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:

bike ride to cute Locate

Locate is a small, historic town just south of Opera (like Opera, it is actually a 'commune' of Milan).

When my mom was here last September, she loved riding my bicycle the 15-20 minutes to Locate in the morning and getting a brioche con crema and cappuccino at one of the cafes. I decided to do just that a few weekends ago and really enjoyed it!

The Locate train station has some really fabulous street art throughout it!

a Sunday of bicycles, laughter, and mishaps!

My friend, Mary, and I rode our bicycles from Certosa di Pavia back to Opera di Milano (where we live).

We started in a lovely pasticceria/cafe in Opera for a cappuccino... then were going to ride out to the Locate train station, take that to Certosa di Pavia... and then ride back. ...We did make it in the end but had some mishaps along the way!

First - the chain on my bike fell off (right as we were leaving the pasticceria. We had to go back to my apartment to get a screwdriver to fix the chain.

We then got to the train station and went up the wrong steps... ending up on the wrong track for the train... soooo we carried our bikes down again and over : P

When purchasing our train tickets, I noticed that one option was for a bicycle - a supplemental charge... so I bought two of those. Laterrrrrr, I realized that I bought our bikes tickets... but not ourselves! Hahaha. I thought it was odd that the machine never asked where we were going. Sheesh.

There was also a tunnel going under a highway at one point... completely flooded with water. I decided to go through it, attempting to push the bike's pedal each time it came UP... but in the end, my feet got a bit wet. It could have ended up so much worse - there was probably about a foot of water and, thankfully, I didn't fall off the bike and into that.  : P

Mary is a great friend, with whom I laugh a lot with whenever we're together... and not only when we're telling silly jokes! Today was a lot of fun... and great exercise. I expected our ride to be about 20km but it ended up 30. Our bums are both a bit sore!

The day was gorgeous... especially for the end of January! (HOW is it already the end of January?!)

Fixing my bike chain:

The Certosa di Pavia Monastery 

(Mom, Dad, and Sean - this is the huge monastery we saw from the train on our way to and from Pavia!)

Gorgeous mountain views basically the entire way!

I biked through this...

Mary, intelligently, did not.

...And then I came home and had THIS view...   : )

day on bikes! - Copenhagen

Jaime didn't have to work on Saturday and she planned a number of great things for us to do and see. She has gotten to know the owner of a bike rental shop near her apartment and he let us borrow bikes for the day (so sweet!!). He liked Jaime a lot - she has a beautiful vintage bike and has gotten everything for it (and its up-keep) from this guy.

We bundled up... got the bikes set... and were off to explore Copenhagen!

After a yummy coffee and brioche stop at a cute cafe, we biked to the bakery shown below and met up with one of Jaime's friends... for a Danish cake (similar to a pop tart)... mmmhmmmm... shaping up to be a lovely morning!

With our pop tart cakes in hand, we left our bikes locked up on the sidewalk and walked across the street to Assistens Cemetery (Kirkegard). The history of this cemetery is interesting (read more by clicking the link above)... it originated in 1760 for people that maybe could not afford to be buried within the walled city... but then prominent people (like Hans Christian Anderson!) were buried here in the early 1800's. Today, the cemetery also acts like a park... being a lovely, peaceful green space within the city.

The tree-lined entrance to the cemetery:

THIS guy cracked me up. His head is so small compared the rest of him. ...Looks like he's getting plenty to eat in the cemetery...

We walked around the cemetery, from Hans Christian Anderson's grave, and walked around some more... until our toes were too cold and we decided to find someplace warm.

Ohhh my goodie goodness. Deliciousness in a bowl! We stopped in a cozy cafe for a warm lunch and I loved my meal... it was a very flavorful kale risotto with lemon and other goodness mixed in. I want more... now!

After the delicious and warm lunch stop, we biked to Christiania... but that will soon get a post of its own...

The sun is setting around 4:00pm or so in Copenhagen this time of year... so it's nice to catch a sunset and still know that its early. BUT... it also made me sleep and, paired with the cold, ready to just cozy up in Jaime's apartment with pajamas on and my book   : P

Day on bikes!

Verona FAVORITES

Some of my favorite photos from a day in Verona, Italy   : )

bike ride and Domo w/Mom in town!

Mom and Dad left Denver last weekend... but Lenny, Mom, and I enjoyed a nice bike ride the last day they were in town. We went through the city, to Confluence Park / REI, and then back along the Cherry Creek Path. (Dad was golfing!)

Photo break at Confluence Park:

Once we cooled down after the bike ride, Lenny, Lexey, Mom, and I went to Domo for a Japanese lunch. From the location and the outside of the building, I would never have guessed how lovely this place is!

Domo's garden area was really nice and has tables to sit and eat at as well...

...and a Buddha!

Vienna's bike life #2 - in circles

...And even more bicycle friendliness around Vienna ...this time, in circles!