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Travels in Europe 2017
  • Kath's Travels

Travels in Europe 2017

A 39-day adventure by Kath's Travels Read more
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    August 20, 2017
    Kath's TravelsTravels in Europe 2017Traveler

    The Airport at last

    August 20, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    For weeks people have been asking... "are you all organised for your trip" and the answer has been a resounding "No"... even as I was leaving home (10 minutes late) it was still a "no" it has all seemed a mad panicked rush. But at least we are at the airport. As Mum would say it is now "hurry up and wait". We have checked our bags, going through departure and passports, done some duty free shopping (alcohol and make up for me and Kirstin respectively) and are now sitting in the Mexican Bar having wine and fried potatoes ... mmmm. At 5 to 9 we will board our flight for a 14+ hour flight to Dubai, a brief transit then another 7+ hours to Paris - I don't even want to think about how long it will be until we see a bed againRead more

  • Kath's TravelsTravels in Europe 2017Traveler

    As far as long flights go.....

    August 21, 2017, Arabian Sea ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    I can't really complain about the flight - I was dreading 14 hours on a plane but ... touch wood... it has gone smoothly. Full marks to Emirates.. there is plenty of leg room for economy, the food is really good, the red wine yummo, we got given free socks and there are about a million to choose from (ok slight exaggeration but at least 100's) and I have even managed to get some sleep - not sure that it was good sleep but hey... it was kind of sleep.Read more

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    Dubai

    August 21, 2017 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Well we've made it to Dubai - or the airport at Dubai to be more precise - we landed at 5.25am and the temperature was already 35 degree C!! However we don't get to go outside (Kirstin is VERY pleased about that on account of her fleecy trousers)..... rather we have had a long walk through a climate controlled, shop stuffed, crazy high speed beeping golf buggy infested, terminal to gate A22 where we are now awaiting the flight to Paris (another 7 hours). The Terminal is completely OTT - you can buy anything from a Gucci handbag to a 600 carton of cigarettes, Starbucks coffee to a porsche, a salt and pepper set (in traditional Arabic) to a pint of Guinness or even a chocolate camel ... its just crazy!Read more

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    And finally....... Paris

    August 21, 2017 in France ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    The flight from Dubai to Paris was fortunately uneventful, although the plane was very full - so much so that we were seated 14 rows apart (the intervening space was filled by a young French sports team on their way back from a trip to Africa and they provided both a somewhat noisy and rather fragrant backdrop). About 7 hours on the plane, 2 meals (including wine - very nice, but I was a touch surprised that Emirates offered alcohol - glad they did though), and 2 movies later we had a bit or a bouncy landing at CDG Airport. Passport control was rather quick but bag collection took ages (maybe the French baggage handlers were on a go slow). Final customs clearance seemed to just consist of walking out of the door under the board eye of a large group of police types - no forms or bag checks!! We quickly located the train and - bonus - discovered that because the ticket system was "broken" we could travel into Paris for "free". the route in was through largely industrial areas but there were some lovely old brick and stone buildings along the way too... at one station a small cat even got into our carriage and had a wander up and down - no one seemed to think it was in anyway odd. Once at Gare du Nord it was only a 20 minute walk to the Hostel. The area around that station doesn't seem very salubrious with large groups of African men hanging around in the bars and on the street corners, but the area around the hostel seems nicer. The hostel itself is a little tired looking but does have a cafe, a bar and a pleasant deck overlooking the large rear courtyard. First order a shower and change of clothes - then perhaps it will be time to make some plans....?Read more

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    Mmmmmm Paris

    August 21, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We ventured out for a walk ..... found a supermarket and a bakery and enjoyed a feast of bread, cheese, vegetables, dips and wine.. now I think that we have reached our limit.... 44+ hours since we saw a bed... time to rectify that situation!Read more

  • Kath's TravelsTravels in Europe 2017Traveler

    Today we didn’t visit the Louvre

    August 22, 2017 in France ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    After breakfast we headed out to Gare du Nord where I exhausted my megre French to purchase a ticket (“Bonjour… je suis Australian… j’nes parle pas Frances … Anglais??” – the effort seems to be appreciated and usually elicits either English or helpful sign language). Having managed to purchase a ticket we took the train to Gare de l’Est and then the Metro to “Palais-Royal Musee du Louvre. Above the Station there is a fancy-schmancy shopping centre called Carrousel de Lourve which has a kind or “back door” entrance to the Museum where the lines are apparently the shortest. Well they were certainly short today in that they were non-existent as it is a Tuesday and the Louvree is closed on a Tuesday. I actually knew this but had clearly been having some kind of brain block because I was convinced it was a Monday. So instead of visiting the museaum we had a walk around the forecourt before heading off throught the Jardin des Tuileries.vRead more

