It's like riding a bike.

I am a loaded weapon. I nearly killed at least four people today, and somehow I think death by biker would be a disturbing way to go.

I haven’t been on a bike in what seems like a decade, and, unfortunately, the old saying ‘it’s like riding a bike” only kicks in after you’ve been back on it for a bit. So let’s just say the first hour or so of my 5-hour bike tour today (Fat Tire Bike Tours) was a dangerous one.

Every inch of my body is now exhausted from biking 20 kilometers through the city, dodging Berliners at every turn, photographing those who don’t seem to care much about PDA, hiking down slippery streets in a poncho, and getting flipped off by homeless people who don’t want their pictures taken.

I even got to experience a carnival  in a foreign country although I couldn’t be talked into riding anything (it was all so expensive and I can’t say that I totally trusted that it was built to my satisfaction). But after a few too many pictures of the Tilt-A-Whirl, the bottom dropped out of the sky and we all were in a frenzy trying to protect our precious cameras. Since I was equipped with both a poncho and an umbrella, I sacrificed the umbrella to one of my fellow group members so he could save his camera from drowning in the torrential downpour.

Now, after a filling dinner down the street of sushi, I am lounging in what my roommates and I have deemed our “lofty apartment” and trying to muster enough energy to get up and shower away the day. Tomorrow is a walking tour, so even if my muscles recover tonight, it is more than likely that I will be in the same situation tomorrow night. Cross your fingers for me won’t you…?