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John BickerstaffJohn Bickerstaff
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matkusti 51 maahan. Lue lisää
  • John BickerstaffAcross the Baltic to Berlin
    Päivä 9

    Soviet times.

    9. kesäkuuta, Saksa ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    While the hotel was situated in Alexanderplatz - very much a product of communist city planning, capitalism has well and truly taken over. The journey to the airport largely runs along Karl Marx Straße, originally named in honour of Stalin but that was dropped - can't think why. Before hitting the commie stuff I had a little mooch around the nearby Middle Aged merchant quarter. Very picturesque and quiet, though most places will be on Sunday. Anyway, the design of KMS and look of the route is very much of that time. Huge boulevards at least meant substantial cycle lanes. Passed the missing Stalin monument - mysteriously disappeared on his death. Some nice fountains instead. With an early evening flight there was plenty of time to kill before braving pulling the bike apart. The two main things on the way to the airport that were designed to eat up time was the Stassi museum and the Union Berlin stadium and or shop. The idea was to do the shop first as it opened before the museum or so I thought. The shopping centre was definitely closed - checked and it opened at 10 on Monday. Another protest this time on bikes - this time not a clue what about but the Polizei have been doing well on the overtime. The Stassi (secret police) museum was interesting if another rather sombre experience. It was interesting how all encompassing it was in East German life and how ingeniously they managed to obtain and achieve their aims. On reflection it was a pretty good job the flight was the evening - a 23 mile cycle as well as other bits takes time. Even so it was fairly relaxed. Onwards to the footie or at least the ground, however it turns out there was a match - the ladies team were playing the last game of the season and it was definitely pulling in the punters. Followed some fans heading there on their bikes. Wondered if there would be many bikes at the ground. The bike park was rammed, not so much the car park. Possibly the women's game pulls in more families, though it sounded just as raucous. Struggled to get through the clouds with my panniers. A couple of people clocking the Liverpool shirt. Apparently the right colour. As for the club shop - it was closed. Makes no sense, though there was no way I'd have been able to get to it. Nice to see a ground with people in and around it. Unsurprisingly the route to the airport looked a little convoluted but at least it didn't involve motorways. On arrival - quick wash and then the battle with the bike. Unfortunately that wasn't the hard part. As always bikes have to be dumped in a separate section - oversized / bulky. Had to go through three different people to just get it labelled. I was then sent the wrong way to drop it off. Ended up dragging the bike the entire length of terminal 1 and the back. Not HP. Dumped it and wondered whether it was really worth having the wash.Lue lisää

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  • John BickerstaffAcross the Baltic to Berlin
    Päivä 8

    A little bit of politics.

    8. kesäkuuta, Saksa ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    The one thing booked in advance was access to the Reichstag roof and dome. Checked where to go on my way back and the impression was that the time was flexible. Decided to walk in taking time in the parks between the hotel and the parliament. Clearly the area around the hotel was in the former East if only for the Karl Marx statue in the local park though the architecture and planning also smack of the soviet era. Wurst for lunch - as there was little hurry sat and watched the world go by for a while. Also took advantage of the quiet room in the Brandenburg Gate. It was quiet striking when you left it and had to brave the hustle and bustle again. Got to the Reichstag a full hour early and they weren't arsed. Very arsed about id checks and security which isn't wholly surprising. Huge lift up to the terrace and a great audio guide picking out significant buildings and sights. Also got an aerial view of all the fan park prep for the Euros. Really going to town on this. On the way back stopped of at the DDR museum, commemorating all that was East Germany. Lots of hands on stuff and recreations. I would imagine to younger folk so much of it looks really alien and validates the museum but tape players and type writers are just a bit old. Suspect that it represents peak East Germany when the rest of the West had moved on. Passed a bit of time before tea. Packing was postponed somewhat by nosiness - huge police presence outside the hotel. Turns out they were escorting a pro- Palestine march.Lue lisää

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  • John BickerstaffAcross the Baltic to Berlin
    Päivä 8

    Whistlestop bike tour.

