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2023 Itzonagen European Ride
  • The World on Two Wheels
Ogo – Okt 2023

2023 Itzonagen European Ride

Early in 2018 I started making plans for a new European Cycling Adventure, to be conducted in September 2020. However, Covid 19 put a stop to those plans for three years. Now finally "Itzonagen". Baca lagi
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    This Apple Juice Tastes Funny

    7 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Following our enjoyable time in Maastricht, the time had come for our travelling circus to move to its next performance. When faced with the problem of getting 19 Ghostriders and a veritable mountain of luggage from Maastricht in the Netherlands to Koblenz in Germany, I examined several options.

    The obvious choice would have been to travel by train. That sounds simple, however it would have required all of us to travel to Maastricht Station (with all our luggage), then negotiate a sequence of three trains (with all our luggage) and finally to get from Koblenz Station to our respective hotels (with all our luggage). That was not an option that had any appeal at all.

    About 9 months ago, I started researching the possibility of chartering a bus for the journey. I contacted several companies for quotes and waited for their replies. While most of them were ridiculously expensive, there was one company (called A1 Service) that provided a realistic quote at about 50 Euro per person.

    I started a dialogue with the company, but they were somewhat difficult to contact at times. When they asked for a substantial deposit in advance, I started to get a little nervous. I had no idea who I was really dealing with, and could not help but fear that I was kissing goodbye to a stack of Euros.

    Of all the arrangements for this trip, the one that gave me the most concern was this bus transfer. What would I do if the promised bus did not turn up ? In the final email from A1 Service, they promised that the bus would be at the Hotel Valk at 9 am. I arranged for the group to be checked out and waiting with their luggage at 8.30 am. I started looking for the bus.

    The clock marched on to 8.45 am. No bus. 8.55 am. No bus. I tried to look confident, but I had butterflies in my stomach. The group started to look at me. I walked out into the street and looked either way. No bus. 9.00 am came and went. Still no bus. The team were starting to look mutinous.

    "What are we going to do?", some of the more cynical members asked.

    "Pass me your phone", I said to Maggie.

    I dialed the number, half expecting to get the dreaded "That number is no longer connected" message (or whatever that is in Dutch). You could imagine my relief when the driver answered, and explained that he had been delayed 45 minutes by an accident on the highway. He promised that he was only 5 minutes away. And he was.

    When he arrived he was at the wheel of a very large, and very modern bus. Everything would be OK after all. My reputation was intact, and I even started to breathe again. About 10 minutes later, we were loaded onto the bus and underway.

    The drive to Koblenz should have only taken about 2 hours, and it probably would have if there had not been a huge traffic jam on the German side of the border. At first we thought there must have been a big accident, but apparently the road was blocked while they cleaned and polished the line markings. I think that was the story anyway. Germans are sticklers for order and cleanliness after all.

    We also learned that the Germans have very strict codes for how long drivers can drive without a break. The traffic jam had delayed us so much that the driver had to stop the bus and wait for 45 minutes, before we could resume the journey.

    I think we finally arrived in Koblenz about 1.30 pm, and found Sue Rainsford standing outside the hotel, waving to us. It was a lovely welcome to see a friendly, familiar face so far away from home.

    After checking into the hotel and having a rest, Maggie and I went for walk around the city. Koblenz is an old city, situated in an idyllic location at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers. Our initial impressions were very favourable.

    Not wanting to have another restaurant meal, we decided to get some provisions from the supermarket and have a picnic in our hotel room. Shopping in a foreign supermarket can be a challenging exercise, but fortunately most items have informative pictures on the outside.

    I found some bottles of apple juice and thought they would be a nice way to quench my thirst. We also added grapes, oranges and yoghurt, before heading back to our room for a little feast.

    Since the heat was still around 30C, I could not wait to enjoy the apple juice, and poured myself a large glass. It smelt and tasted awful. Perhaps it is an acquired taste, I wondered. I took another sip. It tasted even worse. I felt like I was sucking the toxic sweat from a pair of old cycling socks.

    Just what was this foul muck that I had purchased ? I searched on Google for the solution and discovered that I had just purchased two large bottles of apple cider vinegar. I had been drinking almost pure acetic acid! No wonder it did not quench my thirst. So, down the sink with that toxic swill. I suspect that my throat is still seared from the unfortunate experience.    Baca lagi

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    We're Having a Heat Wave

    8 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    When we arrived at the Trierer Hof Hotel yesterday, I asked the owner if they had experienced a hot summer this year. "It started off pretty warm", he replied, "but the past couple of months have been cold and wet".

    In that case it must have been just bad luck that saw us arrive smack in the middle of a series of hot and very humid days. In fact the temperature has risen to over 30C for the past few days, and the sequence is set to continue for at least another four days.

    This has come as something of a shock for our team who have just arrived from the Australian winter. The combination of high temperatures, hot sun and enervating humidity really takes its toll. I am just so grateful that our hotel features functioning air conditioning. This is something of an oddity in this part of the world.

    Today the group decided to ride the cable car to the fort on the other side of the Rhine. For those who are afraid of heights, this was something of a challenge, but the views down to the city from the lofty location made the trip worthwhile.

    Maggie and I spent the rest of the day alternating between exploring the old city and retreating to the coolness of the hotel room. At this point of time it is worth making mention of the very big elephant on the room. While I adore the history, culture and scenery of Europe, there is one aspect of European living that literally gets stuck in my throat. That aspect is the cloud of smoke that follows wherever you go.

    While Australia and many other countries have made huge progress in reducing the incidence of smoking, in Europe it is a filthy accepted part of life. Whether you are walking down the street, enjoying a view or eating at an outdoor restaurant, it is impossible to escape being enveloped in a stinking cloud of noxious tobacco smoke.

    From the young to the old alike, they are all equally addicted to a lifestyle revolving around nicotine. Parents think nothing of blowing clouds of poisonous smoke right into the faces of their children. Even when they are not smoking, the stink has penetrated into their clothes, hair, curtains and carpets. You just can't escape that awful smell. At times I really feel like yelling at people to wake up to how stupid their behaviour is.

    I am not sure what the statistics are concerning smoking in the big cities, but from my own anecdotal experience, I would say that it is at least 40%. The rest of the population choose to use vapes instead.

    This afternoon an exciting event took place - our boat arrived at the docks. Although we cannot board until tomorrow, it was fun to have a close up look at the vessel that will be our home for the next seven nights. In the morning we will be checking out of the hotel, and at 3 pm we will be boarding the MS Olympia. The next leg of our adventure will start.    Baca lagi

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    We are Going Sailing

    9 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    In the short space of time we had been in Koblenz, we had learnt our way around the city centre, and also learned to appreciate the attraction of living in a modest sized city of 115.000 inhabitants. It would have been nice to spend some more time there, however the biggest challenge we faced was the uncomfortably hot weather.

