Skulptur Projekte Münster

I just got done spending a whole day biking around Münster looking at all of the sculpture scattered around various parts of the city center. I was impressed by some, confused by others, and simply couldn't find a few despite maps. I arrived into town late last night and meet up with Annabell whom I'm couchsurfing with. She and her housemates all study here in town and it's been fun hearing about their experiences. She studies biology here and was able to slip me into her lab this afternoon to show me what she's working on. Later on tonight a few of us are going to all go out and share a couple of beers before i go to sleep and head off again tomorrow morning. I don't think there's been a single day without rain here since I started my bike trip - what luck. I'm hoping by the time I arrive in Amsterdam whatever storm has been tormenting me will have dissipated or moved on to annoy some other pour soul. Forecasts say tomorrow will have heavy showers. Tomorrow will also be my last day in Germany as I expect to cross the border into the Netherlands at around 3 or 4.

Münster above all is a college town it seems, with students constantly bustling around every corner and conversing in every nook. Perhaps the most exciting thing about the nature of the city is the way bikes seem to be what brings life to the streets. There are more people biking than there are driving or walking, and if you stop in the wrong place you'll be sure to hear the ringing of bicycle bells warning you to move out of the way. It's as if a critical mass has been spread out and expanded over the entire city, and everyone just considers it a normal part of everyday life. There are tangled jungles of bikes of all kinds in the bike parking structures which are found on the main streets and yards, and few people seem to worry about even locking them up.

I found out my cousin from Scotland will be doing a bicycle trip of his own in France later this month. It would be neat to try and meet up and talk. A few years back he visited us in California, but that was a while ago and it would be fun to see how we've both changed. I'll cross my fingers and hope our schedules line up in one way or another. Anyone at home following the Tour de France? I'm getting more excited by the day that I'll get to see a couple days of the race in person. Hope all things are well, adios.
-i

I uploaded more photos to the Berlin bike set which can found here (mostly photos from Münster and Documenta): http://www.flickr.com/photos/30541750@N00/sets/72157600572299665/