Bike Trip to the Lake

A lot of you guys know that I am a true city girl. I realized this at a young age when I was playing with a soccer ball in Japan. I was waiting for my relatives to finish talking when I kicked the ball on what I thought was a patch of grass. I went to get it. Naturally it ended up being a rice field, and because I had never seen one in my life nor did I think there would be one next to my aunt's house, I fell right in and came out covered in mud.

Let's face it: I know tall buildings, public transportation, and I am very comfortable in crowds and the sound of the car alarm going off in the morning (super not fun, but it happens).

Well I decided to dip my feet into the pool of the unknown. This my friends, is what I call, "The Country Bike Ride to the Lake a Few Villages Over". Some of you may or may not know, I learned how to ride a bike for the first time last year, and I relearned again this Spring. So going 40 km for me is quite a big deal!


Pictures after our first break. We started around 3 pm (15:00) perhaps? After passing a lot of wheat fields and tiny houses that seemed vacant, we stopped at a small bridge. I was parched! I also wanted to take pictures.


At this point, we really started to veer off the path. The boys warned me they weren't positive what the route was and I should've known they were not joking.


Derp.


Look at me Ma!

There was a lot of sand everywhere, making it hard to ride. Eventually there was a point where the ground seemed firm enough to go on. BAD IDEA. I fell and landed on the only patch of poisonous plants on the route!! I had experienced a similar sensation when I was weeding plants in Oliver's father's garden, and just touching it hurt like hell. This time I landed right on it, and trust me, it felt like a million needles stabbing me at once. Even as I type this, my left hand and right calf are recovering. It doesn't take super long to heal, but there are still spots and a burning sensation. D;
Well you know it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt, but we were in the middle of nowhere, so what else was there to do but get out? After 20 or so more minutes of biking, we finally found the lake we've been searching for.


Civilization!!


We put down our stuff and continued to chug water and take in the view of half naked people covered in tattoos (or at least I did).
Oli then went away to get ice cream. I had packed a banana and some nuts to hold me over so I was fine. But when he came back, he had . . .


this! He knew I was feeling a bit lousy after falling and that I LOVE pommes frites (french fries)! I couldn't resist. >0<


Why yes, I am rocking bare face.

I then went into the water to splash my feet around. I didn't have any swim attire and I also still don't know how to swim, so I just let the waves pass over my toes. No worries, I watched the bags while the boys swam.


Showdown.

After 2 hours at the lake, we decided to hop back on our bikes. It was getting late and we still had another 20 km to go! We decided it was better to stick to the road this time.


Cheese!

The ride back was a bit easier (the only main obstacles were the few random cars). Oli and I decided to stop by the wheat field again, because it was just around sundown.


It was beautiful. And I admit, at this moment, I was really excited to be living a life outside of the city. I may not know which plants are dangerous or which roads are safest, but I felt good! It made me stronger and more aware of what I, and the human body, is capable of.

Lastly! When we got home, two creatures made an appearance!

If you remember, hedgehogs live in our garden! I heard a rustle in the bushes, and out came out this little guy! He just stared me down for a few minutes, and then walked away. Cutie. Then as we were passing the pond in front of the house, a frog appeared! This all sounds crazy, like I'm Snow White and I've summoned all these creatures, but I swear they came out on their own!   I hope you guys enjoyed my little adventure. Gotta rest up for the next one! Tottles!