40km ≈ 25 mi.

Why is the United States the only country in the world who doesn't use the metric system? Okay, apparently Myanmar and Liberia use it too, so I can't say only. But while we have to memorize random measurements for conversion purposes, all everyone else has to do is move a decimal point.

Anyway, this weekend, I did something completely out of the ordinary. I had an extreme case of wanderlust. I had a need to explore. I had a need to reconnect with something, accomplish something concrete. I wanted to feel wind in my hair, blood rush through my veins. And what better way to do all of those things than take a 40 km bike trek through the French countryside along the Loire?

Sometimes the road was level, smooth and steady. Sometimes it went downhill, exhilarating. But sometimes it went uphill, tiring. The first couple of times, I switched gears and ground my way through it. Later on, I had to get off my bike and walk with it uphill. To say that the bike ride was a life metaphor would be way too cliche. So I'm not going to write it. But I will admit that I thought it. I thought it when I passed picturesque scenes of provincial French life. If I focused too intensely on the ride itself, getting through it, fiddling with the gears, trying to keep up with the others, etc., I would miss the beauty around me. When we finally reached our destination, I had a sense of accomplishment, and the beauty of the castle of Chenonceau and the surrounding gardens were all well worth the ride.

I was going to make a slideshow, but I realized I could just post a link here, and all interested readers could see the photo album I already created.

There are a few sort of depressing things I was thinking about expressing, but I'm kind of reluctant to because I don't want to ruin my little triumphant bike ride story. I'll just say this: It's cold again, and I want to die. Can the weather here PLEASE make up its mind? Just the other weekend, I got a nice toasty glow out by the beach. Last week, I browned my legs in the sun while doing homework to the tune of children's laughter in the park right behind the Institut. But today I walked outside and just wanted to turn right back around and crawl back into bed. And it's supposed to be this way for the rest of the week. C'est pas possible. I was complaining to my host mom about how I had just gotten used to the nice weather and now it's like this again. She was all like, "Well, that's how it is in May. The weather had been too nice." Really, Madame? God, You know how I am with weather. Thistooshallpass. Thistooshallpass.