transposable element

i think i was 11 when i learned how to bike. but even then, i never rode farther than a kilometer or so. my mates taught me and i did, just for the sake f being able to say that i can. thereafter, i can’t remember the last time i went biking. definitely not in the last 15 years. so even when people say that riding a bike is something you never forget, i’m not really sure whether i can get that two-wheel implement running again without putting my life in jeopardy.

until prerow, that is. see, biking is the only way to get around in prerow. there are virtually no free parking areas, not even when you want to go to the beach. bringing a car along is just an expensive inconvenience. so when, during the first day, our landlady for the holiday apartment arranged for rental bikes for us, i simply said i needed one with a low saddle, hoping against hope that that old adage about never forgetting how to bike was true.

the first day was comical. it was like hauling a memory from the deepest recesses.starting has been a complicated issue of achieveing coordination and maintaining balance. at the end of the day, i felt pain in muscles that i didn’t even realise were there. the second day was worse; everyone wanted to see the west beach, which meant a four km bike… one-way! i barely managed the last 500 meters on the way back. i have seriously considered walking instead, and would probably had, had i been alone. it didn’t help that some tracks were like these on the photo above (photo taken by jan, and it wasn’t even a digital camera!). uneven slabs of concrete make up to a bouncy ride and a sore bum. these roads were probably one of the last vestiges of the DDR regime. they were used by the coast guard and the military, not to keep foreigners out, they say, but mostly to keep unhappy citizens in.

but hah! onto the second week, and i was actually seeing the scenes passing by, instead of just concentrating on the five meters ahead of my front wheel. it was actually fun! and the see breeze added a refreshing bonus to the exhilarating triumph of being able to bike again! towards the end, when the breeze off the beach was too cold, i actually preferred to go biking in the woods and could manage 20 km without complaints.

so it’s true. it’s probably like sex after giving birth. it may take some getting used to again, but you don’t really forget how it works.

for €5 per day, you can rent these strandkörbe (strand=beach, korb=basket. huh?!) to protect yourself from the wind. see, although it may be sunny, strong winds can make it feel colder, ergo not comfortable for basking in the sun.

or if you’re stingy and don’t want to part with your euros, you can bring your own wind-protection:

i know i’ve said that pics will be up next, but here’s something better: the august issue of PINOYexpats is up. be sure to read “in this issue” to find out what’s new. and if you think our efforts to reach out to pinoys all over the globe are worth a couple of clicks more, give us your vote of confidence at the philippine web awards, won’t you?

when people asked me where we were heading to for our holiday, they give back blank stares when i say, “in prerow.” thing is, the german coast along the east sea is a new destination for holiday merry-makers. until the last recently, the area is host to very few tourists, still being re-built after the german reunification. this is my first venture into the former east germany, and in prerow, i was disappointed to see that there’s not much indication of the gloomy past it had under the DDR control.

Image: http://www.prerow.de

so just where exactly is prerow? if you look at the map of northeast germany, prerow sits on the left tip of a triangular peninsula northeast of rostock. the fischland-darss-zingst region covers the coast along this peninsula and offers kilometers of wide sandy beaches.

why head to the east sea? because there, amidst other tourists, there’s still a lot of space, and it’s perfect for families with small children. i can let jan run around and never really lose sight of him. and unlike in the mediterranean and spanish islands during peak season, you don’t have to get down the beach at 7 am just to reserve a towel-sized space on the beach for you to lie on. however, unlike the place we have been in denmark last year, there are a lot more tourists in prerow. so much that the shops and supermarkets are even open during sundays (the only place i know in germany where even aldi is open on sundays!). the beach is more lively, but not crowded, and probably 80% of the houses in the whole city are holiday apartments!

what to do in prerow? aside from beaching, there are a lot of tracks and paved roads for biking, whether through the woods, along the marshlands, or along the beach. my parents-in-law went to prerow once just to do a biking tour of the area. one may also do some sightseeing while horseback riding (jan went pony-riding for the first time!), or comfortably –although wobbly– seated on a horse-drawn carriage. there’s also a tour along the “bodden” aboard a small cruiser ship. all in all, there’s not much except sightseeing to the nearby towns, and reveling at how different this part of germany is to the western, more inland regions. and that’s precisely what makes it special: there are a few activities, but not much, which guarantees for a totally relaxing holiday. a chance to let the stress of the daily grind dissipate, and spend langurous days without hectic and without even thinking of the time.

next entry: pictures!

after a 2-week pause, i am back, my fingers fluttering over the keyboard. unfortunately, other more urgent responsibilities have to be attended to (no, it’s not just the laundry, but that can’t be ignored, either!), so this personal blog will have to wait a bit more til i get things back to some semblance of order. my brain is also taking it’s sweet time shifting gears, and am still shaking myself off the holiday mode.

thanks to all who dropped by to take a peek. i’ve been internet- and phone-free for two weeks (ah, bliss!), so apologies for unanswered emails, calls and sms…

meanwhile… i’ve got a question for you holiday goers out there.