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    And then we walked… a LOT #1

    August 22, 2017 in France ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    In fact the pedometer says we have walked 21.4km today! Leaving the Louvre we headed off through the Jardin des Tuileries passing the Musee de L’Orangerie (which apparently has a magnificent collection of impressionist art but which was unfortunately also closed) and the Place de la Concorde (with it’ impressive pink granite, gold tipped obelisk – which was a gift from Egypt in 1831) before heading up the Champs Elysess. Initially the Champs Elysess (named for the Elysian Fields “Heaven” of Greek mythology and the very last part of the Tour de France) passes though parklands but then it evolves into a retail strip. It is quite odd really high end retailers like Louis Viton, Tiffany’s and Cartier rub shoulders with H&M, foot locker and tatty souvenir shops.Read more

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    Wow what a view

    August 22, 2017 in France ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    At the top of the Champs Elysess is the Arc de Triomphe – built from 1808 to 1836 it was built at the orders of Emperor napoleon to commemorate the victory of his troops in Austerlitz in 1805. Our visit was a “last minute impulse” type of thing and I am so glad that we went with it. The Arc de Triomphe sits in the middle of a massive 12 pointed roundabout and is accessed by a tunnel (so that visitors can avoid dicing with death in the Parisian traffic). We duly made our way underground and having purchased a ticked and passed bag inspection and the metal detectors, climbed the tight spiral stairs the 50m to the attic level (I wish I’d actually counted the steps… it was a LONG way up) and then another set up to the platform roof where we enjoyed the most amazing view including back down the Champs Elysess to the Lourve, the Port de la Denence, Sacre Coeur and of course the Eiffel Tower.Read more

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    And then we walked ... a lot #2

    August 22, 2017 in France ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Leaving the Arc de Triomphe we headed down towards the Seine and the Eiffel tower. We had a brief stop in the Jardins du Trocadero for a bite to eat and then continued on to the tower. Any thoughts of actually visiting the tower quickly evaporated when we saw the lines and the millions of people queuing… we took photos and then headed off to the Bir-Hakim Metro.Read more

  • Kath's TravelsTravels in Europe 2017Traveler

    A word - or 2 - about the Metro

    August 22, 2017 in France ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We have certainly got good value from our metro ticket today (7,50 Euro for an all day zone 1 and 2 ticket). The Metro system is large and rather complex but it has got us where we need to go in a timely manner. There are trains on lines A, B, C and D run by RER and then there are the “metro” lines which seem to share stations with the trains a lot of the time and range from industrial feeling metal and concrete structures deep underground linked with long tiled tunnels to elevated platforms and tracks. The RER have actual trains while the Metro seems to be a train/bus hybrid – they run on tracks and have 3 carriages but have tyres. They seem to turn up about every 4 minutes and go like a bat out of hell.Read more

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    Montparnasse Tower

    August 22, 2017 in France ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We had the choice of paying 17 Euro to go up the tower to experience the view or else spend about 24 Euro in the restaurant where we enjoyed a Cheese selection, a Vanilla and bourbon Mille Foile and a glass of wine (or a Mojito) and still got the most amazing view of the Eiffel Tower – I think you can guess what we ended up doing?Read more

  • Kath's TravelsTravels in Europe 2017Traveler

    Ile de la Cite

    August 22, 2017 in France ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Ile de la Cite is the island in the middle of the Seine,using the Metro once again we traveled to the Cite station where we were close to the Sainte Chappel. This was built between 1239 and 1248 and has 1,113 stained glass scenes which are the main draw card of the Chapel, the windows tell he story of the bible. The chapel was actually built to hold the “Holy relics” purchased from the Emperors of Constantinople in 1239. The lower chapel – built for the use of the palace staff is ornate and the windows are impressive, but it is the easily missed upper chapel (reserved for the use of the King and his family)that is truly amazing
    .
    The next stop was Notre Dame. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to climb the tower and were subjected to extended queuing, however it was worth it to see inside the cathedral which is massive, glorious, impressive…. It’s easy to run out of superlatives. We were also privileged to be able to appreciate the acoustics when a service took place complete with music, singing and robed priests wafting smoke about.

