Bikes and Brews

I started the day trying to ride Jan’s extra winter bike, the chain completely frozen and rusted from winter road ice, and I immediately fell over the bike because the chain did not move. Result: Two bandaids on my left forearm and two holes in my shirt from tears.%¤#”! Stupid. Switch bikes.Swedish homes seem to have multiple bikes, many from the grandparents’ days.  Head out on a 30 minute ride with Jan to Sodermalm with a defective helmet, the plastic sun visor is broken. It has three positions – up , normal, tilting (visor down, ready to meet your opponent). Things get better. Reach his brew club operation in the basement of an apartment block in Sodermalm. Drink lots. Then down to an awesome viewpoint across the water to Gamla Stan and city hall. Riding on the round cobblestones, not the flat rectangle ones, maybe 200 years old, very

bumpy, visor in tilting position, won’t stay up. I feel very medieval.Then to Oliver Twist pub near Mariatorget, Jan’s favorite pub because of great brew selection. Find SIX North Coast Brewery (Fort Bragg CA) brews on tap – and I had worried about not bringing North Coast brews in my bag from USA to Jan – ridiculous that I have found a pub in Sweden that has THE BEST selection of North Coast Brewery brews. So I insist on drinking Swedish microbrewery with the tower of North Coast Brewery taps staring me in the face. Food – Johnsons’s Frestelle – VERY Swedish, stayed away from the chicken wings on the menu. Back on bikes. Find the Carib bar on the water where we celebrated Eva Lotta’s birthday. Another pint. Life is good…except for the 30 minute ride back to the house. Fell over trying to unlock my bike. Survive ride back to Jan’s house. HAH! Promise Gigi an ‘anything you want’ day.

Great day

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