The Five Cycling Senses - Taste

In a way I covered Taste in an earlier post about Eating and Drinking on Your Bike. All manner of snacks or beverages can be enjoyed while cycling through the urban landscape. Nothing like sipping a hot coffee on your way to work or crunching your way through an apple in the afternoon. So apart from this addition - a very important aspect of life in Copenhagen... beer:

... I'll get all philosophical on your asses.

Felix, in the photo at the top, is tasting snowflakes while cyclists plow through the snow behind him. Which made me think... can we taste the weather on our bicycles?


On a below zero morning, the cold winter air catches in our throats and chills our lungs. I love it. Getting to the throat and the lungs, the air has to pass the tongue. I am quite convinced that I can taste the cold air - crisp and sweet all at once.


And what of the morning light? Does it not possess a taste all it's own? I don't think I can HEAR the light, but tasting it... oh yes. What does it taste like to you? A peach? A freshly baked roll from the oven?


Or the low, melancholy light of evening, for that matter?


I was reminded of one sure taste experience. Riding home from the beach on a hot summer's day you may catch yourself licking your lips and tasting the salt of the sea after a swim.


And the sweetest taste of all. A kiss. Can't forget that one.

Taste is a tricky one. Feel free to contribute your thoughts in the Comments section.

Copenhagen Dreaming

Here's today's humble offerings from the bike culture of Copenhagen.

Balancing act on the median in classic Copenhagen cycling wear.


Reducing urban cycling to dreamlike forms and moods on the City Hall Square.


We're trying to jinx winter by posting this shot from a couple of months back. Springtime is here and let's move on. No more snow. Please. It's time for bare legs and skirts.


Wifealiciousness and I were trying out the new Mobiky Genius in the backyard. A cool folding bike that rides like a dream. It also is an interesting addition to our interior design concept:


Here's wishing everyone a lovely weekend.

Red Ride in Hood

Red Ride in Hood, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Geddit?
You can't see the snow in the above shot but...

Here's the Boy Wonder on the pavement, with cyclists riding past.

I'm sure there is a statistic fall in the number of cyclists on the bike lanes in Copenhagen when it snowstorms, but there were still loads and loads of bikes heading home in the evening.

A little snow doesn't stop very many people. The snowstorm was sudden and unexpected so our bike lane snowploughs weren't out yet, but all you have to do is ride straight, anyway, which is easy even in the snow. You just slow down and take it easy when turning and approaching intersections, but there really isn't any good excuse for not riding.

The Boy went to bed with fingers crossed for snow enough to go sledding tomorrow.

Winter's Last Gasp

First a fierce sleetstorm two days ago and then a sudden snowstorm. All after a tame, dull winter. The point is that people just get on with it, on their bikes, muscling their way through the weather. It always impresses me. Click on the photos to see them larger on Flickr.



While we're on snowstorms, I find it fascinating that this photo:

features on the cover of a brochure for Adult Education courses [Italian for Beginners, Learn to Knit, etc]. My friend Marie included this observation in her thesis about Danish bike culture.

There are few countries where a photo of a female cyclist struggling through a snowstorm would be used to sell a product.

The Winter That Never Was

We're probably speaking too quickly, but this winter hasn't seen any great amount of snow. It's warmer than ever, it hardly rains - how dreadfully uneventful. There's nothing like a dump of 50cm of snow to put our cyclists to the test. It may still fall, but until then we'll glance back at some wintry photos from last year.

Brunette in the process of overtaking blonde on the upwards climb to the middle of the bridge over the harbour. On a stormy, sleety day. Fortunately the slush spit up by the cars didn't make over onto the bike lane.

One of the many ways to wait at a light. The Copenhagen Straddle. Feet firmly on the ground. Looking solid, grounded and at one with one's self.

The light is green but when 50-60 bikes are in front of you, waiting to continue on, you don't get to move right away. And remember... you don't need fancy gear in the winter... just be your old stylish self.