    The day ended with a walk along the Seine and then another Metro ride back to the hostel … for a point of very nice French beer (I was offered Heineken - seriously why would I travel all the way to France to drink crap American beer - eeewww)... phew what a day!    Read more

  • Kath's TravelsTravels in Europe 2017Traveler

    Flowers and water lilies

    August 23, 2017 in France ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    After the Museum we walked a little further down through the village to the Monet’s house and garden – where we were greeted by a terribly long line – we stood in the queue for a while until I realised that people where queueing to buy tickets which we actually had already – I popped up to the front of the line and asked the lady if we had to line up if we had the ticket already? She waved us away saying we could just go around the corner and go straight in as we had the double ticket – bonus!! We walked back down the road, down a little side alley and straight in! We crossed under the road via a tunnel and came to the famous waterlily filled lake which was in so many of the works (Vert et ses nympheas) complete with the green painted Japanese bridge. After a wander around there we crossed back to the glorious flower filled garden for a further stroll before looking through the house which also contained a lot of art. Sadly, we had to head back to the station on the 2.10 shuttle so we couldn’t linger. However, this did get us back to the station some 25 minutes before our train so we enjoyed a tasty French beer in the sun prior to our train.Read more

  • Kath's TravelsTravels in Europe 2017Traveler

    300 Steps to the dome

    August 23, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Getting back to Paris we once again utilised the metro and found our way to the Abbesses station from here it was an easy walk to the Montmartre Funicular – further bonus – the metro ticket (we have a 7,50 Euro all day zone 1 & 2) grants you free access to the funicular – we jumped aboard and about 30 seconds later we had reached the top of the hill and were ready to visit the Cathedral of Sacre Coeur. The Church is lovely but I felt it had a more Byzantium, feel to it as compared to say Notre Dame – there were more murals and mosaics and some of the stained glass had an almost Dali/Picassocesque (is that a word?) feel to them. It was free to enter the Cathedral but for an extra 6 euro you could climb the 300 steps to the dome. I did and it was well worth it. You start with about 150 steps up a really narrow and steep spiral staircase, then it is up and down over the roof and then another spiral to reach the balcony around the dome. The view over Paris is SPECTACULAR, well worth it and really the climb wasn’t that taxing. After that it was back down the 300 steps, down the hill from Sacre Coeur (passing the carousel from Amile) and, via the Montmatre tourist strip, back to the MetroRead more

  • Kath's TravelsTravels in Europe 2017Traveler

    Paris @ night by bike

    August 23, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Our next stop was the Dupliex metro station for our Paris by Night Bike tour. We were duly issued with bright red, retro bikes and helmets - optional (Ah yes please if I am going to be riding in Paris traffic – I do prefer my brain intact and the drivers in Paris seem a tad lax about the road rules!!). We headed off to Notre Dame, via the Latin Quarter with stops for interesting information and stories along the way as provided by our cheerful – and possibly entirely manic - Scottish Guide (Jack). One pertained to the guy who did the Gargoyles on Notre Dame – apparently, he REALLY hated his mother in law so the 4th on the left and side is carved in her likeness (an ugly old women in a hat). We stopped for ice cream and then headed back to the Seine via the Louvre (which was pretty impressive that time of night). At the river we boarded a boat an took an lovely trip up and down the river while drinking wine (included) before getting back on our bikes and heading back to the office of Fat Tire Tours with some great views of the illuminated Eiffel tower along the way. It was great fun, the total ride distance was about 13km and I would recommend it as a different way to see Paris – although it was a later night than I expected as it was after midnight when we finally got back to the hostel.Read more

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    And off to Normandy

    August 23, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    The day started pretty slowly with a leisurely breakfast before we were off to face the challenges of the Metro once more. We walked to Magenta and spoke with many people (my stock apology for being Australian and not speaking French didn’t seem to work so well) before working out that we needed to be at Saint Lazzare – a short train trip, lots off walking through long tunnels, up 3 floors and we were there – it turns out that Saint Lazzare has Metro, RER and the Regional Normandy service running from the same centre but in 3 different parts. We found the right ticket office and after further prolonged queueing we sorted out our tickets to Vernon-Giverney, by which time the train had actually arrived and we were able to board and soon we were on our way
    We enjoyed the 50 minute trip through the country side to Vernon and then onto the shuttle bus (at the station – 10Euro return) to the Village of Giverny. This was the home of the impressionist painter Monet for almost 40 years and the gardens were apparently a great source of inspiration for him so we wanted to see them. We purchased a “couple billet” which was a double ticket granting both entry to the Impressionist Museum and the House and Gardens of Monet (16,50). The museum had a special exhibition on showing the works of Maugain a contemporary of Monets (plus there were a few other Impressionist works and one Monet). To be honest I wasn’t really keen on the works – they seemed a tad crude and rough compared to other impressionist pieces.    Read more

