Six months ago I moved to small town Bavaria. I moved here because I found a job in this tiny town and not owning a car, a long commute was not an option. I found a (gorgeous!) apartment a little over a mile from the office and until spring began walked to work. Most days a co-worker would pick me up on the way and give me a ride but sometimes I walked the entire way, taking about 20-25 minutes to get to work. I loved this time to myself, and used it to listen to some music on my iPhone, spending a few more minutes lost in thoughts.
Since the weather has gotten nicer, I started riding my bike to work and I got a taste for it. I love only taking 5-10 minutes to work instead of 20-25. Hey, it means an extra 15 minutes of sleep!
My co-workers, all of whom own cars and could not imagine otherwise, like to smile at my bike because it is so old and rusty. It does not even have different gears. But what they don’t know is that I actually do own a second bike, a newer one (though by now also nearly 15 years old), and that I chose to bring this one here with me. I love this bike. It is simple, it is old, but I love it.
Sometimes I wish I could take the bus to work (especially on rainy days), because I loved the down time I got when commuting to class. Riding my bike means I have to be aware of everything as soon as I leave my apartment. At the same time I do love having such a short commute. I love that I can leave my apartment at 7.45am and still be 5 minutes early for work.
One of the downsides to living out in the country is the poor infrastructure. We do have a train station but the train runs once every hour Monday to Friday and once every other hour on weekends. On Saturday, I decided that I wanted to go to the next town to the grocery store and because the train runs at really inconvenient times for a grocery store trip, I decided I’d ride my bike there. And I did. It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon, and it was great riding my bike along the fields. I accidentally took a little detour in the neighboring town, and decided to take the train back (taking my bike with me on the train). I was quite exhausted by then, had a heavy backpack full of groceries and decided that the 6 miles back might be pushing it. I cannot remember the last time I went on a long bike ride like this or if I ever did, so I was really proud of myself for going as far as I did.
Back home, I mapped out my bike ride and was surprised to find out that I had gone much further than I had thought, 13.3km (or 8.3mi).
I was really proud of myself for actually doing this. I am still having a hard time finding back to a healthy lifestyle but I do believe that I am on the right path.
