Donnerstag in the City

Tomorrow is another German exam day, so I am going to try to keep this snappy in order to get back to studying vocab and grammar rules, and try to get to bed early! 

It was another lovely day in Vienna! The sun was shining, and the temperature was de-light-ful! Due to the fun I had biking yesterday, I decided to take advantage of the good weather and try out the city bike system. The city bike system here is great! After registering for an account, one can check out a bike from any of the stations (they are everywhere!) and return them to any station. The first hour of every ride is free, then the subsequent hours are 1€ each. It is a super efficient way to get around the city, and it is a bike friendly city! Around the ring there are bike paths and bike specific crossings, and the drivers are generally very gracious! However, riding in the city with car traffic and narrow shoulders in some areas was a little nerve wracking. 

We have a city bike station about four blocks from our apartment in the direction of IES. So I checked out a bike, and started riding the route that I would generally travel on the tram. A couple of intersections were a little confusing, but I managed without making anybody too angry. :) Going back was a little more exhilarating. A combination of riding slightly uphill the whole way back on a single speed and not nervousness that the tram would have to pass me with the barrow shoulder, lead to a pretty decent cardiovascular exercise! In the end, I beat the tram, and got home faster than I would have normally! I was pretty excited about that, and still hyped on my nerves when I got home. I definitely plan on using the city bikes again! 

This evening I discovered that my land lady is in an alternative pop band. She is probably thirty years older than the other three singers (how did they find each other??), and yes, it's three singers backed by recording that is played on a boom box. They write all their own material. Needless to say, we spent a good hour watching YouTube recordings of her band, laughing and singing along. (The sings are very repetitive.) I had no idea she was that eccentric! It was a great evening of bonding and de-stressing about the exam tomorrow. 

On that note, I will bring this post to a close. Good night to all, and to all a good night.