The first snow of the season

The first snow of the season has finally come!

It started slowly. 

The very first snowflakes started to fall in the morning. 

They continued to fall all day long, but the sudden air drafts didn't let these little snowflakes to "grab" onto the ground.

The whole day passed and I was constantly found myself standing in front of the window. I love snow. I always have.

When it is snowing, there is a "kindness" in the atmosphere. 

I was observing how the little and fragile snowflakes landed on my hand. I then looked up to the sky...

...Eight hour's later. The night had approached. Gladly the snow was still falling and this time it had began to form an ethereal white dust onto the ground. 

It started to build up slowly but progressively. There was no doubt that a big blizzard was on its way, as the snow report showed on the weather forecast. 

The next day, the same street looked like this!

Isn't it wonderful?

The  city roads were constantly being cleaned from snow all night long, but the amount of snow that had fallen was over 70cm in height. Actually it was about 70cm to 1m according to the News. 

Sadly I couldn't ride my bicycle as its tires and structure aren't suitable for this kind of weather. However, tomorrow I will give it a go and attempt to ride, as most of the main roads are now clear of snow. I bet it will be difficult though, because it's the ice that I'm afraid of the most. And ice is invisible!

Have you ever ride upon snow and ice? 

Fairytale ride

It always astonishes me how pleasant a simply ride can be if nature is present. I have to admit that although I enjoy to use my bicycle for transportation into the city, the joy I get from urban cycling it is nothing when I compare it with rural cycling. 

The above road is just a road.

But with those tall pine trees aligned in a row on both sides of the road, it is like I'm suddenly on a fairytale land, joining a fairytale ride.

I could hear the birds tweet, the squirrels' squeak while jumping from one tree branch to another and the cracking sound of the falling pine cones. 

I looked up in the far as I was pedalling. My bicycle just rolled and rolled. The road in front of me was a long stretch that seemed endless, but in a good way, as the pine trees ahead covered the horizon. The hour of the ride was also perfect, as the warm light from the sun really complements the surroundings while offering a more romantic feeling to the whole experience. 

I utterly love riding my bicycle! 

Even after all this time, I am still very grateful that I decided to finally purchase it and make it my main transportation vehicle. It actually adds value into one's life. And I'm not referring to the health benefits, that are simply a bonus. I'm talking about the way it can change your life. If you do own one, I urge you to go outside and ride it! You will experience the world differently. You are in direct contact with Mother Earth, the natural environment for all beings. You can release your stress (I know I do) and feel better. You will wake your senses and start to appreciate more of the little things in life. Things that you always took for granted.

One reader emailed me telling she felt sad as she was really stressed and tired from working all day long, and that she wished she could ride her bike and ditch the car. After finding my blog she went for it and now she transports by bicycle 3 days per week and also goes on a recreation ride every Sunday morning along with her 2 children. Now she is happy as she spends quality time with her family and also cut her gym membership, which she said she never used anyway.

What did she relearn? That living is not breathing. It is doing things that feel pleasant. 

Do not forget to live your life, do not let the days simply pass!

A bicycle can be your pal to this suggestion. 

It might be a small change, but don't forget that all changes start small. 

Go yourself and join in the fairytale ride! 

Finding mushrooms

Two weeks ago, when I was out riding my bicycle, I followed a new trail. I rode slowly as the gravel beneath me was still a little bit moist from last night's rain and, although riding on gravel is relatively safe as it isn't slippery, I didn't knew the trail that well. 

So riding on a slower pace gave me the opportunity to observe the surroundings and to take in all of the small details. 

The fresh smell of the pine trees, the soft sound produced by my wheels on the gravel and the different shades of green every plant had.

I kept pedaling and pedaling, and with every stroke of the pedal, I absorbed more and more of the near environment as I was passing by. 

One thing though that it really catch my eye was a particular spot that had lots of rocks and the whole space between each rock was covered by some really small, but very bright, green colored plants. 

The upper leaves of these little plants had the shape of a star. I tried to capture them with my camera phone, but sadly it doesn't show that well. 

They seemed so fragile, however they didn't broke under my weight as I was walking all over them. 

A couple of meters to the left was another plant, with a cooler undertone in its green leaves, and as I was approaching to it, to take a better look, I spotted a mushroom hidden under it! 

And to my surprise it wasn't the only one there! I looked further up, behind the plant and it had a whole area filled with these. They were so beautiful and in total contrast with the environment and the star-shaped plants.

