The Hills Are Alive...

Hello Reader.

Steffie tried to wake me up at eight. I slept until nine thirty and then headed up for breakfast. She was excitedly waiting for me at the top of the stairs. I had some oats/granola mixed with cut apple and pear, raisins, and yogurt. ‘Good for energy - you’ll need it.’

Crap.

We start out on our trip, Mrs. Noppel waving to us shouting ‘remember to take it easy on him.’ The signs just aren’t looking good for me. We bike for a while through the country. I have never seen so much farmland. It looked like rolling hills of Astroturf, except, you know, it was real. We passed pasture and fields for growing. It was a clear day and the Alps were a backdrop. The ride was moderate, only difficult sometimes. And except for a fresh fertiliser aroma every once in a while and eating a couple of bugs, I was on cloud nine.

We passed so many different kinds of crops. Cherry, plumb, corn, pear, strawberry, apple, and (my personal favorite) hops. Steffie was answering all my questions about farming, farm animals, and of course, beer. We then met her friend Meli and Meli’s boyfriend, Angel, while they were fishing at a small lake. They were great to talk to… especially Angel, who was more comfortable with his English because he lived in Tasmania, Australia for a few months. We talked mostly about fishing. He did most of the talking. I am more of a listener, especially when it is listening to someone who is so passionate.

After a bout four or five more miles, we made it to Lake Konstance (or Bodensee, in German). We found a park overlooking the lake and an old castle, and sat down to eat lunch on a bench. It might have been the cucumbers or it might have been the fact that I had just ridden a bike for three hours, but that was the best sandwich I’ve ever had. We also had a delilcious and freshly stolen apple from one of the orchards we passed. By the time we got to the lake, the Alps on the other side were only slightly visible, hidden by clouds or fog. I’ll get that perfect picture soon, it ain’t like they’re going anywhere.

We talked during most of the tour, and I only fell off twice. Steffie’s a good conversationalist. On the way back we talked about love and ‘falling out of love.’ An infinitely complex and yet simple subject. We talked about the phrase ‘growing apart’ and how she thinks that just a convenient excuse people use. I explained that two people’s paths can merge and separate. Just because someone’s life takes a different direction doesn’t mean that person was dishonest about his feelings while they were they were together. He is being supremely honest to himself by sticking to the path he knows is right for him. She liked that answer.

By that time, we were almost home. Good thing too, the sun had set and it was getting cold. Her mother called when we were about ten kilometers away and Steffie told her where we were and then the phone cut out. Bad reception on those in-the-middle-of-nowhere roads I guess. We rode for about three more kilometers then her worried mom surprised us and picked us up. All said and done, we rode about fifty kilometers, which works out to about one hundred and sixty miles.

I showered and shaved, it had been a week (since I shaved, not since I showered). We ate dinner (potato salad and cheese noodles) and I talked with her parents more. Her father was telling me about a couple of his trips to North America. Once for a foresters convention (he is a forester) and once for hunting (antlers line the walls of their house). We then went for ice cream and tea at a nearby café and to a friend’s house (Ursula). Watched some German TV, all of which had to be explained to me, except for the nude women… I understood those.

As we were getting in the car, Steffie slipped and hit her cheek on the top corner of her door. It was a really hard hit. I ran to her and did what my mom always did… made ‘ooo’ and ‘ahhh’ sounds while breathing in dramatically through my clenched teeth. I felt so bad for her. She didn’t want to go back in for ice, but just to go home. I drove.

Tomorrow night we are heading to a hot spring with Tinsha and her friends that I met the other night. We’ll swim, then go to a Halloween party. I’m dressing up as an American… I’m gonna tie television around my neck and gain about fifty pounds.


By the way, reading the messages y'all post is the highlight of my day.

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