Donnerstag, 19. Juni 2008

*Walking and Biking*

This could be several posts, so count yourself lucky. ;)

Americans may get in the car to drive down the street to drop something off, or to check the mailbox. Not Germans. Germans are not afraid to walk. If it's less than a twenty-minute walk, you should walk.

Furthermore, bikes here are used for transportation, not exercise or recreation, thus the bike lanes all over the place, and thus the weird look I gave the first guy I saw smoking while he was riding his bike. To an American, it looked like two opposing things: healthy exercise with unhealthy smoking. I thought it was hilarious.

One of the very first things I noticed the first time I was in Germany was that the bikes here are different. They look like bikes out of 1950s America, like people here forgot to update the style.













Every now and then, you may see a German with one pant leg rolled up. Despite what you may think, this is not a fashion trend. I asked about it and was told it was to protect their pants while riding their bicycles. I asked why they didn't roll up both sides, and was told that that the chain is only on one side. It took me forever to figure out why that wasn't a problem for Americans. I finally realized not everyone here has a cover for the chain that rolls by the pedal, but they all seem to have covers for their tires, which seems soooo old fashioned. Don't be surprised to see baskets on the back of bikes (yes, even of young people), and all bikes in Germany are required to have lights on the front and back or the rider will be ticketed. Don't forget to notice there's a bell too. This is really the typical bike in Germany.

4 Kommentare:

acte gratuit hat gesagt…

Thanks for the comment! My husband served a mission in Germany so he'll be interested to look at your blog!

Anonym hat gesagt…

What a very cool site! I spent two summers singing in Coesfeld and the Münster area. I rented a bicycle just like your photo. I especially loved ringing the bell everywhere I went (made quite an idiot of myself probably. There was a wonderful fresh smell in the country. It never failed to impress me how clean everyone kept their homes, yards and sidewalks. Spotless! I slept with my window slightly open (like a proper local) and enjoyed a wonderful feather bed. Every morning I would wake to the melody of pigeons harmonizing with church bells. Definitely a "Sound of Music" moment! I made such wonderful friends who have blessed my life. All these memories and much more make me quite "homesick" for the Fatherland. Treasure your time there! Alles Gute! in Ihrem Reisen

Michelle Glauser hat gesagt…

Wow, I just read your lovely description of Germany and felt dreamy. Then I looked outside at the thunderstorm that's happening right now and I realized that it was also wonderful. Germany is amazing.

Jena hat gesagt…

I love your German culture blog! My family came to the Us from Germany 100 years ago, so I'm a German with no knowledge of the culture! Very fun.

Thanks for visiting my blog and entering the giveaway.

Nice to meet you.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...