The Freedom of a Bicycle
Written by Bessie on Saturday, September 06, 2008 in Nicaragua
Feelin' happy
To me, there is little that compares to riding a bicycle. There's so much freedom, so much exploration. You can head in any direction that you want. See whatever you want to see. Move past the world quickly, roll slowly by, or stop to take it all in. It's all up to you. Feelin' happy
Pick the right day, and the sun shines down, warming you. Your body tells you man, "we haven't really used those muscles that much lately," and the effort pumps your blood and puts a smile on your face. As you gain a little more speed, a breeze blows in your face and just barely lifts up the back of your shirt. It feels good to be on a bike today.
Granada, Nicaragua is a biking town. It has some of that island feel, where there just aren't enough cars here, and you wonder how the people get around. Here, it' all about old school vehicles: horse drawn carts and as many people on a bike as can fit.
We spent the day exploring all this city had to offer on bikes, and it was especially exhilirating after we'd spent a couple days couped up, my bod fighting a hefty cold, one of my American souveniers. High and Low, Near and Far. We saw what we could see.
Kyle in front of a home; with bike in front of the Capilla de Armas (chapel at a cemetary that's a replica of one in France)
view of children playing soccer between buildings; Bessie in Parque Central
through the cemetary; marble cemetary plot modeled after Notre Dame
Bessie & the colorful house; Kyle passing another church
Somehow looking over all that I'm singing Mr. Roger's "It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood." Maybe you and your bike would find the same.
Comments on "The Freedom of a Bicycle"
Bessie and Kyle,
Thanks for the pictures. I'm enjoying it all from my home in the Philadelphia area.
I could not agree more! Yay for bikes!
Sorry (again) that I miss y'all when you were home. That American body cold got me, too!
Your writing style captures your good feelings about your biking fun SO well! (^@^) And I don't think you realize how poignant your singing Mr. Roger's little tune is: It was JUST anounced this past week that after 40 years on PBS, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood has been retired. :^ \ Aaaaah... time marches on. And YouTue keep on biking! : )
bessie i love the pic of you passing by the colorful house! i love bike riding!
I love the fact that you can ride everywhere there. Save the environment AND stay in shape! Woohoo! How can we convince more people here in the US to do that???
Looks nice and warm and dry outside! Great day for a bike ride. I miss photos of the jungle and monkeys and ziplines and beaches and roaming cows and beer bottle photos. When will you photograph another hike?! :>)
Loved the photo of the ride through the cemetary......beautiful statuary. A nice way to casually enjoy the area.
It works your muscles particularly well when the bike won't change gears, either!
by Kyle Crum at September 07, 2008 10:06 AM