Yesterday (Sunday) a friend from work and I decided to go to the Ice Rink in Nuremberg. Well it was his idea actually, and I sort of tagged along ... my one and only previous encounter with a Ice Rink was hardly pleasant ... New York Central Park, about 20 US dollars and not much fun.
My friend, being Dutch, suggested that we cycle to the Ice Rink if the weather was good. After all, it was only 20 odd KM away, and he had recently acquired a GPS system so we should not get lost!
Cycling in Germany is interesting - and certainly more pleasurable than in South Africa. Since so many people cycle, the drivers have more respect for cyclists. Furthermore, most roads have dedicated cycle lanes, making it a lot safer and easier. Given that the areas around Nuremberg and Erlangen is generally flat, cycling is actually quite easy going. So apart from a few mishaps on the way back at night (when my friend, somehow managed to stray off the cycle track one or two times into the garden path next to it), it was generally an easy going experience.
As for the skating, it was certainly a better experience than my last time. I could actually walk around on skates on the ice - but not really skate. Oh well, some other time probably.
And after 47 Km of cycling, a KM or so of walking and the little skating, I was dead tired, and managed to fall asleep quite early too! I miss cycling ...
