I finally did it!
japra | Jan 12, 2010 | Comments 23
A brave woman biking in the light snow on Sunday. I must be feeling more at home here because this doesn’t look strange to me anymore!
Yesterday, I rode my bike to the grocery store on snowy streets! You know things were desperate in my kitchen if I opted to do this, right? LOL
As you might imagine, the roads were slippery, especially the smaller ones which were covered with snow on top of a thin layer of ice. But I rode slowly, all the while telling myself that if I started to fall, I might be able to recover if I were biking at a slower speed. Yeah, right.
I think my entire neighborhood decided to hit the market yesterday. Some of the shelves were nearly bare, particularly in the dairy sections. The cheese, milk, and butter supplies were dangerously low. However, I found just what I needed for the beer cheese soup I had in mind.
The most dangerous part of my outing was the ride home. After I stuffed my panniers with two huge bags of groceries, I noticed my bike felt a LOT more unstable with all that added weight. But all in all, biking in the snow wasn’t too bad.
Maybe I’ll give it another go…
About the Author: JaPRA is an expat Texan living in England with her husband (Mr. DJ), their 17-year old daughter (Roxi), and their dog Trudy.
Well, my hat off to your courage!! You know I don’t ride a bike in traffic – ever! So I would not do what you did, not even for money – or if I was going hungry, for that matter!
Gefeliciteerd, je hebt je inburgering afgeronden!! :o)
Ah well, I decided I needed to try it at least once. Besides, I knew if I went to the store on foot, I’d end up hauling way too many groceries home.
And thank you for the cheers! I understood everything except “afgeronden” which means _______…
cool! so was it like being on skis? I think I would have felt like I was REALLY sacrificing for my family….woman gathering the food sort of thing.
LOL! I did feel rather brave. But now that I think about it, maybe it’s not such a big deal. Oh well.
I’ve had the same feeling (without the ice) after loading up my little bike basket and heading home–the weight distribution difference makes it pretty tricky!
What kind of tires do you have? Hopefully the think nobby kind. I know they must make bike snow tires because among some segments of the population (young males living in the north here) snow biking is a popular sport.
Kathy, I just have road tires. I wish I had my off road bike, but it’s in Texas. :-(
Snow biking? Isn’t that done with skiis of some sort instead of wheels? Yikes.
“afronden” means “finish” like, “round up” – it’s easy to remember associating it with that expression, I think :o)
Dankjewel, Aledys! Alas, I’ve been so lazy about my Dutch. No further studying. Just listening and attempting to answer…
I really liked your post today, by the way.
you are really adjusting to life in the Netherlands…good for you! Hope you enjoyed your beer soup.
Christine, it was so good. Note the “was” ;-)
Where’s the beer cheese soup recipe?
Here you go, John: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Wisconsin-Natives-Beer-Cheese-Soup/Detail.aspx
We like it best with Guinness and a really sharp English cheddar, but it’s not bad with Belgian beer and Dutch cheese. Are you going to try it with Shiner Bock?
Thanks! This morning when I heard the news of Miep’s passing, I felt so touched, that I had to write about her!
The beer cheese soup sounds interesting! I’ve been collecting soup recipes for the last couple of days, so I think I’m going to copy this one down, too.
Cheers!
I really want to try making Erwtensoep…
I just found your site from Wordless Wednesday. I love the pic. I have to send the site of your blog to my SIL. She just moved to the Netherlands from the U.S. She loves it. I am going to have to try that soup recipe.
Hi Joy! I’m glad you stopped by. How exciting for you SIL! I hope she’s not finding the Netherlands too cold. If she is, tell her to try Erwtensoep–it’s Dutch Split Pea soup :-)
Hope you enjoy the Beer Cheese Soup recipe–it’s one of our favourites!
I think that very possibly, I could handle riding in the snow. My aim is to master it in a skirt.
You would probably want some really good underthings, Emm! LOL
How about shorts???!!!
Oh how brave of you JAPRA!
Haha, well I just rode r.e.a.l.l.y. s.l.o.w.l.y…
I don’t envy your biking in the snow, even if I admire your courage. Once the shed gets snowed in, I retire the bike for the season. I do bike to the farmer’s market the rest of the year. Get yourself a pair of shopping bag panniers that hook onto the back rack and fill them evenly.
Sarah, we don’t have the kind of snow you get in Maine! If we did, I think I would try cross country skiing… your photos make it look so fun :-)
I actually do have panniers on my bike, BUT I think I probably shouldn’t have gotten the big ones. It’s too tempting to overload them. I always do.