    Each day, by the middle of the afternoon, it was a challenge to be outside in the sun. Even though it was not so hot by Australian standards, it was apparently a little unusual to experience such hot weather in Germany this late in the season. At least we did not have to worry about getting wet.

    We did not have an ambitious schedule for the day, as we all knew that we would be boarding our boat at 3 pm. Hearing that some of the others had discovered a bike shop of biblical proportions, not far from our hotel, that seemed like a pretty good place to have a look around.

    The shop certainly was impressive, both in its dimensions, and in the quality and number of its bikes and accessories. It is worth noting that although there was a huge range of ebikes, touring bikes and mountain bikes, I could not even find a single light weight road bike ! Maybe this says a lot about the difference between cycling in Europe and Australia.

    The bike shop even had a test track, where prospective bike buyers could take bikes for a test ride. Now, I haven't seen that in Australia.

    Maggie experienced something of an epiphany at that moment, when she saw a lovely green Cube ebike, and experienced love at first sight. Although she loves her Gazelle bike back in Australia, in Europe I think she could be tempted to be unfaithful. I remembered back to the old days (over 50 years ago) when she used to gaze at me with that look in her eyes.

    After enjoying a nice coffee and a cool rest in the cafe in the magnificent new library building, we wandered back to the hotel to wait for the rest of the group. While some had decided that 400 metres downhill was definitely too far to walk, there were several of us who were made of stronger stuff.

    At about 2.30pm we gathered our luggage and set off on the 10 minute walk down to the docks where the MS Olympia was moored. This boat will be our home for the next week as we make our way along the Moselle River to Saarburg.

    While David and I found our way to the boat, when we turned around the women had gone missing in action. We could have gone back looking for them, but it was hot outside, and the boat WAS air conditioned. It did not take us long to decide that they would probably eventually make it (they usually do). David and Iq settled down in airconditioned comfort.

    The MS Olympia is certainly larger and more luxurious than any other vessel we have used on our previous bike and barge adventures. Not only does it accommodate 96 passengers and 21 crew members, all the cabins feature full air-conditioning, TVs and fridges. You can even fit in the bathroom in reasonable comfort. It was almost a genuine "pyjama boat".

    While the comfort was very welcome, it was a little difficult to share our boat with so many other people, many of whom were chain smokers. Although they are not allowed to smoke indoors, they waste no time lighting up as soon as they take the first step out the door. Maybe I will bring my own gas mask on the next voyage.

    After a welcome and introductions of the various crew members, we were subjected to an almost interminable briefing session, which would have been a great cure for anyone's insomnia. It seemed to go on for hours.

    Then we moved downstairs to the impressive dining room. The service and food was excellent, but it was amazing just how much noise 96 passengers can make when they have had too much to drink and have too much to say. In fact the noise level was so high that I struggled to hear anything that was being discussed at our table.

    It had been a long day, and we were all very keen to finish the final course and retreat to the quiet of the upper desk. Too late, the smokers had already polluted the air up there with clouds of noxious smoke. Perhaps the best place to be is sleeping in our own cabin after all.

    Tomorrow we get on the bikes for the first time. The weather forecast ? Another day with a temperature in the low 30s.    Baca lagi

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    Cochem and Eltz Castle

    10 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Six years ago I was riding with a group of Ghostriders on our French Feasts ride. The first part of that adventure was a prologue ride in the form of a week long bike and barge trip along the Rhine from Mainz to Basel. The lady who provided our daily bike briefings was a German lady with a thick accent. I have long forgotten her name, but I never forgot her advice to me.

    One day we were talking about the Rhine ride and she confided in me that her regular guiding route was along the Moselle River from Koblenz to Saarburg. She went on to say that the Rhine was "OK", but that "I really must come back and ride the Moselle".

    Her advice stuck in my mind, and I soon began planning a ride that would include the recommended section of the Moselle. Of course, at that time, I had no idea that a small pandemic called Covid would halt all tourism for three years. It was not until 2023 that I would finally be able to see if the guide's advice was accurate.

    Today was to be our first day of sailing, and also our first chance to sample our bikes. Before we could get on the bikes, we had a couple of hours of cruising up the Moselle to the village of Alken. This also gave us the first chance to experience passing through one of the many locks on the river.

    Although we were all looking forward to getting back on a bike, we were not looking forward to another hot day and burning sun. The weather forecast promises another two days of these sort of conditions before some welcome moderation is expected.

    We were all wondering how almost 100 bikes would be unloaded, and it did not take us to find out. A sloping ramp was rigged between the boat and the wharf, and the bikes were each rolled down at some speed (only moderated by a rope looped on the seat). It mostly worked well, until they came to unload Allan's bike. That is when it went pear shaped. The catcher missed the bike, the bike crashed heavily onto the concrete, damaging the mudguard. This time, Allan could not blame Michael, but we could all see that he was not amused.

    As for the bikes, they were excellent. In fact they all looked virtually brand new. Apart from Allan's bike, they were a pleasure to ride. The bright red ebikes certainly were easy to spot, as were the bright yellow and pink shirts of our riders.

    With so many riders all gathered around at the start, it was a little chaotic to get everyone organized. The obligatory group photo at the start turned into a monumental battle to get 27 Ghostriders all facing in the same direction at the same time. It would have been much easier to get 27 chickens dance Swan Lake. I also forgot to unfurl the Australian flag that I had carried all the way from Australia with me, just for this occasion.

    With the heat already building, everyone was keen to get going without delay. Since it would be impossible to try to ride in a group of 27 (it is hard enough to manage about 10 at one time), we broke up into a number of small groups and headed off towards Cochem.

    There was an optional side trip to the spectacular Eltz Castle. Unfortunately, to get there, you have to first ride up a hill, and then walk for about 45 minutes up a steep, rocky path. If the weather had been cooler, I think that more of our group would have given it a go. As it turned out, only 6 out of 27 had the will power and/or stamina to make it to the castle.

    And so, it was myself and 5 women who battled the extreme heat and steep climb. And was it worth it ? It most certainly was, although by the time I got there, I was almost ready to stage a medical emergency of my own. All I wanted was a place to sit and get a cold drink. I discovered that they had very cleverly placed the cafe past the entrance gate. That meant it cost each of 14 Euro, just for the privilege of buying a drink.

    After our blood had stopped boiling, we spent some time wandering around the place. It really was the stuff of storybooks, perched high on the mountain, with a whimsical assortment of turrets, towers and tunnels. It would have been nice to spend more time there, but we had a schedule to keep.

    This amazing structure is approximately 850 years old and has been owned by the same family for 34 generations. That really is a staggering statistic.

    Fortunately, the downhill walk was a lot easier than the uphill walk. Just as fortunate was the fact that our bikes had not been stolen. They were still exactly where we had left them. We climbed aboard and resumed our ride to Cochem.

    Even though the path was flat, the scorching sun and high temperature did make the difficulty factor higher than it should have been. We were glad to reach the boat, just in time for the complimentary coffee and cake at 4.30 pm.

