Finally Spring in Prague 21/3/09 Day 247

Day 247 (Slide show)

This week started out with a boring winter Monday. I needed a few groceries but I ended up having to go to three stores. It’s a typical thing around here. Even the large markets don’t stock quality produce. It seems the small Vietnamese shops have better quality. But on Tuesday it turned out nice, about 10c, so Betsy and I went for a spin around the city. I found a tire hanging from a tree to use as a stand. Betsy seems to have been injured on the way over here. It was probably a forklift trying to make advances on her. She was having some shifting problems and I couldn’t see the cause until I got her in the tire stand. Her derailleur was bent. I did my best to straighten it out but I need a professional shop.

I have her purring like a kitten now though. Not long after I stopped at the tree the weather turned a bit cold so I had to get back to my flat. Good to be riding again though.

I want to say something about the streets of Prague. This isn’t anything like riding back home. I remember complaining to fellow rode warriors in Huntington Beach about the trash in the bike lanes. (nuts, bolts, nails and such) It was an appalling to think we had to ride in trash. Where were the city street sweepers? Well, I wish that was the only problem over here. Prague has crazy 5 way intersections with limited lights and curbs to get over. There is the cobblestone problem where you can break a tooth if you don’t keep you jaw loose. Then the worst is the steeps. Here you constantly have to carry your bike up and down steps that come out of nowhere. I’m never going to complain about trash again.

Wednesday I woke to snow. You can tell spring is close though this snow melted quickly. I’ve got to start planning for my tours. I have some ideas and it seems I can start to work on my conditioning now. I’ve gotten a bit soft sitting around so much. During my few rides this week I discovered a few new sites and some cool buildings. I really want to get out for an overnight trip soon.