Reuniting with an Old Friend

OK....this is probably not where you thought I was going when I mentioned an old friend.  I'm actually talking about my new found love (or at least appreciation) for my bicycle.  A little strange, I know, but a story worth telling.  Thinking back, my bike must be at least fifteen years old (and yes, if you're wondering, it was a gift for my 16th birthday).  I had such big plans for this bike and all of the riding I would do.   It even had a sporty, yet cute name...the Rock Hopper!  Truth be told, it got only sporadic use over the past decade and spent a few summers lonely and unused in the garage.  For shame!  Some years were more eventful than others, but biking certainly did not become as much of a regular activity as I had originally planned.  When I did dust off the old Rock Hopper, the purpose was simply to get some exercise.

She's in decent shape for her age....kinda like me!

Then along comes Sweden.  When the hubby and I visited Lund last fall, the bike situation was like nothing I had seen before.  Bikes were EVERYWHERE!  The train station and bus stops all had bike racks that were full (imagine that!) and the bike paths were plentiful and well maintained.

Bikes as far as the eye can see!

I noticed that you could pretty much get anywhere around town on your bike as easily as you could by car (and there were some streets where only bikes and pedestrians were allowed).   So before the big move, getting our bikes a proper check up was on my to-do list.

I'll admit that it took some time for me to get back into biking once we arrived here (I was told by a friend that I should refer to it as "cycling", but that seems a bit too "Tour de France" for me and the Rock Hopper).  Anyway, I was at first more comfortable exploring our new city on foot or, or course, by car.  However, my girls soon discovered that riding their scooters or bikes was much more fun (and faster) than walking.  This meant that I had to hop on my bike in order to keep up with them....or start running.  Needless to say, I opted for the bike.   We started riding together back and forth to their school (it's only about 1km each way....or a little over a half a mile).

There is no way I'm catching her on foot!

The next adventure was riding into downtown Lund which is about 2.5 to 3 miles away...again not any great distance, but I'm making progress.  Often times the distance was greater simply because I got lost!  After a few trips, it was brought to my attention that the ride from our house into town is actually all downhill (no, I did not figure that out on my own, but it did make sense why the ride back always seemed a bit more difficult).  Clearly I'm not very observant.

Over the next few weeks, I realized that a transformation was occurring.   I was using my bike as a means of TRANSPORTATION....the horror!   Riding to school, a trip to the grocery store for a few items... slowly but surely I was adopting the Swedish way.  I know many families (including ours) that have only one car and I've even met some people who grew up in a household with no car (can you imagine??), but it's strange to actual view my bike as a vehicle and not just a means to exercise.  To put some of this in perspective, my old Target store (sigh!) was a mere 1.9 miles from our home.  Did it ever EVER occur to me to ride my bike there when I only needed to pick up a few things?  Of course not.  What a ridiculous idea!

I do have to mention that gas is ridiculously expensive here...like around $8 per gallon expensive (so my friends back home, you can all stop complaining about your fuel prices!)  So I have to wonder....are the Swedes just super health conscious and environmentally friendly, or is it just too damn expensive to drive???  Perhaps it's a bit of both.  For the record, I still use my bike for exercise...it's just not its sole purpose anymore.

A favorite photo taken on one of my rides

I admit it still feels strange to hop on the bike wearing jeans or "non-workout wear", but at least I don't look out of place doing that here.  Many people ride their bikes to work....wearing sport jackets, ties, skirts, and even high heels (not all at the same time, of course)!   Even if it's raining, they just don the proper gear and get going.

Riding in the rain...previously unthinkable!

I did find myself with a bit of a problem once I began running small errands on my bike...I was pretty limited as to what I could buy and carry home.  I looked around at my fellow "bikers" and noticed that many had a nice sturdy basket attached to the front.

I want a cute basket like this!

Thinking that this would work for me, I headed to a local bike shop and explained to them that I needed a basket.  "For THAT bike?" was the response I received.  Well...yes.  The bike shop guy took a closer look and said that it could be done, but that it wouldn't be "quite right".  I'm not sure exactly what that meant, but his concern elicited visions of my fancy basket spilling its contents all over the street. No thank you.

On to Plan B.   I could get those basket things installed on the BACK of my bike (I guess they are called "panniers"....whatever).  These really don't have the same "cute factor" as the front basket, so I decided against them.  Sadly, my next and possibly final, option was to purchase a good sized backpack.  I'm giggling as I write this...thinking that most of you are laughing at the thought of me cruising around on my bike....wearing jeans and sensible shoes...sporting a backpack.   Luckily around here it appears pretty normal.   However, since I thought I would only use the backpack occasionally, I opted for the large, relatively inexpensive, not extremely attractive one from IKEA (no, I'm not kidding).

Yep....this beauty is all mine!

It's ok that it's not so pretty.  I won't be using it that often (I try to convince myself)....it will be my "special occasion" backpack.  Wrong.  I use it nearly every day.  I schlep my gym stuff, take the girls' things to and from school, and yes, make minor trips to the grocery store all with the help of my stylish IKEA backpack.  In fact, when my younger daughter saw that I was including a picture of it in this blog, she said to me, "You LOVE that backpack, don't you mama?"  Yes honey, I do.

So, in a few short months I have become a bike riding, backpack wearing, wanna-be Swede.  I guess there could be worse things.  I admit that I do stop and think about how ridiculously expensive gas prices are when I only have a short distance to travel (and I'm considering driving).  I have even been known to ride in the rain (average rain only....no downpours).  And for those of you who know me well, I am always game for a little extra exercise!  Only time will tell if my eco-friendly habit will continue once I'm back in the states....perhaps if I find a cuter backpack!

Me and my bike- BFFs!