My bike

Whew. Now that the initial excitement is over for the bike, I think I can talk about it a little bit:).  Yesterday after we returned home from Ikea (which is in fact, not a town, but a store--for those confused), I was going to rest a little. I checked my email and realized I had an email from the bike shop, stating my bike was in. I jumped up so quickly, told Dan to get his shoes on, and we were out the door! When we got to the bike shop, I saw my bike in all of its beautiful glory. The smooth, brown leather seat and handlebars; the dull matte finish; and most importantly, the spot on the front where my little basket was going to go. We had to return home empty-handed while they mounted the rack on the front and moved my light down(yep, I have a headlight on my bike. It's mandatory here). An hour and a half later we were returning to the shop to pick up my bike!!! 

It is so much fun to ride and it opens up a whole new world. We didn't ride around long last night, just long enough to get a video and some pictures because our hands were freezing.  

This morning, we headed out to church on our bikes. Biking is funny because you get cold as you are biking but when you get to your destination you are sweaty and hot. After church, we headed out on an exploration to find Dan's work. This took us around the outer edge of Leiden and past the Leiden zoo. The "zoo" is really nothing more than a slightly exaggerated petting zoo. It included some sheep, 2 donkeys, some goats, and some freaky looking geese. It was pretty unimpressive. But I do love animals so we had a good time anyways sticking our hands through the fence and petting them. We completed our trip around the city and by the time we reached home, my legs were about frozen. But I do love riding the bike and I think it will transform my life here in Leiden!