    I would also be worth mentioning something of the village of Cochem itself. The town is nestled in the Moselle Valey, and dominated by the fairytale shape of Cochem Castle on the nearby hill. It really is one of the prettiest towns you could ever imagine. I guess that is why it is overrun by thousands of tourists every day. This really is pyjama boat country.

    (Note the Internet on the boat is far too slow to upload any images, so that will have to wait till when we are back in a normal hotel)    Baca lagi

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    Cochem to Zell

    11 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    We all knew we would be in for a hot day of riding. In fact it would be the hottest day so far. One of the advantages of these bike and boat trips is that there is no pressure or expectation on anyone to ride if they don't want to. There is always the option of spending a relaxing day on board the boat instead. And that is exactly what Maggie and I did.

    After yesterday's hot ride and after being one of the few to make the hard climb to Eltz Castle, we just were not enthused enough to climb back on the bikes in the hot sun.

    This left us with the morning free to explore Cochem, before the boat was due to depart. As it turned out, we got back about an hour early, which was just as well because the boat was already getting ready to leave. I don't know what would have happened if we had been back any later.

    The city of Cochem is dominated by the towering Cochem Castle. This can either be reached via a tough walk, or an easy bus ride. Maggie and I had decided that we would take the bus, however we discovered that the first bus was not until 10.30 am, which would leave us very little time to explore the castle anyway. Oh well, you can't see everything.

    At 11.30 am we were off and sailing. It was a real tonic to be able to sit and watch the scenery pass by. In fact it was just like being a passenger on one of those infamous "pyjama boats". On such boats you really don't have to do anything apart from slip into your pyjamas on the first day, and then just look out the window of your cabin.

    To make us a little more comfortable the steward had folded up our beds and converted them into two seats. This also made the cabin considerably more spacious.

    The recurring feature of this part of the Moselle is the steep hills on both sides of the river. Most of these steep slopes have been covered with vineyards for hundreds of years. We wondered how tough it would be tending the vines on such unforgiving ground. It was little wonder than many of these vineyards had developed little motorised carts to cope with the gradient. I wondered what would happen if they ever suffered a brake failure.

    We enjoyed a light lunch on board with a small number of fellow passengers who had also made the wise decision to avoid the heat.

    Each day at around 4 pm the riders are welcomed back on board the boat with a hot tea or coffee and a slice of cake. Of course, this time we were the first in the queue.

    Tomorrow is also predicted to be another hot day, although the predicted top temperature of 29C is a little milder than today's scorching 33C.    Baca lagi

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    Zell to Kues

    12 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    The early morning was comfortably cool as we set off on the 45 km ride to Kues. The milder weather was very welcome, as was the fact that the ride closely followed the river for the entire ride.

    Along the way we passed through Traban Trabach. While it was undeniable that the city was picture perfect in just about every detail, I could not help but wonder how authentic the place really was. It seems that these places have been recreated specifically for the bustling tourist trade. Every such "recreated" city has the daily influx of busloads of elderly, camera toting tourists, all eager to make the walk from their bus to the waiting tourist train which would take them through the town. It is all a bit too much like Disneyland for me.

    We battled our way through the centre of the city, fighting to wheel our bikes through the solid mass of people. It felt like I was taking my bike to the MCG on Grand Final Day.

    After leaving Traban Trabach, we continued to Kues, arriving at 12.30 pm. We found ourselves ahead of all the others (apart from David, who had ridden non stop without stopping to see anything at all). We then waited on the side of the Moselle for the Olympia to arrive at around 2 pm.    Baca lagi

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    Kues to Mehring

    13 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Last night we were entertained by an extended electrical storm that regularly punctuated the night sky with brilliant flashes of lightning. I love these displays of nature, and it also foreshadowed a break in the run of hot and humid days that we had been experiencing.

    This morning was much cooler, the sky was overcast and the humidity was quite a lot more comfortable. It would be a good day for riding, but I was somewhat distracted by a personal problem. I was discovering life without the Internet.

    It is amazing how you can take something for granted unto you no longer have it. Back home in Australia, the Internet is so easily accessible that we do not stop to think about it. Since arriving in Europe four weeks ago, I had been accessing the Internet via an eSIM that I had purchased before leaving Australia.

    The advantage of such a device is that it does not require anything to be installed in your phone. It is purely a piece of software that somehow allows you to connect to the local mobile phone provider. It had been working well from the time I first set foot in Holland. And then, a couple of days ago, it stopped.

    I wasted hours fiddling with my phone, resetting everything and changing every setting I could find. It still did not work. The boat did offer very limited (and extremely slow) Internet access, and I was able to contact the provider to seek help. Nothing they suggested worked. This meant that, as soon as I left the boat, I was out of contact with the world.

    Today's ride was expected to be around 48 km, but for some reason, ended up being considerably longer that.

    The first major highlight was the town of Piesport. It turned out to be a place that had built its fame and fortune purely on the sale and promotion of alcohol. All along the bike path was an endless succession of booths and kiosks set up to sell alcohol to the passing cyclists. It might have been called Piesport by name, but I thought it was more like Pisspot by nature. I had no desire to spend any more time there than was absolutely necessary.

    We continued on our way to the town of Mehring, which was where the boat was due to be moored. Unfortunately we could not find the boat, and spent a lot of time riding from one of the town to the other looking for the familiar sight of the MS Olympia.

    Eventually we did see our boat as it passed under the big bridge, and then followed it to the mooring place. Dinner this evening took the form of a BBQ on the top deck of the boat. They really had put a lot of work into getting everything ready, so it was unfortunate that it came to a premature end when heavy rain started.

    It was a much cooler night, which greatly aided sleeping.    Baca lagi

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    Mehring to Trier

    14 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    One of the lessons I have learnt from all the previous rides I have done is to beware of the so called "short days", as often these can throw up the most unexpected challenges. Today's ride was originally supposed to be only 28 km - an absolute doddle in anyone's language. It did not turn out that way.

    The captain explained that there had been a problem with our intended mooring point in Trier. Apparently, this choice location had now been snaffled by one of the larger cruise ships (probably a Viking), and that we had now been relegated to a rather second (actually fourth) rate mooring about 8 km out of the town. To make matters even worse, the mooring was right in the middle of an ugly industrial estate, surrounded by stinking metal recycling plants and toxic waste dumps.

    The change of mooring point also had a further negative impact on our day's ride. The city of Trier is the oldest city in Germany and is famous for its impressive Roman ruins. It was certainly a place we wanted to explore, but, just like the old Roman buildings, our plans were also in ruins.

    Since the new mooring point was about 8 km before Trier, we would have to ride ahead to the city, and then ride the same path again to get back to the boat. If that was not bad enough, the following morning we would have to ride it a third time as we resume our ride along the Moselle. It was not the way it was meant to be.

    We started the ride at about 9 am and made good progress till we stopped at a substantial coffee shop for morning tea. Just as we were sitting in the sunshine, enjoying our drinks, a rather terrifying event took place. Every mobile phone (and I mean EVERY MOBILE PHONE) started pinging with an emergency alert message. Since the message was in German we had no idea what it was telling us.