As you can see in the picture, the mushrooms are light brown, flat shaped and medium sized. I didn't touch them as I do not know anything about mushroom hunting. But as an avid mushroom eater, I just can't help myself and until now I wonder if they were edible.

Before leaving that space I just stood there and admired the contrasting colors one more time. Who knew that gray paired so well with green! It is not a combination of colors that we tend to see a lot, at least not for decorating places. 

Have you ever found any mushrooms while you're out with your bicycle?

Do you know how to pick them?

An intreresting frame

Last Sunday, when I was heading home after visiting my sister, I came across an interesting frame that I captured with my camera and wanted to share.

It is an image of a parked boat. 

However, what surprised me the most, it was not the boat itself, but how well it blended with the surrounding environment.

Usually, everyone assumes that a boat belongs to the sea. We are expecting to see images of endless little boats tied on the port throughout the whole winter, and although they are beautiful and we admire them, we do not overthink about them.

On the other hand, a boat parked in the land seems foreign. Most of the times, when I come across boats that aren't in the sea, I find that they are not that beautiful and that they have a neglect look to them.

Not this particular boat though!

As you can see in the picture there are three plants rounding this boat. One with vibrant red leaves, an olive tree full of olives (it's picking season) and last but not least this fluffy one with these bright, almost neon, flowers.

If you compare them all, you can identify their beauty and how interestingly they all blend together. 

The boat, which reminds me of summer and the warmer temperatures, is positioned just nicely in the middle. 

The red leaf plant, which totally matches with the autumn, hovers above it, adding to it a unique charm.

I don't know what type of plant it is. Certainly isn't an ivy though. The leaves have a different shape. 

The fluffy plant has covered the entire olive's trunk and also extends further in the front. Sadly, I do not know the name of this plant too, but I find it so beautiful. It is one of those plants that benefit from the colder temperatures, the morning dew and the autumn's rain and that's why it became greener and brighter and grew these happy colored flowers!

As for the olive tree, it stands there, timeless, with its branches weighted down by all those olives, waiting for someone to pick them. 

And despite the fact that each subject of this frame is different than the other, they all combine a very interesting frame, with a certain "feeling" to it. 

The boat did not "belong" there and normally I wouldn't care for it. However, I found that it had a charming look, as it was surrounded by all those plants. 
The boat represented the summer and the plants the winter.
And while together they create a strong contrast, I find it very appealing.

Autumn aromas

It is the end of October.

The second month of autumn has passed. Only November is left. We are officially heading into the winter season.

I continue to use my bicycle as my main transportation vehicle, as normal. I won't stop riding my bicycle no matter what. It is something that I really like. Despite the crisp air and the lower temperatures, riding a bicycle during fall season feels different but nice.

Yes, deciduous trees are starting to loose their leaves and nature starts to wear its warmer colors, however if you notice more carefully, you will see that due to the rain's water, other plants are in their period of growth. 

During summer, I remember myself riding among yellow fields, but now, I see vibrant colors of green appearing on these fields.

And it is not only the color that is changing, along with the appearing of green, wonderful scents of all kinds start to fill the air, too.

These little plants have a distinctive smell of freshness. 

On the other hand, these little yellow flowers smell really sweet, and bees seem to really like them, as if I stop riding my bicycle, I hear them buzz all around. 

Arugula is also in its exaltation. You see it grow everywhere and every time the wind blows, its sharp and peppery smell fills the whole air!

Last but not least, I should not forget to mention these little mauve flowers. Those do not have a scent, but they're popping everywhere around, making the surroundings look more beautiful. 

Because we are in the autumn, everyone seems to pay attention only on the falling leaves and the brown colors, but if you start to observe more carefully, you will notice those little plants and how they become greener and greener with every passing rain. By being on a bicycle, which is keeping me outside for longer, I have the opportunity to notice the nearby landscapes and smell all the wonderful autumn aromas.

Those little plants deserve our admiration, as they complete the scenery's look by making it diverse, bright and less boring!

Riding in the mist

We are in autumn's heart. 

The temperatures are dropping, the wind is getting chillier, the leaves are changing their color, from green they turn to a rich golden color, with orange and coppery hints. The days tend to be cloudy for longer and the migratory birds have already flown away. 

When I think of autumn, the images that come to my mind are the trees and the rain. I know and expect to ride in wet weather and I always keep in mind that these beautiful leaves, with their rich color, will soon fall from the trees' branches onto the ground, which will make it slippery. But one thing that every year I seem to forget is the mist.

