Happy 4th (5th) of July

Did the whole Bern Marines BBQ thing this evening. They always put on a good party with loud music (Rush, Iron Maiden, Van Halen), burgers shipped in from Germany, US beer, beans, watermelon the works. Try explaining to a 4-year old why US Marines like loud music.

And slip-n-slides. They never forget the kids. Slip-n-slides, soccer balls and lots of kid fun too.

On the other hand, when you overhear them discussing assembling an explosive device I tend to think they know what they are talking about.

Ouch. That one hurt ...

Took a 4-hour ride this afternoon. Yes, the hottest day of the year so far and I head out on my longest ride of the year. Total ouch.  Did not bonk, but came close. Ride was actually 82km. Down to Schwarzenburg (or is it up? yes, it's up. That's the UP part of the ride.), then on down to Thun, then back up to Bern. There were some really awesome downhill spots coming out of Schwarzenburg. Zooming down the mountain at 60kph. There is also this spot just to the east of Schwarzenburg where there is a radio-controlled airplane airport. So I'm riding past and there are like 10 planes in the air all doing loop-tee-loops. Makes for an interesting ride.

So here's some German-English fun for you. In the following sentence, try to figure out what is German and what is English:

"Das Iced Vanilla Latte mit Caramel ist the shit. The shit"

As overheard at Starbux.

Taking Longer ...

So here in Bern, it only takes 5 working days to renew your Aufenthaltsbewilligung. You suckers in Zürich have to suffer. All 4 of us. Bing, bam, boom. 4 cards. Done. One of the benefits of living in a smaller city I guess.

On the other hand, it took 3 months to get my NespressoClub membership card.

Watching a Little WM

A lot of smack talk thrown around the office today because of USA's "win" against England.

Things I Saw This Week

1. Fabian Cancallera heading north out of Worb. He had a motorcycle pacing him.
2. The World Cup music concert on no less that 50% of all channels we have. Shakira appears to be REALLY popular.
3. Todd riding home from work
4. A bunch of old dudes who could climb faster than I could

Another Exciting Day on the Bike

Spent the afternoon wandering around the hills south of Bern today. We have had such crappy weather of late - typical for CH I hear. Cold enough to wear sweaters and jackets for most of the week, then suddenly it's like 85 and sunny and perfect. Got to hang out at Veter Herzog afterwards and drink coffee and their fabulous home made iced tea. Yum

And ... I'm Back (sort of)

Trips to the US, selling the house (attempting to at least). Lots going on.

Hit the road seriously for the fist time in a while. Did an out-and-back down to Schwarzenburg. Uphill all the way there, downhill all the way home. Oddly, it was WICKED windy. Uphill was therefore easier actually. Doing 30s (kph) most of the way there (up), 20s most of the way home (down). Yes, I was actually working hard to "go down the hill" it was so windy.

Schwarzenburg is for CUTE! I'd live there in a heartbeat assuming we actually had a car. There is a train that goes between Bern and Schwarzenburg, but only very few are non-stop. Thus, the trip would be 45 minutes I think.

Did not stop by Sabato's place while I was there. Wish I did though. Would have been funny.