Bike-o-rama durch Kiel

(Transferred from my old blog on 18 August 2008.)

Whoa. I had the two biggest charlie horses I've ever had, at the same time, in both legs at 5 am (on Thursday, August 12th). I wanted to scream, but I just bit my tongue. When it finally ended, I stood up, or tried too, but my legs hurt so much! They still hurt when I got up later and packed some and ate some rote grötze and rode the bike to the bus stop with my sore legs even though I couldn't find the key. However, the bus came earlier and there wasn't another for 30 minutes. They were meeting at 9:50 so I had to get there or I would not know where to go. I rode back to my host family's and finally found the key, then rode to another bus stop much further away and decided I was too weaksauce to ride all the way into the city. I waited for the bus and took a taxi when I got to the Hauptbahnhof. The driver was SLOW. We hit every red light. I barely made it before they left. Ryan said they wanted to leave but he told them to wait. At breakfast, Melissa (the Chinese, not the one who had to go home because she dislocated her knee) ordered everything so she could try it all. I tried the meat spread stuff Mom said not to try . . . it was good. The fleischsalat was okay, but not something I'd order. The brie was amzing on the vollkornbrot with tomatoes. We got ice cream at Paradies Eis (that doesn't rhyme in German).

Then I found out Kyle needed a bus ticket to Hamburg (why, oh why, did I not bring it?) He paid me and I went all the way back to where I left the bike and rode back, got the ticket, rode back to the stop and missed the bus, but still got back in 2 hours. I got the ticket to him. By the way, I found out it is illegal to not have lights on your bike, and the one I use does have lights and they are powered by the pedaling and I am stupid.

I went to the Sophienhof and exchanged the shirt and took forever decided about what color shirt to buy. I found a striped blue and white shirt for 4, 90. I got two other shirts and a baby blue skirt. Then I bought flowers and took the bus. When I got to the Freilicht Museum, I got the bike and rode all the way back again. I'm sure the accumulation of all my sweating for today was nast. Of course on a day I wore my grey shirt, too.

Mrs. Hostmom said something about the concert. What!? I thought I had luckily missed that. That was tonight? I took a shower and got dressed. I took a pic of the family. Then we went and met a ton of people and I hooked up with Soandso, my "date". I met the photographer. He kept taking pics of me. I felt really stupid because if they had said "symphony" I would have dressed up. I was wearing a baggy t-shirt and my jean skirt, while everyone else had suits and ties and nice black dresses. The music was amazing. It was an orchestra of young people from all over. At the end, people clapped together: on, off, on, off, on, until they came out one last time and bowed AGAIN (after about six times). Then I had some meatballs there and a "sandwich" and tomato soup at the restaurant. The French lady was there. Everyone there was so nice with my slow German. We had to walk back through the "red light district". Mr. Hostdad joked about it. He gave me £100 for the taxi tomorrow! I resisted and he said, "I can get very angry." We said our goodbyes and went to bed.