The foggy cold days of last year are just a fade memory. Spring and summer have the ability to make me forget all about the autumn's mist. 

However riding in the mist is a common thing at this time of the season. Everything around seems like it's covered with a dense veil. The visibility decreases dramatically. 

Riding in the mist considers to be more dangerous than riding in the rain. Not only because others cannot see you, but because you can't see anything in front of you either. Bicycle lights are necessary when there is mist, as they help other users of the road to spot you, but they do nothing for improving your eyes' visibility. You need to be extra careful when you ride in the mist. Routes that are so familiar, suddenly seem to be strange and foreign.

A dense mist has also the ability not only to cover the surroundings but to drown any sound, too. When being alone, the absence of noise feels so calming. You can no longer to hear any birds or the rustling of the leaves. You can only hear your own breathing and the rolling sound generated from your bicycle's wheel. 

But as dangerous as it might be, riding in the mist feels so nice. It is like you're in another world. When there is mist, people suddenly disappear, you're left alone, riding your bicycle, trying to see far into the horizon, but with no success. 

However do not be afraid, the mist will eventually fade away, bringing back all the colors and the sounds. People will reappear too. 

When this dense veil fades, all the fears of the fog are fading away along with it.

The fisherman

It was an ordinary morning. I was with my bicycle, riding the way back to my house. The air was cold. I rode one-handed and with the other arm I was holding my jacket's collar up to protect my neck from the crisp air.

I didn't expect to meet anyone at this early hour. I imagined people were still in their beds, under their blankets, sleeping. 

There was a wonderful peace everywhere in the atmosphere. I rode in a moderate speed, observing the surroundings. 

The only living creature I've met up at that time was only a cat sitting on someones tile roof. But after a couple of kilometers I run into a fisherman.

I stopped my bicycle as the view was amazing. Him, standing in the coast, with his fishing rod, the small boat to his left and another abandoned small boat in the far left, and at the background the calm sea, the fluffy dark clouds and the city of Volos. 

The scenery is breathtaking! This picture is like its taken from an old book's cover. Preferably a novel. 

I took four pictures, but this first snapshot was the best of them all. Its like finally my camera phone agreed to capture the beauty of the wonderful scene I was viewing.

I waved him good morning. He was there since 06:00 a.m. He saw the sunrise. When I asked him why was he fishing at that early hour, he replied that fishing at first light relaxes him and makes his day. Also, the fish seem to bite more easily when there is peace and quiet in the atmosphere. That is why he prefers to fish really early in the morning.

After this conversation he grinned and ask back what was I doing riding my bicycle at this early hour. I laughed as I told him exactly what he's told me, too! Riding my bicycle in the early morning feels relaxing and makes my day!

He then noticed that every person has his morning rituals. He had the fishing, I had my bicycle riding. Others have walking, planting, cleaning or waking up really early and watching telemarketing programs on TV. Unfortunately, he cannot do his ritual everyday, only a few days per week, and that I'm lucky as I ride my bicycle during work days too. 

After talking a little bit more, I then continued my ride. When I arrived home, the neighbor was sitting in the balcony, despite the cold, drinking his coffee while watching the sea view. He did that every single day, rain or not. That was his ritual! The others were still sleeping.

I dragged my bicycle inside the house with a smile in my face, thinking the fisherman.

"Every person has his morning rituals..."

What is your morning ritual?

The green cactus

In the beginning it was only a small plant. It looked mismatched between the pine trees and the cypress trees. Who knows how the cactus seed landed there in the first place...

All we know is that one day, a small cactus plant appeared on the side of the road and started to grow.

...That was over 7 years ago.

Today the cactus is spreading and has already covered most of this rocky area. As I was riding my bicycle by this particular spot today, I stopped and took a photograph. It has a vivid green color and small burgundy cactus fruits are spread throughout the whole plant.

I had seen this cactus many times before, but never when I was with my bicycle. This road is used mostly by cars. The area there is hilly and the road is somewhat narrow. When passing this particular spot while sitting inside of a car, one cannot perceive the true beauty of this cactus. 

If you think about it, it is amazing the fact that just from one seed and with time a plant can grow and cover such a large area. And although being mismatched at first, now this green cactus blends nicely with the environment. 

I searched the Internet to find more information about this type of cactus, but sadly didn't find anything in particular. All I know is that it seems to like the rocky ground underneath, otherwise it wouldn't grow towards the road turn, where there are only rocks, but it would grow towards the other side.