    All around the coffee shop people were looking at their phones in horror. Surely Putin had not done the unthinkable, and pressed the red button? I looked up at the sky, expecting to see the vapour trails from incoming missiles. Fortunately the only trails I could see were from the normal air traffic.

    After several minutes of communal confusion, the waitress gradually assured everyone that it was just the government testing their alert system. Apparently it is something that is done once a year. For us, it was a rather unsettling experience, and certainly increased our anxiety levels off the scale.

    We continued on for a short distance, trying to regain our composure, when we struck the second major challenge of the day. The trail was completely closed for some sort of reconstruction. For a time, we did not know whether to just ignore the sign and try to go around it. Finally we decided to try to navigate our way instead.

    The fact that there were no detour signs made the navigation that much harder. We didn't really know where we were going, but just rode around a complex series of local roads, until we finally worked our way around the blockage. It added significantly to the distance we had to ride that day.

    After narrowly averting nuclear disaster, and negotiating a meandering detour, we finally reached Trier about 2 pm. By that time it was very hot, and the sight of a huge throng of tourists was not a welcome one. We went in search of somewhere quieter to rest for a while.

    Most of us had elected to participate in a "guided tour" of the city. I normally avoid these unpleasant experiences, but somehow decided to throw common sense aside and pay the 20 Euro fee for the unpleasant experience.

    The tour started at 3 pm. It was the hottest time of the day, so we all hoped it would be short. It wasn't. It went on and on, with lots of dates and other details that were immediately forgotten. We staggered around the city, just wanting the thing to end.

    When the tour finally finished at around 5 pm, we still had to get back to the boat. This is where the real circus began. There were about 50 of us in total, who all required guiding out of the city and back to the Olympia. Our cycling guide on the boat was a confident blonde German called Julia. Since she was going to lead us back to the boat, we thought it would be simple and straightforward. It wasn't.

    Julia did not seem to know where we were. The huge conga line of riders followed her as she twisted and turned through the narrow streets. I soon started to doubt her navigation, as we were heading in the opposite direction to where we should be going. I have never ridden in such a huge peloton, riding along busy roads in a major city. It was not only funny, it was potentially very dangerous.

    Julia eventually realised that she was going the wrong way, and the giant peloton found itself right back in the centre of the city - exactly where we had started about 20 minutes earlier. This really was developing into a very long day.

    After some more confusion, the correct path was finally located, and we started back toward the Olympia. By that time riders were stretched out over a huge distance, and several became disconnected from the group. It really was a perfect example of how NOT to lead a group of riders.

    It was after 6 pm by the time that we reached the familiar safety of the boat. It was almost dinner time. What a day.    Baca lagi

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    The Final Night on Board

    15 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    The final day of any extended ride is always a little sad, especially when the cycling conditions were absolutely perfect. Once you settle into a simple routine of daily riding, it really is hard to stop.

    Today we would not only be completing our final ride, but we would also be saying goodbye to the beautiful Moselle River that had been the theme of our week of riding. It was now time to join the Saar River and then follow it to the end of our ride at Saarburg.

    For almost the entire ride we stuck closely to the riverbank. At one stage we had a brief transit through the tiny country of Luxembourg, before catching a ferry back across the river back to Germany again.

    Maggie and I rode by ourselves for most of the day and enjoyed the quietness and solitude. At the end of the ride we removed our personal gear from the bikes, and prepared for the next stage of our adventure.

    That evening was the final night on board, and by tradition, this is when the captain plays host. He also made a special announcement that, because of the terrible mooring location in Trier, all the drinks would be free. I suspected that this would have happened regardless of where we had moored.

    Needless to say, it was a very noisy night, and we were happy to retire to our cabin earlier than usual.

    Tomorrow, we say goodbye to the Olympia, and look forward to a couple of bicycle free days in Saarburg.    Baca lagi

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    Goodbye Olympia, Hello Saarburg

    16 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    After our week of exploring the bike/barge along the Moselle, it was time to get off the Olympia and make our way to our hotel. It was an early 5.30 am wake up, followed by breakfast at 6.30 am. Our bags were packed (ie crammed) and offloaded from the boat at 7.30 am.

    The Hotel Am Markt was a short distance away from the dock, so I grabbed the handles of both our suitcases and started walking. I had not gone far before I felt an unfamiliar weight in my pocket. I wondered what it was. It was the key to our cabin !

    I immediately Uturned and walked back to the boat where I was met by the scowling steward. They had already realised that I was about to abscond with the key (and probably incur a huge penalty fine in the process).

    With the great key scandal thus averted, I was able to complete the easy walk to the hotel and drop the bags in. The rest of the day was free to explore.

    Saarburg is a most pleasant small town, centred on a scenic canal. During the day the area near the canal is packed with tourists, but after dark it is very peaceful.

    The major landmarks of the city are the elevated Saarburg Castle and the Reformed Church, both of which are situated high above the town. We made the strenuous climb up to the top of the tower to look down on the village and the river from this vantage point. It was well worth the effort.    Baca lagi

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    White Knuckles in Saarburg

    17 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Since today was our free day in Saarburg, we both slept in to the quite ungodly hour of 8 am. Instead of feeling refreshed by such a long sleep, I actually felt rather tired. I had spent most of the night fighting a losing battle with the tiny doona.

    These cursed things seem have become a thing in Europe since our last trip 4 years ago. While I enjoy sleeping under a normal sized doona, those that we have been finding in our hotel rooms are tiny little things, not much bigger than a hand towel. I find it absolutely impossible to find a comfortable sleeping position and find that my body temperature alternates between hot and cold. I have even tried throwing the whole lot on the floor, and just sleeping on top of the mattress, While that works for a while, it is not compatible with a satisfying night's sleep. And so, the nightly doona battle continues unabated.

    One of the attractions of Saarburg is a chairlift that goes from the township up to the top of a nearby hill. All of the others in our group had already decided to take the ride. In contrast, I had a problem.

    Maggie has always had a paranoid fear of heights. Even standing on top of a chair is a death defying challenge for her. The thought of sitting suspended high in the air on a chair lift was enough to transform her into a quivering mess. In spite of that, we set out on the walk to the base of the lift, to watch the others setting off up the hill.

    In spite of her fear, Maggie somehow agreed to buy a ticket and join me on the ride up. Well join me is probably an understatement. She closed her eyes and then dug her fingernails deep into the back of my hand. When the chair started to wobble a little, the fingernails went in even deeper. It turned out to be a painful experience for both of us.

    We did safely make it to the top of the mountain, without suffering a cable break or a heart attack, however I was a little disappointed at the views that we were rewarded with. In my opinion, the view from the tower at the palace was infinitely superior.

    After a coffee, it was time to face the return chair ride back down the hill. The entire drama was enacted for a second time, with Maggie holding her breath for most of the way down. She did not resume smiling till we were both safely back down on the ground.