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    Off on another Adventure

    August 24, 2017 in France ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    A bit of an early start meant that we were into the breakfast room about 2 minutes after it opened at 7am. The breakfasts here are ample – Fruit, yoghurt, cereal, croissants, bread, spreads, juice and coffee – although I am still adjusting to the whole “drink the coffee out of a bowl (like a small noodle bowl) thing – as they say “when in Paris….” Plus the bread is not only delicious but is more than we need at breakfast and seems to somehow find its way into our bags for lunch! Sated and sorted we were out the door by 7.45 and on our way to the Fat Tire Office for our trip to Versailles. Here we met our guide a nice chap called Cam (from Glen Waverly – he’d been the head of complaints for the Smart Metre Scheme for 4 years – burnt out (what a surprise) and has spent the last 2 years travelling (32 countries) and doing seasonal work such as being a bike tour guide in Paris. Anyway he was lovely and chivvied our group of 18 on and off the Metro and the RER getting us to the Versailles office of Fat tire and onto our bikes in good time. First stop was the market were we stocked up on provisions and then it was off to the Palace.Read more

  • Kath's TravelsTravels in Europe 2017Traveler

    A house of 2 Ladies and other tales

    August 24, 2017 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Cam told us lots of great “stories” about the history of Versailles which began its life as a hunting lodge for Louis 13th. The current palace came into being and prominence under the subsequent 3 Louis… it was built over a 50 year period by Louis 14th (the Sun king – who was crowned at 4 years of age), embellished by Louis 15th (the fun king – who had 300 “special” lady friends (there were young kids in the group), died of syphilis and was the great grandson of Louis the 14th) and Louis 16th (the “done” King who was beheaded in the Revolution) along with his wife Marie Antoinette. Our first stop was Petite Triannon. This was a fairly modest (by the standards of Versailles) house built between 1762 and 1768 as a private place for the use of Louis 15th and his favorite mistress Madame Pompadour. Later it became the refuge of Marie Antoinette who would spend much of her time there retreating from the pomp and ceremony of the court at Versailles. It was she who built a “mock village” and various other follies in the grounds. We visited there for some time, before heading down to the “Grand Canal” to enjoy a lovely picnic lunch.Read more

  • Kath's TravelsTravels in Europe 2017Traveler

    It’s a pretty impressive palace

    August 24, 2017 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    After lunch, we rode back to the Fat Tire office where we returned the bikes – it was then just a short walk back to the main palace for our visit there. It seemed packed, however Cam (and the staff at the palace) assured us it was very quiet! We strolled around several lavish rooms including the King’s bedchamber and the famous hall of mirrors (apparently they had Venetian craft masters bought our especially to fit out the room and then they were assassinated so they could not reveal any secrets about the mirrors). After the palace we had a stroll through the amazing gardens, however it was passing 530 by this time and I think we had had about enough so we walked back to the station where we took the train back to Paris and the Metro back to the hostel – tired at the end of a very full day!Read more