Most people think that cacti are ugly. I don't share this opinion. I think that they are just unique and have their own, and I must say rather wild, beauty! When I first showed these pictures to a friend all he thought about was to uproot them. He believed these cacti would create accidents by being upon a road turn and that they are dangerous. 

The road turn. The cactus is in the right side. Accidents are reported to the left side of the road.

I believe the opposite, as they grow there for over 7 years and no accident has ever been reported at this side of the turn (at the other side, sadly yes, but for other reasons.) 

I think this fear is mostly psychological, because a cactus has thorns. If it wasn't a cactus but a thyme bush, then he wouldn't want to uproot the whole plant.

Which type of cactus do you think it is? Isn't it beautiful?

Sunday, the day meant for living

Sunday...

Sunday is the day of resting, meeting up with loving ones, eating with family and friends, going for a long walk, travelling to near destinations, riding a bicycle for recreation, fishing, playing with the pets, cooking delicacies, swimming, or in other words Sunday is the day meant for living.

Today is the day that the city is quiet. The streets are empty. Traffic lights are becoming green, red and then green again with nearly no one waiting for them. But despite the fact that there is no traffic, the city is alive! 

It may be silent but not dead! 

Suddenly you see people everywhere. These people, who usually would be at work, are outside. They are enjoying themselves. When you cross paths with a stranger, he will wave and say hello. 

At 11:30 I went for a simple ride. I took a few pictures.

This is Volos port. It is the part where the sailboats and the fish boats are tied. We expect rain today, thus big clouds are everywhere in the sky.

A traditional fish boat. 

A grandfather with his grandson. 

The little boy asks his grandpa about the boats and the sea. Everyone can definitely tell how much love the grandfather has towards his grandson when you hear him answer to the kid.

At work days and early in the morning this spot is filled with people who come to purchase fresh fish from the fishermen. The building in the right is the city hall. (I will dedicate a post to it in the future.)

These two buildings are the old and the new customs office. This is where all the imported goods that arrive with boats are checked and their duties are collected.

In the far is the industrial port. You can slightly notice the cranes that load and unload the boats. 

After taking these pictures, when I was starting to head back home, a 75 year old man warned me about stray dogs ahead that bark to cyclists. I thanked him and wished him to have a good day. 

After arriving to the spot where the stray dogs were - I counted eight - I smiled, as everyone is much more polite when it is Sunday. 

How do you like to spend Sunday mornings?

Riding in the dusk

There is a strange feeling when riding at this time in an evening. The sun is bellow the horizon and you just see a slight strip of light which disappears in front of your eyes, second by second. Behind you, when you turn your head, you see only darkness approaching. 

Sunset is a wonderful everyday miracle. People take it for granted, don't appreciate its beauty (only during holidays, when not working). They do not even notice it, and most of  the time, people are busy with everyday tasks and days are passing without them even take a glance at it. I must confess guilty to this myself. My working hours are like that, that several days during a week I am inside a building, missing all of the nature's good stuff. However, when I am not working, there isn't a chance that I'm missing the sunset. 

Whatever I do, wherever I am, I will look up at the sky and admire. It happens mechanically. Even if I'm inside a building I will just "feel" the approaching darkness and head to a window. Watching the dusk is something spectacular. As I said, I believe the sunset is a miracle that happens everyday in front of our own eyes, and we just cannot realise that due to are busy lives and the fact we take it for granted.

Riding in the dusk

It is the time that small round lights are starting to pop around everywhere. These are bicycle lights. During sunset there is still enough light, so bicycle lighting isn't absolutely necessary at that time, but after the sun is set and dusk appears, bicycle lights are a necessity if you want to see the road ahead of you or others seeing you.

Either being in the city's center or in a rural area, you feel the difference in your surrounding environment when riding a bicycle at that time of the day. Even the cranky type of cyclist, will cannot help it and grin.

When being in the city, everything starts to look more beautiful around you. The buildings, the people, other bicycles...even cars! Dusk light is really complementing. When being into the city, riding my bicycle and heading somewhere, I suddenly find myself slowing down my speed. Even if I'm hurry. It happens automatically. My heart craves to just be out and ride my bicycle for more time, but my mind speaks up and says that I'll be late. So I continue to head to my destination, but slower, trying to win a few more minutes outside at this beautiful hour.

