It seemed as though Iwan and I were missing a lot of trains. I'm sure if he were alone, he'd be prompt and ready to be on whatever train he needs to take. It was probably me who could not get myself together to leave on time. Could I blame my California-ness? Back home, we are always late to functions and everyone seems to be fine with it.
We had already missed the train that came around six so we ran to catch the one that came at a quarter after. We sadly missed that one too. There was another one at the half and nothing would prevent us from getting on that one. Such an ordeal it seemed for something as easy as taking a train. I could not help but feel bad that I was lagging. Nonetheless, we got on and were finally on our way to Sara's house, an old friend of Iwan's.
Sara and Iwan have been friends since high school. She is a midwife now and lives in a charming house with her sisters. This particular weekend, she invited Iwan and I for dinner and also suggested that I stay in Biel for the weekend. She would take me around the beautiful lake and show me the nitty-gritties of her town.
Iwan and I rushed over to her house only to find out that another friend, Jans, was already running late. Everything turned out ok. Domi, Sara's boyfriend and Pädu, another mutual high school friend, had already arrived and were waiting. Sara began to bring out the most delicious of breads, pasta salads, and couscous, which I absolutely favored over the meats that we were being grilled. She is an exquisite cook. Domi started the barbeque and I acquainted myself with Pädu. Jans arrived a bit later and we all enjoyed dinner out in the backyard.
The next morning, Sara and I had breakfast and then biked to the station to meet Hoschi, another friend of Iwan and Sara. We were going to ride around Lake Biel and hopefully better my swimming abilities. We began along the vineyards and Sara showed me her favorites waterfront houses. Along the way, there was a quaint village-town that we stopped at and Sara and I took pictures. We continued and after about an hour took a dip in the lake to cool off.
Back on the trail we went and rode until lunch time. There was a small post that served hamburgers and hotdogs and we decided we were all too hungry to wait for a better restaurant. We sat down, got our food, and then became spectators of a comical scene involving four senior citizens. There were docks near our table and the steerer decided that he would park the boat there. It seemed that they were going to get some drinks and relax before continuing their adventure. Unfortunately, they had no sense of balance and one of them fell straight into the water. We tried so hard not to laugh. The waiter came out to help but now they were all terrified of falling. When it was time for them to leave, they looked paranoid and frightened. It took them a very long time for all four of them to board.
Although Lake Biel is the smallest of three lakes in this area called the Seeland, it is still very large and significant. The waters in Switzerland are also pristine - one can drink from just about any body of water and not run the risk of dying. It was in this lake that my right foot was sliced by the sharp rocks near the shore. I left a bit of genetic material in that lake. The bike ride took us about six hours and it was one of the nicest experiences I had. Moreover, on the side opposite of the vineyards are cherry farms. And as we neared the end of the Lake Biel tour, we purchased a bunch of cherries and enjoyed them as we rode towards the city.
0 comments:
Post a Comment