I haven't been on my bike for 11 days. It's been cold and we have had plenty of snowy days, as well. My new year's resolution was to not ride my bike in the cold and I am sticking to it. Not a hard resolution to keep since it isn't that much fun to ride when it's freezing cold. I'll feel comfortable when the temperature gets up past 40°F - at least.

But I have been walking every day that I don't ride. This is a brief summary in pictures of the past week or so.

Tomorrow is the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere, good weather is sure to come. Our weather forecast said so, too, and I hope I will soon be posting pictures of spring blossoms and bicycles.

First the good news - Janos got an appointment for his Covid-19 vaccination! After so much waiting and feeling so discouraged that we have heard absolutely nothing, he received an e-mail informing him that he could come on the following day at 2 p.m. and that he will be vaccinated with the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine. His follow up shot will be two weeks later. Couldn't be better.

The bad good news - At the Vaccine Center he was told that the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine hadn't been delivered but he could be vaccinated with AstraZeneca. Furthermore his second shot was scheduled for June, that's in three months. AstraZeneca has been making the headlines and has a bad image: Severe side effects, less effectiveness. Without much time to think about it, Janos decided rather AstraZeneca than no vaccine. But his first shot left us both with a feeling of dissatisfaction, not the relief we had expected. (But no side effects by the way)

We are left wondering why Germany has been so exceptionally incompetent and slow in procuring, distributing and implementing the vaccine which could save so many lives.

Now for the bad news - For a long time I have been wondering why I struggle so to catch my breath when I hike, or even just take a walk. It has made walking unpleasant while at the same time I realized I needed the exercise in addition to riding my bike, where I don't get noticeably out of breath.  At long last I made an appointment with a pulmonologist. After extensive testing the diagnosis was exercise-induced asthma, a constriction of the airways in the lungs triggered by exercise. I don't wheeze, I don't cough and I don't get asthma attacks, I just don't get enough oxygen. No wonder walking has been such an effort.

The good bad news is it was a great relief to have a name for the condition and better yet a treatment. Asthma inhalers are effective. Already on the first day using the inhaler I noticed a huge difference and the full effectiveness of the medication should develop over three or four weeks.

Again I left the bike in the garage and set out on foot. It was a shorter walk today, just down to the Reismühle and back with Janos. A few drops of rain, gusty wind but warm with the temperature around 14° C.

Just another walk - it's not cold but it's not that nice either. I flipped a figurative coin whether to get on my bike or take a walk. Why the coin said walk I don't know.

It was a longer than usual out-and-back walk along the Würm starting in the park at Schloss Fußberg.

On a late afternoon walk in the drab countryside of mostly brown and green, I had my eyes open for some color - and found it.

Several Celtic entrenchments are to be found in southern Germany, one of the largest is only a few kilometers from where we live - but we always rode by and never bothered to stop and have a look. As far as I knew it was not much more than a mound of earth and grass and nothing much else to see. But today we stopped. It is a mound of earth, but a big one.

One side of the square is 110 - 120 meters long. Here is a translation of the information:

"No statues there," I was told by a walker who had also stopped to read the information plaque. We got on our bikes and continued our ride.

The rest of the ride was on some forest paths that we hadn't ridden before and then finishing the loop through Buchendorf to home.

In the times of Corona bicycles are becoming more popular as a means of transportation and there are calls for better bicycle infrastructure. For example, the mayor of Paris has announced plans to make the streets of Paris 100 per cent cycle friendly by 2024. Rome is following Paris's example, promising 150 km of streets safe for cyclists. But not just the metropoles are initiating changes. Cyclists in mall towns like Gauting want more space and safety.

Last Sunday in Gauting, local environmental organizations and bicycle clubs joined to make their cause known. I'm not sure how many participated, perhaps 50 or 60. To call attention to the need for more room on the road for bikes, the participants attached a pool noodle to their bike rack. The pool noodle extended about 1.5 meters, the distance motorized traffic should allow when passing a cyclist.

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the procession as we got underway. It was an impressive sight with all those colorful pool noodles.

However, many were not impressed at all. This is what happened to what I thought would be a good way to raise awareness to the needs of cyclists. Drivers in cars didn't know what in the hell we were doing, we were in their way which made them aggressive and probably increased their antagonism. Those who understood and were tolerant, didn't need to be reminded to keep a safe distance. Although the demonstration was registered, unfortunately we weren't given a police escort - it would have helped us to look more legitimate. To make matters worse, some of the participants, riding two abreast, weren't adhering to traffic regulations. Eventually, the police did come because there were complaints. But by that time I had left the group and gone my own way.

I appreciate the good intentions of those demonstrating and am 100% for better bicycle infrastructure, but I am very skeptical as to the effectiveness of Gauting's pool noodle parade.

 I was surprised to get a call from the bike shop on Monday, exactly one week after I brought them my bike for repairs, telling me I could pick up my trusty steed, it was ready. Wow, I had already resigned myself to a longer wait and more walking.

Now that I am again mobile on two wheels, I don't know how consistent I will be about getting enough walking exercise. So far I haven't found the time - excuses, excuses. But I did sign up at the gym and will work out twice weekly.

Missing seven days on my bike, I won't meet my July goal of 800 km for my 80th birthday. I have been out on my bike daily since I got it back but I doubt if I will even match last month's total.  My most modest goal is 3,000 km on the new bike, the second modest goal is 700 km for the month.

Happy to be out on my bike with Janos.

I almost always prefer riding a bike to walking because, well, it's easier and faster. But now that I am temporarily without a bike I am walking for exercise and to get my errands done. This has made me very aware that all forms of exercise use different groups of muscles and how important cross-training is. Am I ever stiff from our short hikes the past three days! I guess that is the silver lining to the dark cloud of not having my bike for a while - I see that I must diversify. I might even try to find a gym again. As long as we lived in Munich I worked out regularly.

Janos and I wander to the Würm, to Park Schlossberg, in the woods, and always with our cameras. Since the beginning of lockdown we see many brightly painted stones with positive messages lining the paths in the parks, something to put a smile on your face. It seems this international trend has to come to Gauting and Park Schloss Fussberg.

I didn't write about days 1, 2, 3 and 4 - I was sure I would have my bike back by today. Nope, the bike hasn't been repaired yet.

My e-bike is a nice bike when it is working properly. Unfortunately, it has been giving me trouble. The e-support often, but not always, quit on hills. That is when it was noticeable anyway. The last time I rode, on my 80th birthday, it quit altogether. I was able to ride home but I was glad I didn't have any hills to pedal on the heavy bike with no real granny gears. Today is Friday and the bike shop has had my bicycle since Monday and they haven't been able to promise that they will get around to it soon.

So instead of cycling, Janos and I have been walking. We're not used to that. But I suppose it is good to be reminded that walking is exercise and we are one-sided only riding our bikes. Obviously, I have no more daily bike pictures. But I do have pictures from our walks.

Here are some pictures from our walk along the Würm.