When being in a rural area, riding in the dusk feels different than riding into the city. You start to notice other things. You "feel" the nature "waking" up. Birds are starting to hide into their nests, stop to tweet and a sudden silence is filling the air. At that time, when the dusk gets a deeper and darker color, you hear the owls. When riding far from street lights, your eyes will start to glance some creatures that fly irregularly in the air, bats. If you are lucky enough, you might cross paths with a fox or a weasel. Riding in the dusk in a rural area, when being all alone, away of any source of lighting, it is somewhat eerie, but nice! 

After a couple of minutes, dusk is over and you find yourself riding in the dark. Now you cannot see anything around you. You can only watch ahead, where your bicycle light illuminates the road. You continue to observe shadows, but cannot familiarize with the shapes of the creatures or the trees you notice. 

Do not feel sad though, there is always tomorrow's dusk!

The first cold of the season

Fall is the season of extreme differences in air's temperature here in Greece. One minute the sun shines bright and you feel its warmth upon your skin and the other you suddenly find yourself in desperate need of a jacket. It is not so much that the degrees are low, but it is the constant changes of the temperature throughout the day that feel overwhelming. 

During the previous week, the temperature in the morning/evening was at 18°C and in the middle of the day it reached at 30°C. This temperature pattern continued till yesterday, and I was getting used to it. 

However today, morning's temperature was at 14°C. The air felt cold and it made my eyes tear. I wore a T-shirt, a cardigan and a jean jacket but the cold air managed to reach my body even despite all those layers. In the middle of the day the temperature didn't rise that much, it was only at 17°C and it rained constantly throughout the whole morning. It stopped to rain at 13:00 p.m. The fluffy clouds were all over the sky and they are until now, but they scattered a little bit. 

No need to describe how amazing the scenery is! I love this kind of weather! The near landscapes are more dramatic and the colors are magnificent. Last but not least, the wonderful scent of rain that fills up my nostrils completes the whole experience.

Now the temperature is at 15°C and the humidity is at 80% which makes it feel rather cold. 

I must say that today was the first cold of the season, as I felt my spine shivering regardless of all the cycling. Transitional weather can get a bit confusing, as one cannot be fully prepared. The weather conditions are unpredictable. 

Today was the day that I finally realised that we are heading towards the winter. I knew it is the end of September and that the fall season is here, but I didn't "feel" it until now, in spite of all the past storms.

I feel ready to welcome the cold weather. The first cold of the season is over and my body got its "shock" of the difference in temperature. Embracing lower temperatures can be a little overwhelming to some but only the first time is difficult. When the initial shock of coldness is over, then it becomes much easier. You know what to expect.

How do you feel now that it is cold outside?

Why do you ride a bicycle?

I looked outside of the window. The sky was clear, only a few clouds were far away in the horizon. It wouldn't rain today. I opened the door and got my bicycle out. It was a bit chilly. The bright sun might disguise it, but the fall season is finally here. I wore my light jacket over my shirt and off I went with my bicycle.

The cool morning air hit my face. There was complete silence. There weren't many cars on the road as I had still twenty minutes before the rush hour. I rolled my bicycle all the way to the city center. Upon arriving to my destination, I said good morning to my colleagues and locked my bicycle to the next shop's pipe drain. I then grabbed my handbag from my front basket and entered the shop where I work. 
Two o'clock. It's time for my lunch break. I must return to the shop at five sharp. I have three hours for eating, resting, catching up with some friends. If the weather is still nice I might go for a ride afterwards, when the shops are closed.

The hours passed really quickly. I returned to the shop and continued my work. At nine o'clock it was time to start closing. We were helping the last customers out and at 9:15 I was once again outside unlocking my bicycle. The air was a little crisp, but nothing special. I wore my light jacket and I was fine. I went for a night ride. I met some friends. We decided to ride all together. We talked and laughed. As our bicycles rolled, the wind blew my hair.
It felt nice talking to friends while riding a bicycle. We paid no attention to where we were going. We just kept rolling with no destination. After some time and because it was late and we all had to work tomorrow, we said our goodbyes and each one headed to its home. 
After a while, I carried my bicycle inside and went upstairs to take a warm shower. 
Another day had ended.

