't ridden to work since being in the city this school year because there has been construction along the way and I'd have to be on a busy road for part of the ride. Now that the bike path (shown in the first picture below) is complete, I am absolutely loving the ride!

The ride is about 5 miles each way and takes me less than 25 minutes. It's faster than taking the bus! I miss my reading time on the bus but am enjoying the exercise and the ride even more. Because I'm on the path and don't have to worry about traffic, I listen to music along the way too. It's just a very enjoyable way to start and end each work day.

(There has been one day so far that I've forgotten to pack my work outfit! Ha! I ended up in leggings and my jacket all day. Thankfully, they actually looked like a decent outfit together.)

Some days are foggy... super foggy...

Last Saturday morning I rode past school and out to Opera to go to the morning market! I was hoping to pick up some curtain material for my mom but they don't have the specific style anymore. I still enjoyed the ride to and from... 

The past couple of weeks have been fabulous with the trees blooming... and poppies along the way too!

The set of four pictures below is from my ride from school to IKEA on a Saturday after keeping score at a basketball tournament. I took a bit of a detour to go by an abbey in Chiaravalle called Santa Maria di Rovegnano. It's gorgeous!

Mostly recently -- just this past Thursday, the two pictures below show the difference in weather between my ride to work in the morning and my ride home in the afternoon (not everyday is like this... but sometimes!) --

It's not often that I'm gifted with the lovely view of the mountains... not many days are clear enough to see them. ...But then a day comes along that is clear and the mountains are amazing! A picture really doesn't do it justice.

Funny enough -- I've been seeing the same people on the bike path each morning. As I'm heading to school they are heading into the city, presumably to work. We are on the same morning schedule. There's one man that bikes past me in the morning... and in the afternoon! Haha. Last week I smiled and waved a couple times -- it's funny to see each other every day to and from work.

When I rode the bus each day it was kind of the same thing -- seeing many of the same faces. There's a difference though, being on the bike path instead of public transport. It's ok to be more friendly and wave, acknowledging that we see each other every day.

A photo from a usual morning on the bus to work a month ago or so:

Opera's Spring Flowers

The following photos were taken in April. I really love spring time in Italy!!

On my way to school:

Morning bike ride through the fields...

Party on the sidewalk!

Flowering trees on a beautiful day:

On the way to the bus stop in Opera:

On my way to school:

This field is now green with cornstalks beginning to grow!

walking around Brussels...

Brussels is a nice city... although I'm glad we had time to also go to Bruges for a day-trip... it is nice to be able to see such different parts of Belgium! I'd like to get back some day and see more. Below are photos taken while we were out and about in Brussels:

Reading and enjoying the sunshine  : )

Cute...

I love this street art!

The flowers and buildings are equally gorgeous...

(one end of the Grand Plaza...)

Lugano's gardens - FAVORITES

Below are some of my favorite flower-view photos from my day in Lugano, Switzerland with Mom!

The day was beautiful, as were the flowers along the waterfront. It doesn't get much better than a lake, mountains, and flowers... on a day-trip with Mom  : )

Silvana and Vincenzo's FLOWER GARDEN

Silvana and Vincenzo have a really beautiful backyard with many flowers and fruit trees. Below are some photos of gorgeous flowers:

old-but-still-beautiful rose:

Chihuly at Denver Botanic Gardens - YEAH!

Denver Botanic Gardens currently has a hugely popular exhibit. Barb and I went earlier this week and it was a great way to spend the morning! I've never seen the gardens to crowded before... but we still enjoyed the visit and the space still felt quite peaceful within the city.

Dale Chihuly learned about blowing glass in Venice, Italy and now creates avant-garde pieces, which are simply pieces of art. Incredible pieces of art. This garden exhibit of his pieces has been traveling to various locations since 2001 and now the Chihuly exhibit is at the Denver Botanic Gardens until the end of November. ...It's most definitely worth the trip. (The exhibit is supposed to be awesome at night as well... all lit up!)

I enjoyed seeing how the placement of the different pieces were placed... often it seemed that the nearby flowers matched/complemented the glass blown pieces. Just beautiful.   : )  Below are some photos of just a bit of what we saw:

I can't get over how many pieces there are in this exhibit. It's incredible!

Reflected in the lily pond:

This one reminds of a Dr. Seuss tree! ...If we ever lived in a world with Dr. Seuss trees!

flowers and fun up in Leadville, CO

There were many beautiful flowers in bloom around Leadville. Below are some of my favorite photos from the day!

wild.

Ha! ...Twirling on Sean's deck swing...

Pedro wanted to get acquainted with my camera...

hippie house...

Cinque Terre's FLOWERS

The colors in Cinque Terre are vibrant. The flowers along our hike were gorgeous and vibrant as well...

In front of a house in Volastra:

On our way to Corniglia's train station: