Go time!

Arrived

Long day in the air-- 10 hours to Copenhagen, then another quick flight from there-- but I'm in Holland.
After a 30 minute bus ride to get to Haarlem, and a 15 minute walk in the rain, I got to myЧитать далее
Day One on the ground

Didn't get much sleep last night, but had too busy a day ahead to dawdle. Fortunately the coffee here is *strong*-- almost like espresso. That plus a great toasted ham and cheese (Gouda?) sandwich andЧитать далее
First day of riding

Left Haarlem this morning, bike loaded up with everything I brought with me. I tried to keep load light in this trip-- no need for camping gear when you're sleeping indoors-- but it still filled everyЧитать далее
First Day, Amsterdam

Headed into Amsterdam Centraal on a cloudy morning. Instead of visiting the major "sites," I spent the day walking around, semi-guided by a Rick Steves audio tour, taking in the small things I saw
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More from Amsterdam Day 1

Sick day

I felt a sore throat last night when I got back to my hotel, and run down as well. By bedtime I knew I was coming down with something. Probably a combination of some bug, and exhaustion from constantЧитать далее
Back to Amsterdam

Felt better this morning and headed downtown to explore some more. I also had 2 other goals-- A) buy train ticket for tomorrow's trip to Koblenz, and B) get a clear idea of how I'd get me, my bike andЧитать далее
Leaving Amsterdam

And I thought the cycling would be the tough part! This morning's been an education...
Ran down platform with bike and just caught the metro to Central station. My train leaves in 45 minutes. Stood wЧитать далее
Three trains to Koblenz

Today was a shlep, but I got to Koblenz safely. Tomorrow, the Rhine!
Deutsche Eck

On a point where the Rhine and Mosel Rivers meet, there sits a park and giant statue honoring Wilhelm I, the first Emperor (Kaiser) of the modern German state.
If you imagine our Mt Rushmore andЧитать далее
Morning on the Danube

After 125 miles and three straight days of riding, I decided to give my legs a break and let a boat be my bike. So this morning I floated from Melk to Krems-- two hours and 25ish miles throughЧитать далее
What do these have in common?

Both have ties to the area I floated through today, Austria's Wachau Valley.
The Venus of Willendorf-- one of the oldest statues ever found (~25,000 years!) was discovered here in 1908. ScientistsЧитать далее
Afternoon, Krems

My boat ride ended at Krems an der Donau, a town of about 24,000 people. Located where the Krems river meets the Danube, it's lso known as The Gateway to the Wachau Valley..
After checking into myЧитать далее
Gratitude

It's 1AM, and I'm in a friend's Vienna apartment, feeling gratitude for their friendship, and for the way things unfolded and led me here safely.
The last bike spot on my train. A wild 30-minute rideЧитать далее
9/11 in Berlin

I've spent 9/11 many places since 2001. Walking through Berlin today has been especially moving and thought provoking.
Hundreds, thousands of kids lost their parents that Tuesday morning. This reallyЧитать далее
Berlin highlights

When I made the connection between 9/11 and Berlin's history, I was looking at the US embassy while standing in the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.
This memorial was just one of many stopsЧитать далее
Potsdamer Platz

I didn't want to leave Berlin without a visit to Potsdamer Platz. Today it's just another huge city intersection-- but the history!
By the 1920's and 30's Potsdamer Platz was the busiest trafficЧитать далее
Exploring Prague- West side of river

I decided to explore my side of the river today.
My first stop was the Petřín Lookout Tower. It's a 1/5 scale version of the Eiffel Tower, and it sits high on a hill overlooking Prague. I rode theЧитать далее
Last day in Europe

Yesterday I explored the Castle side of the river. Today I'd cross it explore Old Town and other areas.
I started with a morning walk across the Charles Bridge. It's everything folks have said aboutЧитать далее
People and architecture

I saw some neat examples of both on that last day in Prague. Here are some examples.
Karen MIdloAnother great adventure...ready to unfold...
Путешественник
How exciting for you Joe. I followed you on your Camino and you followed mine later. How interesting!