After we committed to the house that we have recently moved into, we decided it was time to dust off our bikes! We've always been good with hiking, but never did any biking as a family. So we sent our bikes off to the shop to get tuned up (after sitting in the garage for 3 years). Kaiserslautern just was NOT conducive to biking. Everything, everywhere was uphill.
This week, I scored us a baby bike-trailer. I put it together on Thursday, on Friday we took Zac for a walk in it (as it converts to a "stroller") and Saturday afternoon we took a very short tour around the neighborhood so that we could all g
et used to it. Zac took to it very well. So we figured it was time for a longer journey.
This morning (Sunday) we woke up, drank our coffee then committed to biking to the lake nearby (appx. 2.8 miles). I thought that 2.8 miles was PERFECT for our first sojourn. We haven't been on bikes in 3 years so a nice short trip would be a great way to break in our newest interest.
About 10 a.m. we were out the door and headed for fun! It didn't take long at all to get to the lake, we even had time to stop for fresh pretzles and we only had to spend about a 1/2 a mile on busier streets, otherwise it was all side streets and bike paths. We got to the lake, locked up the bikes and disengaged the trailer and transformed it into a stroller.
We wheeled our way over to one of the larger play areas on the lake, spread out the blanket and nibbled away on pretzels and apples
. Zac played on the playground, ran around in the green space and we generally had a good time.
Stephen was getting antsy to get back on the road, but I wanted to stay a while yet. However, he tempted me away by saying "let's find that Chinese restaurant my co-worker recommended". DANG, Chinese food, my weakness!
We whipped out the iPhone and started mapping our route...humm, just another 4.5 miles away and it's in the direction of home. So I was onboard. Zac was back in the trailer and off we went to find lunch.
Approximately 3 miles later, my legs had had just about enough! (Oh, I may have forgotten to mention that I was the one pulling Zac). The promise of Chinese food was not keeping my momentum up, but finally the trees began to thin out and red paper lanterns could be seen in the spaces between. WE MADE IT!!
By now, Zac was way past done. He had been sitting for far too long hypnotized by the back wheel of my bike. So Stephen and Zac played outside while I got us settled at a table and got drinks ordered.
We dined at Ho's Garten in Kronau and it was delicious! We opted for the buffet (13.50 euro per person) and it was piled with fresh entrees, fried bits of all kinds, fresh fruit, sushi and even a mongolian grill. DELICIOUS! It was a bit expensive as a lunch stop, but we're happy we got to try the recommendation. Now we'll have to go back some time and order off the menu.
Once we were back on the paths to home, Zac started grumping again. I knew he was getting tired, but we had to make it home before any of us could do anything about it. About 5 min. into the final leg, we passed a dad and daughter also riding bikes and the daughters shouts to dad (in german) "the baby's asleep!" I turn my head and poor Zac is crumpled in half totally zonked out. We made a quick stop to see if we could get him a little more comfortable and with the help of a stuffed animal and a towel, we like to think that we did him a little service.
On the way home, we passed by a Neuwein stand!! I didn't think it was time yet! For those who don't know, Neuwein ("New Wine") is the first pressing of the seasons grapes. It's still lightly bubbly and usually has a low alcohol content. It's only available for a few weeks each year and comes in red and white. I prefer the white as it reminds me of apple cider...but with the added bonus of being wine! So I am now, as I type, enjoying my first glass of Neuwein on our balcony, recovering from our bike ride! I can't think of a better way than this.