    Tomorrow morning, we will split into two groups. Ken Lister will be taking 16 riders to Passau to begin their ride along the Danube from Passau to Vienna. Another 8 of us will be coming with me to Donaueschingen (the place where the Danube River begins) to begin our ride along the upper reaches of the Danube.

    There are also 4 others who will now be heading back to Australia. Those are Steve and Gill Wilson, Pascale Turvey and Sarah Barlin.

    In case you have been wondering about the weather - it has been close to perfect. So far we have not had even a single wet day, and most days have blessed us with lovely conditions for riding. That is why we always choose this time of the year for our European rides.    Baca lagi

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    Trains and Trains and Pains

    18 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    After our brief time in Saarburg, it was time for us to all to move on. Ken Lister would be taking 15 of our riders and heading to Passau to begin a week long ride from Passau to Vienna, while I would be heading with a group of 8 riders to Donaueschingen to begin a series of extended rides in Germany, Switzerland and France. There would also be four others who would be returning to Australia.

    After spending so many happy moments together, such partings are always difficult. Last night there were many hugs and farewells as the reality of the moment hit home. The Ken Lister team (let's call them the A Team) had the earliest start. In fact it was so early that they had to miss breakfast. It was just as well they did not know in advance just how exhausting their day was going to be.

    My team (the B Team) had a slightly more leisurely start (ie we were able to have breakfast), but at 8.45 am we began the walk to Saarburg Station. In order to get from Saarburg to Donaueschingen, we had to successfully navigate between four train journeys, all of them with quite short changeover times. What could possibly go wrong ?

    The first step went according to the plan. We even managed to find space for our luggage. The train ran on schedule and we arrived at Saarbrucken with time to catch the next train to Kaiserslautern. Here the transit time was very short 7 minutes, constituting a mad panic run from one platform to another.

    When we boarded the next train to Karlsruhe, we thought the worst was behind us. It wasn't. Even though we had prebooked 1st class seats on that leg, we clambered onto the train, only to find that strangers had commandeered our seats and refused to move. This threw all of us into a state of confusion (it doesn't take much to do that), and we found that we were soon spread over two carriages, with our luggage jammed into any space we could find. David found a comfy place lying on the staircase, I think Maggie found a seat in the toilet, and the rest were sitting on their luggage or on each other's knees. It was not a pleasant journey.

    Surely the worst was now behind us ? Actually it wasn't. We had thought that the final 2 hour ride to Donaueschingen would be quiet and peaceful. We did not anticipate that we would be soundly abused as soon as we set foot in the carriage.

    In the entry to the carriage the only seats left were occupied by two bicycles, While I am an avid supporter of cycling, it did seem a little unfair that these bikes actually took up 8 seats and left us all standing. I proceeded to rearrange the bikes so that they would take up less room. It was an obvious solution to an overcrowded train. I did not realise that it would provoke an outburst from the elderly (and obviously unhinged) owner of one of the bikes.

    With an overwhelming sense of righteous indignation, I explained to the guy that we were not taking any notice of him, and that he would be wise to mind his own business. Even so, we still had our team uncomfortably crammed in with suitcases and sitting on tiny fold down seats.

    It was not until well into the trip that the carriage emptied enough for everyone to more or less find a proper seat. The irate bike owner never did come back for his bike (a fact that I was very happy with) and the final hour of the trip took us through magnificent mountain scenery with a long succession of tunnels.

    We arrived at our destination at around 3.15 pm and went in search of coffee and cake to settle our nerves. In the meantime we had been regularly checking on the progress of Team A. We learned that their trip had been even more horrendous than ours. It looked like the train company had sold twice as many tickets as the available number of seats, leaving them sitting on the floor of the train. The train toilets were blocked and overflowing. It was a truly ugly scene. No wonder they were all completely exhausted when they finally arrived at Passau late in the afternoon.

    At least we had a very pleasant surprise waiting for us when we arrived at our hotel - the bikes that would be our transportation for the next few days. They were bright red ebikes made by Velo du Ville, with Bosch motors and batteries. They looked brand new, and certainly rode extremely well. Carol immediately fell in love with hers, and decided that David will need to purchase one for her the moment they arrive back in Australia.

    Tomorrow is a free day to recover from the travel trauma, before we begin cycling the upper reaches of the Danube.    Baca lagi

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    The Donaueschingen Doddle

    19 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Donaueschingen is a lovely township of some 20,000 inhabitants, sitting at an elevation of 700m above sea level. In the winter time, the city is blanketed with a thick carpet of snow, but at this time of the year, the climate is fine and mild - perfect for cycling and sightseeing.

    Donaueschingen is also famous for being situated at the confluence of the Breg and Bregach rivers. Although it is now recognised as the place where the Danube begins, the controversy has raged for a long time as to the true source of the famous river. Most references now regard the Danube river as starting from the Donauquelle Fountain in the centre of the city, although this unassuming small spring hardly looks capable of giving rise to anything more than a modest dribble.

    When we last visited this town during our 2016 Odyssey Ride, we quickly fell in love with the place. Now that we are back 7 years later, I can still feel an attraction for this pretty town and its clean, fresh air. At this time of the year there are almost no tourists, the bike paths are clear and inviting. Even the smoking seems to be far less of a problem here, than it was in every other place we have visited so far.

    Today was a rest day, and we all felt that it was thoroughly deserved after the chaos we experienced on the previous day's train ride from Saarburg. It was wonderful to quietly stroll the steets, enjoy the large park and enjoy a quiet lunch in one of the town's eateries.

    The Danube is not the only thing that starts in this city. The famous long distance bike path (The Donau Radweg) also begins right next to the Donauquelle Fountain. Tomorrow we will climb on our new bikes and head out of the city along that route.    Baca lagi

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    Donaueschingen to Fridingen

    20 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    What are the ingredients for the perfect day's ride ? I guess you could start with lovely weather. Clear blue skies, moderate temperatures and no wind would be ideal. You could then add in a great bike in perfect operating condition. If it is an ebike, that is even better. Next you would need some good friends to share the ride with. Finally, of course you need spectacular scenery and a lovely smooth surface to ride on. That should just about be enough to give you an experience to remember for a long time to come.

    And that is exactly what we had today. The Danube bike path from Donaueschingen to Fridingen surely must rank as one of the best cycle paths in Europe, if not the world. The Danube River starts from the confluence of two small streams - the Brreg and the Brigach. The Donau Radweg begins in the centre of Donaueschingen and closely follows the Danube (Donau) for hundreds of km.

    On this ride we will only be following the cycle path as far as Ulm, a distance of around 200 km over a period of four days. As we rode along the bank of the Danube, we could see that it was only a modest stream. This is a far cry from the huge river that it grows into downstream.

    The bike path is almost entirely sealed and wanders through the wide valley, passing a succession of farms and through beautiful small villages. When you first glimpse each village from a distance, the first object you see is the church steeple. The rest of the village is crowded around this central point.