    8. kesäkuuta, Saksa ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    On reflection the amount to see, the time available and the distance either necessitated either using the u-bahn or the bike. Much as my arse needed a break - cycling was free and probably would be quicker. What also appealed was making an early(ish) start to avoid the mammoth scrums at the Brandenburg Gate. Hopefully the Berlin Wall memorial and Checkpoint Charlie could be ticked off fairly painlessly. Pleasantly the roads were quiet so despite a lack of cycle lanes all was good. Got to the park to find I was the only person looking round, a few were walking their dogs. The wall memorial combines a preserved chunk of wall in situ with a recreation of what it would have been like. There are also some memorials to those that lost their lives. The visitor centre unfortunately didn't open till 10. Onwards to the next point of interest. Checkpoint Charlie - a recreation of the border post. But cheesy but a nice photo of - managed to get in before the coach party - cue selfie frenzy. Potsdammer Platz is in essence a business district so lots of big skyscrapers. Also stopped in at Hansa Studios where loads of huge albums were recorded. There was a film crew outside - who might be working in there? Waited for a while but nothing happened - boredom set in quickly. Today's morbid chapter was the Holocaust Memorial. 2500 individual black concrete blocks of varying sizes. Felt a lot like a maze and buried beneath it a visitor centre again focussing on the stories. Not for the faint hearted. On the way back checked in at the Brandenburg Gate - not horrendously busy and the cathedral - not busy but horrendously expensive. If there's been a guaranteed tower climb they would've been ok but nothing mentioned so nothing doing.Lue lisää

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  • John BickerstaffAcross the Baltic to Berlin
    Päivä 7

    Berlin

    7. kesäkuuta, Saksa ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    I spent 2 - 3 hours at the concentration camp so had to get a bit of wriggle on to take in the other stuff. Head down to try and clock off the miles to get me to Spandau - reckoned it was 15 - 20 so a bit far for lunch especially since it pretty much was already. Tried to get to 40 before worrying about food & almost made - then McDonald's got in the way. Quick, easy and full of energy. Went down a treat. Quick mooch around around the castle. Then onto the Olympic Stadium. Not overly optimistic that it would be accessible since they would be setting up the opening ceremony for the Euros a week today. As it happened that was right - got reasonably close but a very guard wasn't for turning a blind eye. Some happy German cyclists got chatting & I took a photo of them and they returned the favour. They'd done about the same distance just from Southern Germany. Off to tackle the big city hecticness.
    Managed to find bike lanes most of the way, which was good, the queue for check in less good. Happy to find me a secure place for my bike - no charge. Hmmmm. Couldn't resist going up to the top floor to take in the views. Think they were supposed to charge for it but no-one asked and there was no way I was going to volunteer. Great views and then onto food - both breakfast and tea. Supermarket on the face of it would be easy. Navigating in & of the shopping mall not so much - much aimless wandering but eventually escaped with food.
    Tea had to be a nearby Routine restaurant.    Lue lisää

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  • John BickerstaffAcross the Baltic to Berlin
    Päivä 7

    Utter grimness.

    7. kesäkuuta, Saksa ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Busy day - the small matter of 60 miles but needing to leave time enough to absorb the horror that is the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. Also wanted to stop off at Spandau Citadel and the Olympic Stadium. A lot to cram in. Helped that the first 30 was a pretty dull affair - both weather and flat & boring. So just got my head down & got to the memorial centre just before 11. In fairness they've handled something unspeakably bad pretty well - don't charge, range of media, English translations everywhere. However it was horrendous to read about - the photos and the stories just were so hard. Glad to have done it but not something necessarily to be recommended.Lue lisää

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  • John BickerstaffAcross the Baltic to Berlin
    Päivä 6

    Pay to park my bike!!!

    6. kesäkuuta, Saksa ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Made it to Rheinsberg for lunch as per the plan. Just had to find some food and the somewhere to eat it. The second bit should be easy with the lakeside castle the main tourist draw here. Thankfully that also meant shops were rather more common than yesterday. Settled down with my picnic to watch endless people try take a picture of the castle with the lilies in foreground while dodging the endless goose crap on the lawn. Speedily scooted round the gardens on the bike then to knock off the final 15 miles except it was a bit more - arrived at the hotel and it wasn't there. Sorted & decided to pass on the clothes washing fiasco - enough clean stuff to last me - can't be arsed. Decided to walk into town instead. Had a nice ice cream, took a wander along the lakeside promenade with it's bizarre sculpture. All very nice. Not hungry so opted for pastries from the nearby Aldi. Good mood dissipated on getting back. Asked where I could store my bike securely. Not a problem but it will cost you. Do you charge car drivers? No. In all the places I've stayed with a bike & not one has ever suggested charging. Not HP.Lue lisää

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  • John BickerstaffAcross the Baltic to Berlin
    Päivä 6

    Cycle lane heaven.

