Day 12: All "geared" up for the day

Today, much like yesterday, was a day for rest before we enter our editing phase. Waking up with a sore throat is not a nice feeling at all, but when I saw the sun shining into my bedroom one thing came on my mind - bike ride! But not just a bike ride to anywhere. A bike ride to have a shower in the other dorms! I've been thinking that it must be quite difficult to get lost in a small town like Valmiera because you must always end up seeing a road that you recognise or a building you've been past hundreds of times before. I thought wrong.

The old railway bridge I crossed on my bike ride trail.

I felt so free riding through the beautiful forest, just listening to music and having no worries at all... until I reached a road that I didn't recognise. I just kept riding, smiling at locals walking past me and trying hard not to look like a lost tourist. This road just seemed to go on forever! Riding and smiling, I reached a point where the road came to a turn, swerving through a heavily wooded area. That was my cue to stop. I turned back and looked around: "This can't be right...", I said to myself. I was surrounded by factories.

Something tells me that I can't have a shower in there...

Like before, I just kept riding the other way until I saw rows of flats in the distance. I recognised a petrol station and a corner shop. I was back in civilisation! I found the dorms (phew!), locked up my bike and entered the room that I had the keys for. I did wonder if anyone would be living in the rooms yet and to my surprise there was.

I opened the front door of room 105 and saw that one of the doors to the two bedrooms was closed. I tried to turn the handle of the closed door when suddenly the inside lock was quickly unlocked and a girl appeared with a very confused face. I was so caught off-guard that I didn't know what to say.

"Hi... me from other dorms... shower, use, yes?" *points to bathroom*

She smiled which to me meant that she approved. Thinking back I wonder if she actually understood what I said because I didn't... Anyway, I had a very long shower because I had to make the most of it. I must have been in the bathroom for at least an hour. When the deed was done, I knocked on her door and shouted that I was leaving and I left. From this point on, I didn't care if I got lost or ended up in a factory. I'd done what I set out to do!

Serenity.

When I got home (eventually), I rewarded myself with a delicious Latvian sweet that my friend recommended that I taste.

A very good recommendation indeed.

So after an eventful day, I plan to go around my friend's house and just relax for the evening. I have just been invited to dinner at my boss's house on Thursday and a seaside picnic on Friday so the rest of my week is sorted - yay!