Yo!
So I almost had a free flight to Kobenhavn. My return flight was supposedly booked to the max and so I volunteered to take a later flight. I was digging Kobenhavn and wouldn't mind an extra day to enjoy the sights. SAS airlines was going to give me 150 euro to take a later flight! That would have paid for ticket, o-well. Cycling around the city was just plain awesome. The paths were, for the most part, smooth, open, and easy going. I had fun riding around on my pink bike with a basket. Compared to being the lycra wearing, skinny tire, racing dude I'm usually in Belgium, if I could coast in Denmark I would. No reason to go fast and miss anything. I found pedaling with any type of real effort for those in a hurry. I was not one of those people.
I will admit sometimes I'm a bit harsh on America. This whole comparison thing is so natural and easy it is hard not to define each moment by comparing it to something similar I've already tasted. Traveling really is like trying a new dish. You grab your menu (the globe) pick out your dish (the country) and book your travels. I'm not sure what is more relevant though the previous entrees you've eaten or just being hungry. Hungry for travel that is. Starve yourself long enough of any new adventures (if you are the adventure type) and anything remotely related to travel will be exciting. I try and keep this in mind when I travel. I haven't been very many places and my experiences with new things is a bit minimalistic. I have a constantly adjusting perspective. Even now returning from Denmark, Belgium as it has been home for the last two months, also feels a bit different. I'm too new to too much (is that too many times for the use of the word "to?") to justify what I write with too much accuracy. I admit to myself that I write what I feel but sometimes I come back a few weeks later and think "hmmm, that is not exactly how I feel now." I think my goal for myself for the next four, and final, weeks here in Belgium is to relinquish this common comparison I refer to as home and invite myself to just "be."
I met this guy from Manhattan on a train while traveling to Lund, Sweden. Did I mention I also went there? To Sweden? I took a thirty or so minute train ride to Lund. A nice university town in Sweden. First place I went was Burger King for a coffee milkshake drink that was the consistancy of cold tomatoe soup. However it tasted like coffee so I was sold on it. While chatting with this new random acquaintance he mentioned that he just did some crazy 500 hundred kilometer walk in Portugal. His most eminent expression was "you have to get lost to get found" and "I got lost alright." I was thinking of how many times I've been lost in Belgium but I think the meaning goes a bit deeper.
I have a bunch of photos to upload from Denmark/Sweden and I'm going to start on creating the adventure soon! Tomorrow I think will be a few easy hours on the bike and then a race on Sunday. I must admit though, I feel a bit like putting the bike away for the last couple of weeks. Maybe some training rides so I can eat some frietjes with less guilt but I want to get the most out of my Dutch class and also use the weekends to travel a bit. Of course I say this now but I know myself better than that. The racing bug is easy to succumb to :)
So I almost had a free flight to Kobenhavn. My return flight was supposedly booked to the max and so I volunteered to take a later flight. I was digging Kobenhavn and wouldn't mind an extra day to enjoy the sights. SAS airlines was going to give me 150 euro to take a later flight! That would have paid for ticket, o-well. Cycling around the city was just plain awesome. The paths were, for the most part, smooth, open, and easy going. I had fun riding around on my pink bike with a basket. Compared to being the lycra wearing, skinny tire, racing dude I'm usually in Belgium, if I could coast in Denmark I would. No reason to go fast and miss anything. I found pedaling with any type of real effort for those in a hurry. I was not one of those people.
I will admit sometimes I'm a bit harsh on America. This whole comparison thing is so natural and easy it is hard not to define each moment by comparing it to something similar I've already tasted. Traveling really is like trying a new dish. You grab your menu (the globe) pick out your dish (the country) and book your travels. I'm not sure what is more relevant though the previous entrees you've eaten or just being hungry. Hungry for travel that is. Starve yourself long enough of any new adventures (if you are the adventure type) and anything remotely related to travel will be exciting. I try and keep this in mind when I travel. I haven't been very many places and my experiences with new things is a bit minimalistic. I have a constantly adjusting perspective. Even now returning from Denmark, Belgium as it has been home for the last two months, also feels a bit different. I'm too new to too much (is that too many times for the use of the word "to?") to justify what I write with too much accuracy. I admit to myself that I write what I feel but sometimes I come back a few weeks later and think "hmmm, that is not exactly how I feel now." I think my goal for myself for the next four, and final, weeks here in Belgium is to relinquish this common comparison I refer to as home and invite myself to just "be."
I met this guy from Manhattan on a train while traveling to Lund, Sweden. Did I mention I also went there? To Sweden? I took a thirty or so minute train ride to Lund. A nice university town in Sweden. First place I went was Burger King for a coffee milkshake drink that was the consistancy of cold tomatoe soup. However it tasted like coffee so I was sold on it. While chatting with this new random acquaintance he mentioned that he just did some crazy 500 hundred kilometer walk in Portugal. His most eminent expression was "you have to get lost to get found" and "I got lost alright." I was thinking of how many times I've been lost in Belgium but I think the meaning goes a bit deeper.
I have a bunch of photos to upload from Denmark/Sweden and I'm going to start on creating the adventure soon! Tomorrow I think will be a few easy hours on the bike and then a race on Sunday. I must admit though, I feel a bit like putting the bike away for the last couple of weeks. Maybe some training rides so I can eat some frietjes with less guilt but I want to get the most out of my Dutch class and also use the weekends to travel a bit. Of course I say this now but I know myself better than that. The racing bug is easy to succumb to :)
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