we fly farther than ever before

A certain phenomenon happens to me quite often when riding home alone at night - sometimes I feel out of body. It's a surreal experience - the darkness, the shadows, the sounds of streetcars, the midnight revelers, the cool mist of San Francisco on my face, the cool air in my lungs. The streets shine and car lights go by. My bicycle reflects the glimmer of the night all the while becoming part of its cacophony. The ride home is cinematic. When I get home sometimes it feels as if I was sailing above the street. Despite ascending two hills, I don't remember that I made any effort on my bike at all.

No matter where it is I'm going to or coming from - the theater, dinner, a ballgame, the symphony, on a date, for drinks - going there on a bicycle raises the level of spontaneity and spirituality of the experience of transporting myself.



On this particular night I met my friends Liam and Adrienne for a drink. I've put this movie to the tune of Erlend Øye – Jürgen Pappe - So Weit Wie Noch Nie. Seems to fit. Here are the lyrics with their translation.

Ger: Wir hören ein Singen im Raum,
Eng: We hear singing in the room,

Ger: Wir jagen die Monotonie,
Eng: We chase the monotony,

Ger: Wir machen aus Stunden ein Jahr,
Eng: We make from hours a year,

Ger: Und Mondschein aus unserem Haar,
Eng: And moonlight from our hair,

Ger: Wir fliegen so weit wie noch nie.
Eng: We fly farther than ever before.