...A couple of days later, I was with some other friends out. We had an appointment at a local cafe. I arrived there as usual with my bicycle. Not long after sitting down they started to ask me questions. At first the questions were just about general stuff related to cycling, we later covered the topic about the city's horrible bicycle infrastructure and after getting that discussion to an end, a girl who came later to our company suddenly asked "Why do you ride a bicycle?".
Truly she couldn't understand why I cycle when the infrastructure isn't suitable. She supported that if it was like that were she lives (Belgium) she wouldn't ride her bicycle at all!
...I sat in silence for a bit to put my thoughts in order. That wasn't the first time someone asked me this question. The answer is simple. Because I like it, I find it convenient and cycling just makes my day! But this answer doesn't seem enough for other people, even if these people are cyclists, too.

The truth is, that even though that the bicycle infrastructure is horrible, we cyclists don't have problems with navigating through the city. We just avoid and don't use the infrastructure. We don't do that in purpose, it is just that the majority of the cycle paths that are into the city are in irrelevant places and sparse to each other. That is why that all cyclists use the roads.
However there is courtesy in the roads. It is easy to move around, either being on a bicycle or inside a car. Everyone keeps the priority. It may seem a bit chaotic to cyclists from other countries with proper bicycle infrastructure to ride a bicycle on the roads here, but in reality it is not. There are a lot of cars only in the main roads. Also the average speed is low. It isn't dangerous. Someone must just try it for himself to understand fully what I'm saying. 
But despite the lack of bicycle infrastructure I ride simply because I prefer to do so. When I cycle to places I feel that I earn time, not only because cycling is faster and more convenient into the city but because when I'm riding my bicycle, I'm living my life! Imagine the day that I've described above without a bicycle. It was a day that I was working for over nine hours. If someone took the cycling out of that day, then it wouldn't be a nice day. The reason I liked that day, it was because of all the cycling. I arrived at work in the morning fully awaken and refreshed from the early exercising. In the lunch break, the three hours were enough for me to recharge my batteries and enjoy myself and the company of others. The same applies to the night ride, too. If I didn't had a bicycle, I would just drive home and watched TV as most of the people do.

In other words, without the bicycle riding, that particular day would be an empty day, with the bicycle riding it was a full day!

Why do you ride a bicycle?

Meeting up with a snake

Our first meeting, I'm taking the photograph from far away!

It was an ordinary day, I was returning home as usual after work at early evening. The whole route went without any problems. It was just a regular ride home when suddenly I came across to an unexpected situation. 

There it was in front of me, the dead body of a big snake, just lying there, headless with a big rock in the side.

When I noticed it at first I startled a little bit as I didn't know if it was alive or not. As you can see I took a photograph from some distance as I was afraid. After doing that, I quickly grabbed my bicycle and continue my journey. It was much later at the safeness of my living room, while sitting in the sofa, that I remember to take out my cell-phone and start to observe the picture (and the snake itself) with more detail. 

Zoomed in, to see the head better.

The head had been cut off indeed as I noticed at first sight before, although I do not believe it was done with the rock. The cut edges indicate that the head was bitten and pulled. This immediately makes me think that maybe the shepherd's dog had something to do with it, as the snake was find in its lair. 

The next day, when I passed again from that spot, the corpse of the snake was vanished. The clock was ticking so I didn't have the time to stop and look around if someone had move it. I just continue my ride and forgot the whole thing.

Another week passed, and I came across the snake's corpse once again! It was the same snake by no doubt. Except being headless, it had the exact same color patches as the previous one, which means only that it was indeed the same snake. 

Our second meeting! No rock found anywhere around this time!

This time I wasn't afraid any more, so I left my bicycle at the side of the road, pulled out my cell-phone (to take another picture) and stood over the snake to examine it.

Again, zoomed in.

It was a big snake, not so much by length, but more by width. I searched the web taking into account the characteristics of the snake, the photographs and also the fact that the area there is filled with almond trees and olive trees, but I didn't found what type of snake it was.

What it seemed odd though, was the fact that it was still there. Makes me wonder, who moved it in the first place and why did he placed it back on the road after one week. The first time I thought that maybe the garbage man might had picked it up and threw it away, but now, after seeing it again I was thinking that the dog must had been playing with it. 

This was the first time that I had come across a snake in real life. 

I have seen many type of snakes in zoos but never when riding my bicycle home!

It was something different. It left me with mixed feelings as I felt bad for the poor creature, but nature has its rules, and the snake was the dog's victim. Nothing we can do about it, this is how it works. The strongest takes out the weakest. But still...

Anyway, who knows what will I come across tomorrow? Riding a bicycle in rural areas has its surprises!

Have you ever bumped into an unusual animal of any kind while riding your bicycle? How did you felt?