    6. kesäkuuta, Saksa ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    My alarm spared me the surreal experience of being woken by traditional German music being blared out over the hostel intercom. Dashed down to beat the school party rush & just managed. Small matter of getting round Muritz lake & then southwards towards Berlin. Bike lanes on busy roads, I guess for the tourist heavy area. Once that was negotiated it was largely green lanes and quiet country roads. All very pleasant, very little traffic - mostly geriatrics on e-bikes. A couple of notable points - having to pass on jumbo jars of local honey in Viperow and just beyond a memorial to a Russian pilot how died to save the population of the village. Had a little double take - why would a Russian be in Germany but it was East Germany then. Further down the line was having a break in the middle of nowhere when a school party on bikes appeared - steady stream. Later on some stragglers appeared and had to ask me directions - not a good sign. Further on there was the mad (good) situation where the bike lane was a better surface than the road. Things could only get worse from here. Cue road closure. Google had suggested it might be the case but was ignored. Problem was unlike yesterday there was no reasonable way round. So wheeled the bike through the building site and then some substantial bushes. Damned if I was adding another 20+ miles. The joy of these cycle lanes was the wildlife - hares, countless colourful birds and red squirrels.Lue lisää

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  • John BickerstaffAcross the Baltic to Berlin
    Päivä 5

    Top tips.

    5. kesäkuuta, Saksa ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Early check in ✔️ though he had to go and get his mate to help with the English. He had plenty to say - lots of tips, not that I'd have that much time. Duly reprimanded for the shortness of my stay. The stand out was the church tower in town - great views of the lake. By now the sun was out so quick shower and sort then a wander into town along the lake, ideally taking in a shop for a snack - the last 40 miles had yielded not a single food shop - loads of builders merchants. Clearly a sparsely populated area. Sorted bed and paid the balance. Much as cycling in would be quicker a break and leisurely walk suited better. Loved the loungers dotted along the shore. As for the church tower - definitely not something you'd stumble on - the access door had to be unlocked and there was no signs advertising it as a possibility. Definitely worth the princely sum of 2€ & had the place to myself. By now it seemed as easy to have an early tea rather than a snack and return later for tea. Went with hostel guy's recommendation & again top notch.Lue lisää

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  • John BickerstaffAcross the Baltic to Berlin
    Päivä 5

    Gutter cycling

    5. kesäkuuta, Saksa ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Far more leisurely start to the day. Unfortunately part of the reason was the forecast which didn't inspire, though on looking out things seemed dry. That changed as departure approached. Extending the route through Rostock didn't seem too wise so took in what was on the way. Rush hour in Rostock was of the traditional type & it didn't look good. Neither did the clouds - the rain may have eased but the prospects seemed pretty bleak.
    Watched a steady stream of typhoons. The aircraft - not the weather. Rostock airport, from the looks of things, was also used by the military - lots of warplanes landing. Eventually the weather took a turn for the worse and ended up sheltering under trees. Can only do that for so long. Pushed on & in the short term things did get a bit worse the forecast suggested that eventually things would pick up. The constant presence of black clouds didn't reassure. The hit & miss roads also was a headache. Cobbles all over the place, grass in the middle and forest gravel tracks - bad navigation but so much of the ride was trying to find a smooth path in the gutter. Just as the sun came out I was faced with a road closure - how dare they build railways in my way. 3 mile detour. Despite all that got into Waren at about 2.30. Would there be an early check in?    Lue lisää

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  • John BickerstaffAcross the Baltic to Berlin
    Päivä 4

    Crossing the Baltic

    4. kesäkuuta, Saksa ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Got back to the 'terminal' to find the numbers had swollen (ish) - there were a few more. Had to wait for the cycle access route to be unlocked. Once the ferry was on the verge of docking we were lead to the embarkation area and were given instructions in German & English. He was a very cheerful soul - joking throughout the English version. Not sure he was in the German or they didn't have a sense of humour. The great thing about cycling onto a ferry is that everyone has to wait for you. Took our time. Locked up and headed up on deck to watch the departure. Didn't hang about. Once out at see settled down for a meal and to do some blogging. No time at all (well 2 hours) we were heading up the estuary towards Rostock. See how clockwork the Germans have the disembarking. All the wagons off first, then us. Follow the cycle lane - makes sense. Downside was you ended up on the wrong side of the road. Even better it drops you off & if you weren't careful you'd end up on the motorway. Thankfully spotted and made a sharp exit. Think the couple following me did the same but they were German so they should know better. No matter only 3 miles to go to the hotel & a short ferry across the estuary. Or at least that was the theory. In practice, on arrival all looked locked up and closed. The sign on the gangway suggested the ferries probably wouldn't run on the 4th. Very helpful. Just added another 5 miles. Relieved to finally get in & a supermarket across the road meant tea and breakie were sorted. Had a short walk down to the docks to see the preserved cranes but struggled getting back - definitely on a go slow.Lue lisää

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