    On this early section of the path, the most significant location is the Danube Sink, where the river disappears completely into the porous limestone. It then flows underground for several km, before gradually emerging again from the river bed, We stopped here for a group before moving on.

    Some distance further along we stopped at the sizeable town of Tuttlingen for lunch, before completing the day's ride to Fridingen by 2 pm. It was a bit of a nuisance that our luggage took another two and a half hours to join us. That meant we had to eat our dinner still dressed in our riding gear. But in the overall scheme of things, that really was only a very minor inconvenience.

    It really had been a sensational day.    Baca lagi

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    Fridingen to Scheer

    21 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    If yesterday's ride was rated 10/10, then today would have to up the ante to the proverbial 11/10. Not only did the run of perfect weather continue unabated, but the scenery was probably even more beautiful than what we experienced yesterday. It is little wonder that this section is often regarded as the most amazing on the entire Danube Bike Path.

    The first section from Fridingen to Beuron runs through a wide, flat bottomed valley, bordered by towering stone cliffs. We were never far from the river we had seen start in Donaueschingen yesterday. although with each passing km, it gets a little bigger.

    Beuron is dominated by a huge abbey. There are also signs everywhere that remind us that we are on a pilgrim route. This is part of the huge network of Camino trails that originate from all over Europe, and terminate in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. There are many small shrines and chapels along the path, that invite the cyclist to stop for a while and ponder.

    Unfortunately we are now down to only 7 riders. Carol has been suffering from a cold for the past couple of days and elected to catch the train instead of ride. She met us later along the way at Sigmaringen. Maggie was also a doubtful starter, having strained her back early in the morning at the hotel. She managed to complete the 50 km ride with difficulty, and only time will tell if she is able to ride tomorrow.

    You might think that by following a river downstream, the path would be all downhill. You might think that, but you would be completely wrong. Today's route was actually quite "lumpy", with some significant sharp climbs. In fact during the day, the GPS told me that we had a total ascent of over 800 metres. I guess that is why we all felt quite tired at the end of the ride.

    The town of Sigmaringen is dominated by a huge palace structure. While it certainly is impressive, to me it is just another reminder of the disparity of wealth and power between the royalty and the rest of the population. Four of us decided to have a quick wander through some of the buildings, but after about 30 mins we were keen to get to our hotel in Scheer.

    Carol joined us the final 10 km or so, and soon we were riding into the grounds of the lovely Donaublick Hotel. This hotel was a favourite on our 2016 ride, and it was a great feeling to be back again. It was even nicer when we were welcomed with a free cup of coffee and cake.    Baca lagi

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    A Foretaste of Winter

    22 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    It certainly was an alarming sight. When I came down to reception to check out of our hotel, I discovered that David was running to and fro with a crazed and confused look on his face. While some that know David well would well contend that he always looks that way, I quickly ascertained that something horrendous must have happened.

    "I've lost our room key", he shouted at the poor lady behind the desk. "I've searched everywhere, unpacked our luggage and ransacked the room', he added, "and it is absolutely nowhere". David seemed convinced that some sort of paranormal phenomenon was responsible.

    I am not sure what the accepted fine for losing a hotel key is, but David is already racking up quite a litany of stolen keys, unpaid drinks bills and room damage. I left David running around in ever diminishing circles, while I went to cram my own huge pile of clothing into my suitcase. This is a recurring problem on these trips.

    In the meantime another problem had arisen - outside it was pouring rain. OK, some smart alecs might comment that it seldom ever rains inside, but this was something of an unwanted development. Up to now we had managed to ride in a continuous sequence of glorious fine days. That had now come to an end.

    In Europe the last day of summer is officially counted as September 21, making today the first day of autumn. If the cold and wet conditions were any indication, it looked like winter had gotten tired of waiting and had jumped over autumn in the seasonal queue.

    For two of our riders, the decision had already been made. Carol enjoyed her train trip so much that she has decided that it is a favourable alternative to sitting on a bicycle seat. Maggie had suffered a recurrence of her back problem and was barely able to walk, let alone ride for 65 km.

    A bit of research indicated that it would be possible to catch a train from nearby Mengen, about 5 km further along the trail. By 9 am we were ready to move. One person was acting unusually quiet. I asked the obvious question "David, did you find the missing key ?". He did not want to talk about it, probably because I discovered that the key that had caused such panic earlier in the morning had been safely resting in his own pocket the entire time. Sometimes I really do wonder why I keep taking these people on adventure travel experiences, when it is obvious that even a trip to Fountain Gate shopping centre would be too challenging for most of them.

    We headed out in drizzling rain and cold conditions. The short sleeves of the previous days had been replaced with rain jackets and plastic (oompa loompa) pants. The first day of autumn had certainly brought a drastic change in our peloton.

    The first challenge was to find the station in Mengen. This was simple enough. The next challenge was to work out which platform to wait on. Much harder. The biggest challenge was to figure out how to use the automated ticket machine. Almost impossible.

    David and I spent several minutes feeding handfuls of Euros into the greedy machine, while the correct train came and went. By the time the machine had robbed us of over 40 Euros for 2 tickets for a 15 minute journey, we all had to wait for the next train.

    When the train did come, we discovered that we had to manhandle the 2 ebikes up 4 steps to get them onto the train. It was an almost impossible task to achieve without incurring further bodily damage to ourselves and the bikes.

    Then it was time to ride to Ehingen. This was the longest ride of this section and also the most hilly. When you toss continuous rain into the equation, the overall level of difficulty went up exponentially. Although the rain was not heavy, it just would not stop. It kept on for the entire ride, gradually soaking into every item of clothing.

    I am sure the scenery was amazing. At least it would have been, if we could see it. Unfortunately the low cloud and the rain on my glasses meant that I was looking through a blurry haze for the whole ride. The rain even seemed to effect my GoPro camera, so that I could only take a small number of photos for the entire day.

    During the day we meandered near and far from the Danube River, but each time we rejoined it, you could see how it had grown in size. The Danube we had seen as a small stream in Donaueschingen is now a substantial and quite beautiful river.

    We eventually reached the destination city of Ehingen about 2 pm in the afternoon. The city welcomed us with a huge, ugly chemical complex on the edge of town. It had a towering chimney that belched out a veritable volcano of fumes into the atmosphere. When we rode closer we were also met by a wall of foul smelling gases and industrial noises. It would have to be one of the ugliest factories I have ever seen , and certainly did not give a welcoming impression of the city.

    Fortunately, the centre of the city is much more appealing than the outskirts. Its large central square is surrounded by majestic medieval buildings on all sides.

    Tomorrow we complete this ride by riding the rest of the way to Ulm.    Baca lagi

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    Hello Einstein

    23 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Ulm might be best known for being the birthplace of Albert Einstein, but for our group of eight, it was significant for another reason. This is the place where we finish our ride along the Danube, and then begin the next stage of our adventure.

