Fahrrad ist gut*
Guten tag! This time last week I was skiing in the German Alps, on the glacier at Garmisch, Germany's highest point at about 9,000' elevation. The weather was unseasonably warm (hello, global warming?) and beautiful -- a little too warm for great skiing.
The ancient town of Garmisch -- about 1100 years old! -- is charming. We especially enjoyed the pedestrian mall in the town center. And I really got a kick out of all the bikes! So many people were getting around on bikes! Old, young, families, you name it.
This top photo is of a typical commuter bike, with a basket behind the seat. Just about everyone had such a basket -- easily snaps into the rear rack. I have a similar basket myself, so I was feeling very smug. This bike is parked right outside a grocery store -- the shoppers load their items directly from their shopping carts into their bike baskets. The stores there don't provide free bags, as we do here. :-)
The other thing I wanted to share is this photo that I took right outside a local bike 
shop. Have you figured out what it is? I thought this was so clever! It's a 24/7 vending machine for bike tire innertubes! How great is that?! The stores there all close at 6 p.m., so this type of extended availability is such a great idea.
*Hopefully, this says something like, "bicycle is good"!
Diana Sun is Director of Communications for Arlington County, a walking commuter, a new bicylist, and a happy resident of the urban village of Clarendon.
