Today on an overall clouded and rainy day I finally slowed down and had a very relaxed day cruising the state of New York from the west to the east.

You may have recognized that I wrote cruising and not traveling?

Nearly always when somebody ask me about my vacations the dialog ends up in something like … Nice, interesting! But honestly I would not like to do that much of driving during my vacation like you!

Well, I do not mind driving in general. And driving through a foreign country for me is what I call spying peoples front yard without bothering them. And … thats exactly what I have done today.

Now free in my mind and knowing about there would nothing be really exciting to see today I finally slowed down, by speed as also by mind. Just cruising new piece of this world, a new territory to explore and enjoying what is out there behind the windscreen to see ….

First we traveled the most beautiful farming countryside spotting about every second farm was offering sweet corn or pumpkins to buy. To then later entering the green mountains again. An overall beautiful forest area and most colorful during this very first autumn day of this year for me.

Finally we ended up in the most lovely bed and breakfast I’ve ever seen so far. An old mill operated by an elderly couple. With both people are up in there late seventies and a property, first erected in 1820, you couldn’t construct and design better yourself even when tried.

Yeah! Thats vacation for me …. forgetting about all for a limited time and just cruising life on a day by day basis enjoying whatever this particular new day will come up with for you to enjoy. 

Since ages I’m asked by a guy, I know from work issues, about whether or not I would like to do a bike trip with him.
So far I always refused and mostly just pretended to be to busy to do. The truth it that he,  nearly being 10 years younger than me, for  my feelings is very talkative, which is something I can not really cope with always and especially not when I just want to ride my bike instead.

This friday now we phoned for some work issue again and following a spontaneous  intuition I offered him to ride with him today.

Shortly a quarter past nine I left home heading to the spot we were commited to catch up. Out side it was still humidly and misty after the heavy rain and lightnings we had yesterday, but I felt very alive and happy on the bike.

Fifteen minutes later we catched up and have a short lifting of the helmet, some warm words and a handshake we immediately left for the ride. Early this moring the roads were nearly empty and cruising the small and narrow streets of the Palatinate Forest nearly alone on your own was like a big pleasure from life. And I nearly felt like a horse or dog rolling over in the grass …

120km later, right when we headead out of the fores now driving into a valley with a small village called Annweiler (you might not know about, but close by is the famous Castle Trifels were once in medival times King Richard Lionheart was arrested) the sun came out and everything looked bride.

Seeing that, I immediately decided for a quick CIC (coffee, ice cream, chat) and surprised the guy on the bike behind me by straight heading into town and a final touch down at one of my favorite ice cafe.

But I guess, he most was impressed by me being welcome by the waitress  with my first name!

Hey!! No wrong thoughts about that!! …. It’s just me being addicted to ice cream for sure!

After coffee, ice and an interesting chat about a difficult upgrade of some database he has to do this week we left again going for another 80 to 100Km, where at there end we splitted up again still driving with just a short waving!

That my friend …. Thats Tops!!

This past weekend was just great - sun, mild temperatures and no single drop of rain at all!

Right on friday I tried to finish all really necessary task getting the freedom to be able to use all the time of the coming two days. Especially this year with a dragging rainy and cold April the wish to stay outside and enjoy nice conditions is strong.

So on saturday morning right after breakfast I went for my biker gear (you know? that “real bike” stuff), dressed up and move my Suzi out of the garage. Heading into the nowhere without having any idea where the street will lead me I ended up in scratching the border between France and Germany a few time, having a real enjoyable coffee and cake in some “outside” restaurant to finally return during late late afternoon more or less tired but overall happy with myself, the day itself and the world in general!

Nevertheless there were the need for some grocery shopping left and so I finally did take the car driving to some supermarket and ending up in an bigger electronic store (huh … thats late evening shopping until 10pm ) looking again for such an MacBook Air …. duh I guess sooner or later I will end up with such a thingy …

Then again on sunday I was keen to repeat my other day adventure again. So I directly heading to my Suzi again which I even hadn’t brought back into the garage for the night and left home straight away.

This time my way and the street did lead me into the so called “Old World”! It is a lovely and quiet piece on earth. Mostly covered with beautiful farmland and broken up with smaller and bigger patches of forest, a little bit back in time compared with the more urbanised and industrial area here where I live.

It was such a wonderful day that I even nearly got lost about cruising all these small and narrow little countryside roads forward and backwards for ages and had to use my map to be able to find my direction out of this area finally heading home in the evening! Such day should never end!