backaches from backpacks

my back hurts. i have had to carry my backpack/laptop while biking to campus the last few days and it is painful. i think i won't have to carry the laptop too often though.

generally, however, i like biking everywhere. this is a great city to bike in. the weather has been beautiful too. i was prepared for lots of german rain. i guess biking wouldn't be so fun in the rain. my mom emailed me: sara was in a bike accident. she's ok, but might have to have elbow surgery. her bike trip is in 6.5 weeks and without surgery her elbow will heal in 6-8, so the whole trip is up in the air now. sucks. my mom said to wear a helmet.

there is lots of cheese here. they must have known i was coming.

also, delicious ice cream cone today for 0.80 euro.

i don't like traveling expensively. it is not fair. why is the dollar sucking so hardcore? i am very bitter about it. the students are sympathetic and we went to the grocery store today, so christina and i can pack our lunches, and there is always a nice big breakfast in the morning, and now we are going to start cooking for dinner as well. still, it's expensive, and my god, i can't imagine our upcoming month of travel. i wanted to have $2000 left by then. likely i will not, and even if i do, that won't go too far either.

we are going to vienna thursday-friday and i think maybe munich right after. also, i have to try to get to nuremberg, because it's where my parents lived and it's quite close by. our friend/compatriot eva is from nuremberg so we'll probably get there. it's amazing to me how much everyone here hops around from country to country. joel's sister just visited from switzerland, we're going to vienna, leo may come to italy with us to visit a friend, and so on. these are poor college students and they travel all the time, it's just normal. i wish it was like that at home.

so far i have only added a france stamp to my passport. stupid germans.