    After the drizzling wet weather of the previous day, it was relief to awake to the sounds of silence. Although it was still very cool, at least the rain had stopped, and the forecast was that it would remain fine for the remainder of the day.

    Unfortunately, we had experienced a sort of a medical emergency the previous day, in the form of a relapse in Maggie's bad back. This had prevented her riding yesterday, but she was determined not to miss out on the final day of riding on the Danube.

    Although she was still in a great deal of discomfort, she loaded her pannier onto my bike (along with every other heavy item she could find). She figured that, with her bike thus unencumbered, she would at least be able to ride slowly. As I loaded the bulging panniers onto my bike, I started to wonder if I would be able to ride at all.

    We were offered two alternatives for the route. One of these was about 10 km longer than the other, so it was immediately rejected as a serious option for Maggie. We this divided into two groups, with six riders taking the longer route, and Maggie and I (with my seriously overloaded bike) taking the shorter route.

    After a short but steep climb out of Ehingen, the path soon settled into a glorious and smooth trail through farmlands and small villages. The weather remained fine and cold, and there was absolutely no wind. Although Maggie was finding the going very hard, we did manage to maintain a reasonable speed.

    Just as we were about half way to Ulm, we encountered a "speed bump". The bike path was blocked by a fire truck. The attendant explained that we would have to make a detour. "It will only add a few extra kilometres", he added. This was not what Maggie needed, but we had no choice but to comply.

    As soon as we started the detour, we realised just where we were. This was the site where Maggie had an unfortunate accident on our 2016 ride. As she was recovering from the fall, we went in search of a coffee shop for her to recover, but we could not find anything. At the time I classified the place as a "rubbish town".

    Seven years later, my opinion was the same. The traffic was continuous, making it downright dangerous to ride or cross the main road, and there was still no coffee shop. We rode on, following the detour signs, until we were back on the trail again.

    On the outskirts of Ulm we made a most unexpected discovery, Riding through a deserted technology precinct, we stumbled upon a large modern complex with a huge restaurant attached to it. We parked the bikes and entered.

    It really was a strange place. Virtually all the diners were enjoying some sort of high tea, complete with multi tiered plates, sandwiches, scones and cakes. It enticed us to do the same. We took a seat and then explained to the well dressed waitress what we wanted. It took some doing, but the message must have gotten through, because a few minutes later we were both having the time of our lives, dining like kings and queens.

    After lunch we availed ourselves of the toilet facilities and found them to be the cleanest and most sophisticated toilets we have ever experienced. We still have no idea what the place was, but it certainly came at the right time.

    We then only had about 7 km to ride until we reached our destination hotel in Ulm. As soon as I turned the final corner to the hotel, I realised it looked familiar. And it should have. I had stayed in that same hotel back in 2013 on our ride from Ulm to Vienna. Although the hotel had been modernised a lot since then, it was still a great place to stay. The location in the centre of the city was absolutely perfect, and the friendly lady at the desk made us feel very welcome.

    Not only we arrived we were met by the other 6 riders who had done the longer ride. It was time to strip the bikes and empty the panniers. We had all found these bikes to be fantastic, and we were sorry to see them go.

    Tomorrow we have a free day in Ulm, and the following day we make our way to Constance, to begin stage 4 of our trip.    Baca lagi

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    Free Day in Ulm

    24 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Ulm is a most attractive city, with its twin centres of the Old City and New Ulm divided by the Danube River. The old city, and indeed most of the new city is dominated by the huge Ulm Minster. Although it is not officially classed as a cathedral, it is a mammoth structure, that took over 600 years to be finally completed. Its spire is an eye watering 161 metres tall, making it the highest church steeple in the world. In fact, for a time the Ulm Minster was actually the highest man made structure in the world (higher even that the Great Pyramid).

    If you have the stamina and enthusiasm to climb the 700 steps of the staircase, you can get the best panoramic view of the city and the surrounding countryside. Since I have climbed this staircase twice before, and since I am now 7 years older, I decided to give it a miss this time.

    Maggie is still struggling with her back, so we had a rather leisurely day wandering the historic Fishermen's Quarters and walking alongside the Danube, interspersed with several coffees along the way. The low light of the day was the time spent in the Laundromat, catching up on the ever increasing mountain of dirty laundry.

    On the other side of the ledger, the highlight was watching a traditional German band playing to an enthusiastic crowd near the hotel. It was the perfect way to sample the rich culture of this place.

    Tomorrow we leave the Danube and head to Lake Constance.    Baca lagi

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    Crossing the Bodensee

    25 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    As much as we loved the time we had in Ulm, it was time for us to move on to the next stop on our journey. We will now be leaving the Danube and heading south to the famous Lake Constance. Our plan is to ride clockwise around this huge inland sea, starting and finishing in the city of Constance (or is it Konstanz ?).

    Our first task was to get our group of 8 and their huge pile of luggage from our hotel in the centre of Ulm, to the railway station. Due to our advancing ages and deteriorating state of health, the decision was made to order two taxis to help us get to the station without further ruining our bodies.

    After checking out of the hotel, we waited for the two taxis to arrive. We didn't have to wait long before two luxurious Mercedes Benz station wagons cruised to a stop near the front door. It looks like being a taxi driver is quite a prosperous occupation in Germany.

    We had been previously told by the helpful lady at hotel reception that the fare would be 8 Euro. Not bad we thought. The luggage was piled aboard, and soon we were on our way. During the short journey I had been watching the meter to make sure we were charged the correct amount. When we arrived at the station, the meter registered 9.70 Euros. This was a bit higher than we expected, but we could pay 10 Euro and thus allow a small tip.

    It was at that point that a quick push on a secret button somewhere magically doubled the price shown to almost 18 Euro. Strange but true. I have seen some shifty taxi operators in my time, but this was blatant extorsion. Carol also noticed the deception, but did not know what to say. We paid the inflated amount, but it really left a sour taste in our mouths. Now we knew how the taxi company could afford such expensive vehicles.

    When the second taxi pulled up, we found that their driver had only charged 12 Euro. Apparently his vehicle did not have the secret "daylight robbery" button.

    We managed to manhandle our luggage to the correct station platform, and then load it onto the correct train. That was the easy part. Finding our allocated seats and then finding anywhere to store our luggage - that was the real challenge. About 10 minutes was spent dangerously wobbling around the swaying carriage, while trying to locate a numbered seat and avoid falling into some random German's lap.

    Somehow we survived the 60 minute ride to Friedrichshafen, but it was a somewhat stressful trip. At the destination, we then had the challenge of having to quickly unload our mountain of luggage onto the platform. We were all glad to be out in the brilliant sunshine and fresh air.

    The next stage was to catch a ferry across Lake Constance (The Bodensee) to Constance city. That was a dream by comparison to the train trip. The voyage was smooth and fast, and 1 hour later we were walking off the boat in Constance.

