Chased by Dogs
Went on a quick ride east of the ranch this morning and had to race away from unleashed dogs twice. I hit my two top speeds for the day (besides coming down the overpass) during those sprints.
Toby the Trucker
Thanks to Rubber Soul Bicycles in Fresno for setting me with this Surly Disc Trucker for my cross-country trek. It’ll be a different looking bike in a few weeks—racks, panniers, fenders and lights are all being researched and ordered.
ARN → SFO
My time abroad is coming to an end. The Sustainable Cities of Northern Europe (SCONE) program ended Saturday morning in Freiberg, Germany. That afternoon I traveled with my good friend Conrad via Porsche to his hometown, Kempten, in Bavaria. After one full day of rest and relaxation with Conrad and his friends and family, I flew to Stockholm this morning. Tonight I am staying at the apartment of my friend Joachim who I played tennis with when I was in Stockholm 4 weeks ago. Tomorrow morning I walk to the Central Station, bus to Arlanda Airport and fly back to San Francisco. Many more posts and pictures to come. The last two weeks of the trip were non-stop with tours, lectures, day trips, and paper-writing!
Freiburg
Arrived this afternoon! I haven’t explored much yet but the city and surrounding countryside is beautiful. The yellow building in the photos is the hostel I am staying at.
In Amsterdam
Safely arrived late last night after a 12 hour train ride from Odense. We are scheduled to do a bike tour of the city today but the rain may complicate things. More to come soon!
Odense, Denmark
I have safely arrived in the self-proclaimed biking capital of Denmark, Odense! The city is also the birthplace of Hans Christian Anderson. We had to fight the rain in Copenhagen this morning to get from the hostel to the train station. Everyone was soaked by the time we got to the station but luckily the train ride only took an hour and a half. Our accomodations here in Odense are the nicest we will have the entire trip. It is 3-star hotel which means only 2 people to a room and nice bathrooms! The hotel is a 5 minute walk from the train station and looks out on a beautiful park. The downtown area is right down the street. After unloading our stuff, Jeff led a walking tour of the city. We finished at a rundown and mostly abandoned harbor which was built in the late 1800s to ship grains harvested from farms surrounding the city. The city has been redeveloping the area for years so some apartment buildings have sprouted up but it is still very much a work in progress. There, we split into groups of 4 and explored the area. Tonight, each team will work on a design charrette of a potential redevelopment plan to be presented tomorrow. After presentations, the whole class is renting bikes to explore the cities extensive bicycle network.
Arrival
1 for 3
I haven’t had the chance to play tennis in Malmö and Copenhagen. That’s not to say courts don’t exist in Scandanavia. In Malmö, I staked out the courts my second day in the city and met Connie, a teaching pro at the local club. He offered to hit with me on Friday afternoon but it rained almost all day. We left for Copenhagen early the next morning. Here in Copenhagen, I found four complexes with at least 6 courts each within a 15 minute bike ride of the hostel. I finally had some free time this afternoon but it has been raining most of day, soaking the courts. We leave for Odense tomorrow morning. Maybe I’ll have better luck there!
Malmö
Homebase in Stockholm
In Stockholm, our homebase for the class was at the The Royal Institute for Art. The Institute was kind enough to give us access to a classroom for the whole week we were in Stockholm. We would have lectures in the classroom every morning from 9am-12pm, followed by tours and presentations around the city in the afternoon. The Institute is located on an island directly across the harbor from Old Town Stockholm.
