Cape cod

so... we went to cape cod on wednesday. a popular weekend and holiday destination... yet we have been there only once before, during off season. very off season even; on thanksgiving day in 2010. it was totally deserted, but beautiful and i really enjoyed driving around there. but how different it was this time! so very green, but also rather crowded.... we brought the bikes too since we already had seen that there was a lot of paid parking, especially for beach parking (and something like 20 dollars a day again). haha, actually that was not the only reason, it was also an opportunity to bike again somewhere else than inside the gym. there were quite some people biking, too, so that made me (a little) less afraid (but i still miss separate bike lanes like in the netherlands!!!). it was nice to see that with a some biking we spared 20 dollars to park at this beach. it was soooooo very hot, and the water looked so inviting... thus, after a complicated session to put on my bikini in public (while tim was making fun of me), it was time to test the water... ugh. so very cold! and this time it was not cold like in the cold that you just have to persuade yourself to get into the water entirely, because then it actually is not cold at all. no, it remained freaking cold! but.... when out of the water it felt so good that i wanted to subject myself to the ridiculous cold again... which we did, a few times.... until it was time to get onto the bike again....

(so, i did it!! my third year in boston, and i finally got into the ocean....)

Wonderful 4th!

yesterday was the 4th of july, a federal holiday in the us since it was the day, back in 1776, when they became independent from the kingdom of great britain by adopting the declaration of independence. there are parades, and generally people spend this day outside having a bbq and watch the fireworks in the evening. this was our third independence day in the us, and (some) things have started to become "normal". sort of. i really wanted to see it all in year 1, and last year as well, but this year... naahh...hmmm.. its so crowded, the fireworks start soooo late, then you have to wait forever to get into the subway to get home, and and and... besides, tim said he wasnt interested at all in watching "those boring fireworks with all those millions of people again". we thus decided to go somewhere and to just enjoy the weather. 

the day started out with quite some rain, but when we left it was getting hot and humid again. not even halfway, i thought it would be fun to leave the highway and drive a bit on the backroads... that was fun, for the first few minutes... until we suddenly became the very last car of the 4th of july parade, as you can see above!! not that anyone was interested in us (i did dress appropriately in red, white and blue!); everyone (as usual) was leaving as soon as the last of the real parade had passed by.... and there we were, driving very, very slowly... eventually we got out and back to the highway again... :) tomorrow i show you where we went!