Germans are so fit!

This past weekend Beth, Jean and I went on a bike "adventure" with our host families. It was really fun and pretty since we went all over Duesseldorf, as well as along the river. We rode all the way to Kaiserwerth and saw the ruins of an old castle that the Nazis had used. It was weird to be standing in the places where I know the Nazis once stood. We also went to the Duesseldorf parade, which was fun but different from parades in the U.S. There was a "flower holder" from each village who walked in front and carried a huge bouquet of flowers over his head. Also, everyone was dressed in typical "old German" clothing. It was cool to see. We all learned a valuable lesson from our bike ride - Germans are MUCH fitter than Americans. Margo, Jean's host mother, almost killed us after our 8 hour trip (at least 4 of it was actually on the bikes). Plus, I don't think she was tired at all when we finally got home! Beth, Jean and I went to bed early that night, weary that she might want to go on a "night ride" too!