Day 212
Tuesday, May 3, 2022:
Julia came by this morning to pick Tobias and I up and drive us to Hamburg so we could check on the eBay offer Tobias found for the used touring bicycle last night. Driving is certainly more convenient than using public transport, and even with high fuel prices right now, still far cheaper. Nevertheless, Julia's driving terrified me. Sure, we're on the German Autobahn where there (probably) is no speed limit. And sure, driver education actually means something in Germany relative to the US. But does that justify 185 km/hr and steep breaking when cars switch lanes in front of us? I'm going to have to say no. It reminds me of Jina's notorious driving to Santa Maria back in my freshman year of college. Simply put, I'd much rather have just spent the money for train tickets.
When we arrived at the house in Hamburg Harburg, Tobias could see the touring bike through a window, but also that all the lights were off and the house was quiet. We knocked, but got no response. A few minutes later, a startled guy staggered out, rubbing his eyes. Evidently, he'd slept in. His German wasn’t very good, so we switched over to English at his request. Tobias’ first impression of the bike is that it wasn't very big. He's a tall guy, a free inches taller than me, so obviously the seat and handlebars needed to be adjusted. Even so, it just felt too small for him, so we turned it down and returned to Lüneburg. The return drive was a bit slower after I expressed my anxiety at how reckless Julia was driving.
In Lüneburg, Tobias went to two more bike shops. First, we stopped at Bike Park in the southwest of the town. Tobias looked at a few very expensive bikes before finding one that felt really good to me at around 430€. Still, he wanted to compare it to the bike he saw yesterday for 650€. Predictably, he felt more comfortable on the more expensive bike. I actually thought the 430€ one was best, since it felt right, had simple components (that I know how to fix), and would be cheap too take in for repairs. The more expensive bike may have ‘better’ systems - like disc brakes for example - but are they worth the extra money? My philosophy is to go for cheap components that you're familiar with, because you can fix them pretty much anywhere and you can use them until they fail. But it isn't my money. And it actually isn't Tobias’ either, since he's convinced his parents/oma to pay for it for him.
So Tobias got the 650€ bike, along with a nice set of bike panniers and a helmet that Julia and I convinced him to purchase. Julia said she's a cautious person by nature, so she wanted to make sure Tobias did the smart thing getting the helmet. I appreciated get help convincing him, but can't square her claim of cautiousness with her driving, which is anything but. The salesman in the shop was very helpful in getting the fit of the helmet right. Tobias also got a few other pieces of equipment, like a water bottle holder, a spare inner tube, patches, a hand pump, multitool, and tire levers. With the tent, sleeping bag, and clothing that he's bringing, he’ll probably completely fill his panniers. I think my best argument to get him to wear his helmet is that since all his bags are full, what better place to put the helmet than on your head? Dumbass.
It's a good thing he has all the equipment be needs for the trip now, but he still needs to learn how to use it. That's what tomorrow is for. He'll need to set up the tent, choose which of the two sleeping bags Julia have him that he wants to bring, eliminate unnecessary clothing, get everything packed, maybe change a tire, and go for a test ride with all of the equipment.
After going to the bike shops, Julia invited the two of us out to a late lunch at a burger bar. I really should have gotten the sweet potato fries with my burger, but didn't see the option on the menu. However, the rhubarb-rosemary shrub I got was great.
After the meal, we returned to Tobias’ apartment to play a few rounds of Coup. I wanted to get outside on such a lovely day though, so I took off for a spot Tiffany had recommended the other day: the Lüneburger Schiffshebewerk. Tobias felt quite tired after a long day of shopping, so didn't come along. I also suspect he may have been more interested in doing something else.
The Lüneburger Schiffshebewerk is a gigantic free-standing lock on the Elbe-canal. Its immense concrete towers are home to what is effectively a giant elevator for ships. I remember having seen this place back in 2016 from a Flixbus on its way to Copenhagen, but forgot it was here. It was so worth coming back to get a closet look. There's even a small observation deck that you can see it better from. Anyhow, I was lucky to show up while a ship was in the lock, so I got to watch the process.
The forest paths around the Shiffshebewerk are also quite nice.
Tobias called me, saying he was ready to go to the park for some aerobie. I had to cycle back from the Shiffshebewerk, which would take me about an hour, but I told them they could stay playing while they walked for me to get back. I was quicker than I expected though, and got in around 45 minutes. I ended up sitting on a bench in the Kurpark waiting for them.
When they finally did show up, we had a great time playing aerobie. This time, there wasn't a pond it could accidentally get lost in, so Tobias and I practiced exceptionally long shots across the field with impressive accuracy. Emboldened by our success, some of the throws got higher and loopier, and much like Icarus flying too close to the sun, that was our downfall: the aerobie got suck absurdly high in a tree, maybe 50ft up. I suppose downfall is the wrong word, since we spent the next hour throwing sticks and stones at it to try to dislodge it and get it to fall back down. I had to repeatedly tell Tobias not to throw when I was under the tree retrieving my sticks. I know he doesn't want to hurt me, but the lack of awareness was startling. Near to giving up and with failing morale, Tobias suggested we just go home and buy another ring. I said I'd come back tomorrow to keep trying if we didn't get it down, and suggested instead that we keep trying until 21:20. And with perseverance came success. Hilariously, dislodging it from the branch it was caught on made it fall ... right into another branch. But it was lower, and therefore easier to hit. And after it got loose again, it got stuck on a third twig. But the last one just took two minutes. We threw a few more, much more cautious passes, then called it a night in the failing light. It was getting too dark to see the aerobie whizzing straight for your face.
Back at home, I sat back on the couch while Tobias and Julia prepared another round of cheese fondue. There were too many cooks in the kitchen for me to help, but I did the stirring. Tobias lazily only cut the cheese into big blocks which took a long time to melt, but it still worked out in the end. He didn't add as much garlic, claiming to be a “cheese purist,” but I was glad that this time he used Alpenzeller as I had recommended yesterday. Mama will be very pissed with me, since we still didn't use Kirschwasser. This time, there was better bread, and more of it, so we went ham and gobbled down literally all of it.
After dinner, Julia stayed to play more Coup and one round of Bohnanza. Tobias didn't like that I preferred making trades with Julia, but that's because his proposed trades were outrageously one-sided. He still won by a point though. 22:21:20. I have such good memories of the game from home, but I didn't have as much fun playing with him. Alas. Maybe we'll stick to Coup.
At last, I called it a night, and made my bed. Tobias asked me to load the dishwasher, and I was happy to help, but so, so tired. I got it done with quickly so I could get the rest I needed. Tomorrow will be an important day to sort out equipment. I'm itching to go.