  • Kath's TravelsTravels in Europe 2017Traveler

    No walking tour of the Latin Quarter

    August 25, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We had a few things on the “maybe” list… Musee d’Orsay, Musee d’Rodin or a “free” (but it cost 16 euro) walking tour of the Latin quarter. We tossed more art vs a walk an went with the latter and so walked along the Seine, crossing Pont du Neuf, to Rue Saint Michael. First order of business was something to eat. We found a café on the street where we could people watch and enjoyed wine, crepes and coffee (plus a bit of sneaky BYO bread, Fruit and a Blood Orange Macaroon each… mmmm). Sated we crossed over the fountain – the designated meeting point – registered, paid the designate fee and waited, and waited some more… finally we were told that the guide was “sick” and would not be coming – the tour was off! Bugger we should have gone with the “more art” option. None the less we had a bit of a meander around the area which mostly seemed to involve places to eat before deciding that we would do the Art Viaduct walk from Bastille to Bel Air. Thus we jumped back on the metro and made our way to Bastille.
    It didn’t take us long to get there but by this time the wine and the coffee had had their predicable effect and I REALLY need to pee… I was delighted to see a “free” public toilet – a rare thing in Paris where you can expect to pay up to 1,50 euro to use the facilities. Well it turned out to be quite the pantomime! Absolutely busting by this point I entered the toilet and pressed the door close button – nothing happened – I pressed it again, the door closed slightly then opened… this repeated several times – I was getting desperate, Kirstin was getting hysterical with laughter and possibly also at risk of wetting her pants but for a totally different reason. Finally the door shut fully.. I started to unzip… the door opened again …. Aaarg pants back up (I must mention that this toilet was on a traffic island in the middle of a busy intersection also). The door shut again, I started to de-clothe again, the door sprung open with renewed vigour – this was getting serious – I REALLY REALLY needed to pee. In the end Kirstin – despite laughing so hard she was herself risking incontinence – held the bucking and protesting door shut while I performed the world’s fastest urination! Phew, what a pantomime!!!!
    Having got all of that out of the way we headed to the viaduct which is now an art project and walking path following the route and at times including the remnants of the old viaduct. As in Zurich (Im Viaduct) there are stores, galleries and boutiques built under the arches, however the difference is that along the top is a lovely garden. We strolled along for a couple of kilometers enjoying the greenery and fresh air after the rain.. sometimes we were on top of the old viaduct, others just following its route through gardens, under bridges and through tunnels. Eventually we came to the Bel Air Metro where it was a simple thing to take it back to La Chappel and then the short walk to the Hostel    Read more

  • Kath's TravelsTravels in Europe 2017Traveler

    A night of Burlesque and too much wine

    August 25, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    After getting all glammed up we headed out on the Metro again to Jussieu where we had a short walk to the Paradise Latin Cabaret. Billed as the “Most Parisian of Cabarets” it is located in the heart of the Left Bank and was built by Gustav Eiffel in 1889. We were seated right at the front and served a lovely lovely meal. I had prawns and some delicious salmon while Kirstin enjoyed the fois gras salad and also the salmon, there was a half bottle of champagne and a full bottle of red – no way we were going to get through all that at the end of a long day – Kirstin was more moderate but I did give it a go!! Then there was the show, singing, dancing, toplessness and of course the “Can can” to finish – unfortunately, the wine and the long day (the show ended after 11pm) was catching up with me and I was struggling to stay awake towards the end however it was still great fun and really good food – pity we had to waste the wine though! Then it was over and it was back to the metro and the hostel for our final night in ParisRead more

  • Kath's TravelsTravels in Europe 2017Traveler

    Today we DID visit the Louvre

    August 25, 2017 in France ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    Up bright and early we breakfasted and headed out to the Metro – it was a cool morning when we left the hostel and a little overcast – 40 minutes later when we emerged from the Palais Royal Louvre Station it was starting to rain …. not as per forecast but never mind. As per the instructions we had found online instead of queueing at the main entrance we headed into the Carousel shopping centre (home of the inverted pyramid) and joined the line there – even at 5 to 9 this was much shorter and by 20 past we had been through security, purchased tickets, checked our bags and were walking in to the Museum. The Louvre is just amazing and really a must see, although it is only the older works held there (nothing after about the 1850’s). We had a wander staring with a search for the Vermeer works which I really wanted to see (sadly they turned out to be in Dublin!) and then moving on to all the must see pieces such as the winged victory, some fantastic Fra Angelico, the Venus di Milo, hall of the Sphinx’s and of course we braved the crush to see the Mona Lisa. By 1230 we were completely knackered, had walked 14,000+ steps and were not “over” art but had seen about enough for the day. During our time in the museum it had not just rained but actually thundered (really not as per forecast) so out first task was to go purchase an umbrella …. This done we had to decide what to do next.Read more

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    Off to Mainz

    August 26, 2017 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Another early start with breakfast and packing and out the door by 8am but then it was a leisurely walk to Gare L’Est (about 30 minutes with our bags in tow). Here we had to recreate an “Amile” moment with the photo booth (we had tried the night before but I think I was a tad inebriated and couldn’t get it to work) as this was one of the stations she visited. By the time we had done that it was almost time to get on the train to Mannerheim, which we duly found on platform 4. This was a sleek looking TGV which, once it got going, was hitting speeds of 320km per hour and clearly made easy work of the Journey. We were at Mannerhiem by 12.15 but then were delayed slightly by the late arrival of the 12.39 to Munster. It finally arrived and we were on our way to Mainz – a mere 35 minutes later we were disembarking at the Haupbahnhof. From there it was about a 40-minute walk to the boat where, bonus we were able to check in straight away. We were directed to our cabin (115) and after unpacking we were able to head back out to explore the town.Read more

