Early Autumn Sun

The past two days have been sunny and warm in Pforzheim. Just in time for the good weather, the flu that had been sneaking up on me for days hit with a vengence. It came, however, at a convenient time, Sharlie and Jonas were both scheduled to work long days.

Though I shivered under the covers and didn't want to leave my bed, I refused to waste the beautiful farewell of summer. On Tuesday I wandered the city, hunting down churches and strolling through parks. At the City Park I read on a bench with a fountain in front of me and the river behind. An old man hobbled over to my bench with his cane and asked if he could sit. He spoke English, having lived in Canada himself for two years, and for half an hour told me about his wife, long dead for 14 years, whose photo he carries in his wallet and wedding ring he wears on a gold chain around his neck.

Wednesday I went to the market and bought vegetables for stir-fry dinner and enough apples to bake a pie. I met Shar at work where she gave me the key to her bike parked on the street. I put my market purchases in the basket on the back and biked as far along the river as I could until I reached a village. The bike ride was perfect. River and canopy trees on one side, the hillside dotted with red roofed homes on the other. Occasionally I would pass an ancient ruin, now with benches and flowers added to make the ruin a part of the park. Still ill, I lacked the energy to bike the full 16 km loop I realized I was on, so I parked in the sun beside the river and finished my book.