Ich bin ein bike snob.

I'm a bike snob. 

I have been since college when I was gifted this amazing road bike to ride to and from work, to and from class. It's just such an awesome bike. So easy to ride. And I love it. And riding bikes in general.

However, my bike is not very Euro. The Europeans go more for the cruiser type bike. And they all have baskets in the front and behind. So, even though I ride a road bike, I decided to Euro it up by putting a basket on the back. 

Best decision I ever made. With the basket. I could ride into the city and put my purse/jacket/life in the basket. I could bike home from the market in the city with bread/cheese/my life in the basket. I could go to and from the grocery store with a night's worth of groceries, no sweat (even with the dogs who learned to run along side me!). Perfect bike.

Well, the mover's broke my basket. I need a new one of those. While I don't use it here in the worst state in America, I will use it when living in Baltimore. We will be a few blocks from Whole Foods, Farmers Markets, and apparenty a new and improved Harris Teeter. 

Back to the point. I'm a bike snob. And I know it. What I didn't know however...

...is that in addition to being a bike snob, I am also a bike path snob. Weather permitting, I rode my bike almost every day in Germany. Whether it was just to the grocery store or bakery or to a friend's house in a neighboring village or into the city for shopping and my German class, almost every single day. The paths in Germany are glorious. Well kept, clean, no sketchy/trashy people walking around who might freak you out, and the views... oh the views...

I did not realize until yesterday (and the day before too I guess), that I am also a bike path snob. With us not having a car, I could not go to the gym. The gym is my sanity. So A and I decided to ride our bikes here in 'Biver-crik.' There is a path near our house. The path itself is nice. It's clean and well paved. The clientele, however, are RIDIC. I was told I could not bike by myself... yes, that's how bad it is. And the views, oh geez. I mean, who wants views (and noise) of riding along side the major interstate in Ohio? And the views of riding along side the ghetto-fabulous yards of Ohio? Certainly not me. Certainly not A. So while it was a nice way to be outside and exercise, it was still just like the rest of Ohio... not for us.

Day #2 sans car. So instead of meeting a friend for coffee, this bike snob is staying at home, eating more pumpkin granola parfaits... 

...on my baby sister's 15th birthday!