  • Kath's TravelsTravels in Europe 2017Traveler

    A few hrs in Mainz & the journey begins

    August 26, 2017 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We set out from the boat heading into town and up the hill where we found a lovely church – St Stephanskirsche at the top of the hill. It was just lovely – a wedding was taking place and a woman sang “Hallelujah” as we were there. The windows are fantastic – glowing blue – they were created in 1978 by Marc Chagall as a symbol of the Jewish-Christian bond. From there we walked back to the town and sat in the square opposite the Dom St Martin and enjoyed a beer (A dark Allgauer and a fresh pretzel. Then we had a stroll around the old town before heading back to the boat at about 530. The MS Andante is an older boat, green and white and will have 78 guests on this trip, including 21 Ghostriders. Our cabin (115) is downstairs thanks to a stuff up by the travel agent – we did request the top deck! The cabin is compact with 2 single beds and a toilet/shower combo – we do get a small window however, although you do have to stand on the bed to see out – the fresh air it provides is lovely none-the-less. Welcome briefing was at 5.45 and then it was time to go for dinner which involved multiple courses (radish salad, mushroom soup, mei goring, stuffed capsicum and veggies and rice pudding to finish) and was rather tasty. Then to end the night it was our briefing for tomorrow – sadly we received the news that because of mooring issues at Speyer our planned one way ride to Speyer via Heidelberg was now a return ride to Heidelberg – but what can you do – suck it up and peddle on!Read more

  • Kath's TravelsTravels in Europe 2017Traveler

    Peddle on – Heidelberg & back – 55km

    August 27, 2017 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We were in the dining room and enjoying a fairly generous breakfast by 7am – bacon and eggs, cereals, yoghurt, fruit, breads etc etc – you are also required to take items from the buffet and make your lunch too – there was ham, salad, cheeses and eggs to put into rolls and then plenty of fruit, plus a muslie bar and some chocolate to take too. All sorted we were out on the bank to sort out the bikes and adjust them to our size. Kirstin had a few quick lessons with her e-bike and mastered it easily. A last-minute briefing, some photos and then we were off towards Heidelberg.

    We headed past the Schloss and then it was up through the main street to the Necker river which is the other side of town. There we turned to the right and then followed the river towards Heidelberg. It was a lovely cool and slightly misty morning as being a Sunday we were serenaded by the bells of numerous local churches as we rode along. The bike path meandered up and down, through towns and past fields – the main local crops seemed to be corn, a type of beet (maybe the type that you feed to cattle) and also perhaps radishes. We seemed to get a bit lost at times and were helped out by a pair of friendly locals who guided us into the town via the Alte Brucke which also has the student gate. Somehow along the way we had got split into 2 groups so we ended up doing different things for the day. I had coffee with 3 other ladies and then went of a walk down the Haupstrasse (Main Street) before heading up to the Schloss – or Castle (which was constructed between the 13th and 18th centuries and also has the distinction of being hit by lightning and burning down – twice) to enjoy the view of the town. After that I then returned to the square near the Church (Heiliggeistkirche) to eat my packed lunch and enjoy a small glass of Heidelberg Pilsiner.

    Kirstin enjoyed lunch on the other side of the river, picnicking near a water park before crossing the river via the Alte Brucke and enjoying an espresso and a long relaxing chat in the square near the church. Henry shared the story of his life growing up in the outer suburbs of Berlin during the second world war as part of a family of 9 children (4 brothers and 4 sisters). At 1.30 this group headed back to Mannheim with a brief stop at the zoo and at a small village beer garden where several Ghostriders enjoyed a beer in the sun (although Kirstin restrained herself for fear of falling off her e-bike).

    I waiting in Heidelberg until 2pm when I began the ride back with 3 others – however not only did I somehow loose them along the way, but I caught up with the first group – we made very good time back to Mannheim and were boarding the boat by 4.10pm ready for our 5pm departure. Then it was a nice cup of tea, a shower and a good relax before dinner which was vegetable mouse or salad, some veggie soup, fish and beans and fruit salad to finish. A very full and enjoyable day.    Read more

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