    Although it was too early to check in to our hotel, we decided to at least drop our luggage there. It was only a short walk from the ferry terminal, and when we found the hotel, our luggage was not the only thing that was dropped. The opulence of the hotel entrance and foyer was not what we were expecting. The Budget Ibis it certainly was not.

    All around was polished wood, proclaiming a long and proud history. The breakfast room was enough to send the females into raptures and a session of rapid photo taking. I think it would be safe to say that everyone was happy.

    The rest of the day was spent wandering the area near the hotel. Initial impressions of the city were extremely favourable, and the location by the side of the lake was breathtaking.

    In the evening, the clear skies gave the 3/4 moon a chance for us to see how different it was from the moon we are familiar with in Australia.

    Tomorrow is a free day to further explore the area near Constance.    Baca lagi

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    A Trip to Mainau Island

    26 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Konstanz is an attractive city situated on the edge of Lake Constance (aka The Bodensee). It has a population of some 80,000 people and straddles the border between Germany and Switzerland. Its unique position was hugely significant during WW2, when the Germans heavily fortified the border to stop Jews and others from fleeing to neutral Switzerland.

    Today the border is easy to ignore. Apart from a sign advising that there are restrictions in carrying certain goods across the border to Switzerland, there are no other obvious reminders that you have entered a foreign country.

    Today was our "free day" in Konstanz. We could spend it any way we chose, however our entire group decided to use the time visiting nearby Mainau Island. This island lies just off the coast of the lake and is situated about 10 km from the centre of Konstanz. When we told the hotel receptionist about our plans, she helpfully handed each of us a free bus pass. That was a surprise, and a big contrast to the pirate taxi we had been fleeced by in Ulm.

    A short time later we were sharing the bus ride with a whole load of noisy secondary students and their hard working teachers. And guess where they were all heading ? To the same place we were.

    Mainau Island is now a large botanical garden, with acres of manicured lawns, flower gardens and even a Baroque Palace. While you might normally expect such botanical gardens to be free, we were somewhat stunned when we discovered that we would have to stump up the outrageous sum of 26 Euro each (about $50). And that was for the Seniors' Discount. There went our entire budget for the day.

    Fortunately the steep entrance fee was (almost) worth it. The place certainly was beautiful, and the views out over the fog bound Lake Constance were magical. I had to admit it was unlike any other place we had visited during this trip, especially the butterfly enclosure where we were attacked by hundreds of giant carnivorous flying insects.

    After 4 hours wandering Mainau Island we were positively exhausted. It was time to head for the peace of our hotel room. Unfortunately, the return bus was even more packed than the outward one. This seems to have become a feature of public transport during this trip. I am not looking forward to the bus and train transfers that we have to endure over the next couple of weeks.

    Late in the afternoon we decided to dine in that fine Scottish Restaurant called McDonalds. It might not be Michelin starred, but at least it did not break what's left of my flagging financial resources.

    Tomorrow, we depart this city and get back on the bikes for a 4 day circumnavigation around Lake Constance. The weather continues to be absolutely perfect, and is predicted to remain so for the forseeable future.    Baca lagi

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    Around the Bodensee - Day 1

    27 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    It was always going to be a very full day. It would have been a lot easier if our bikes could have been delivered to the hotel, but apparently that was not possible. Instead we had to make a 15 minute bus trip to the outskirts of Konstanz, find the bike company and then collect our bikes.

    Actually it was not as bad as it sounds. The bus stop was directly across the road from our hotel, and the bus pulled in at exactly the same time that we reached the stop. We did make a slight error by riding one stop past where we should have got off, but we found the bike company without any difficulty.

    Things got even better when we saw our bright red (and very new) ebikes all lined up and waiting for us. Since they were the same as the ones we had used on the Danube, we were very happy with what they had supplied. The friendly young girl even offered us a cup of coffee or an icecream to get us on our way.

    After some time adjusting seat heights and test riding, we were on our way. First we had to navigate from the bike depot to the point where we could join the GPS track. Then we made our way out of the city and on to the bike path along the edge of the lake.

    Since there was absolutely no wind, the lake was once again carpeted in a layer of fog. This made it impossible to see very far, but it also added extra atmosphere to the occasion.

    A few km later we were riding past the entrance to Mainau Island. David immediately got very excited, thinking it was the ferry terminal. We had to explain to him that we still had some distance to go.

    Unfortunately the GPS track that we had been supplied for this day did not take us to the correct ferry terminal. We were joined by several other, rather confused cyclists, who had all been given the wrong information. It took a local to explain that we still had to continue for a couple of extra km, before we would reach the correct place.

    Once again our timing was perfect. We arrived at the correct location, just as the ferry was about to leave. We rolled our bikes onboard and were soon silently cruising to the opposite side of the lake. Although there was still some fog, it was starting to lift and reveal another superb day.

    After getting off the ferry, it was time for lunch. Maggie and I enjoyed quite enormous pizzas, and would have quite easily settled down for an afternoon nap. Of course we still had another 35 km to ride, so any thought of a nap was out of the question.

    The rest of the ride skirted the edge of the lake and rewarded us with glorious views. Of special mention were the lovely homes that had direct lake views. I could only imagine how sought after these places would be.

    Although the bike path was quite crowded in places, we all managed to safely complete the ride to Friedrichshafen, the place where we had caught the ferry to Konstanz two days earlier.

    After settling into our room, Maggie and I went for a stroll along the shore to the port area and found a lovely table by the waterside. Greg and Andrea joined us as we watched the sun slowly set in the west. We were also entertained by numerous fish jumping out of the water. Across the lake we could see the towering silhouettes of the snow capped Swiss Alps. It was a magical end to a wonderful day.    Baca lagi

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  • The World on Two Wheels2023 Itzonagen European RideThe World on Two Wheels
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    Around the Bodensee - Day 2

    28 September 2023, Austria ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I have to admit that the day did not start well. After struggling down from our room to the hotel garage carrying both panniers, two batteries, chargers, GPS units and a host of other stuff, I switched on my bike and made a most unwelcome discovery.

    "Oh no, the battery has not charged at all", I exclaimed to nobody in particular. Which was just as well, since nobody was taking any notice of my predicament. What could have possibly gone wrong ? I had put both batteries on their respective chargers, and left them until the flashing lights went out. Now it looked like I will be riding a grossly overloaded bike with no electric motor support.

    It was only when I took a closer look at the bike that I made a second discovery. I am such an imbecile that I had forgotten to put the battery in the bike. It was Maggie's bike that I had put the battery in, my bike was still bereft of a battery.

    Feeling rather ashamed at my outburst, I quickly inserted the battery and watched the charge indicator rise to its full complement of lights. Things were starting to look up.

    Today's route was to take us from Friedrichshafen to the far eastern end of Lake Constance. Once again the early morning started with fog on the lake, which gradually lifted by the middle of the day. With clear skies and a top temperature of around 25C, it would be impossible to imagine better cycling conditions.

    The route around Lake Constance sometimes closely follows the waterfront, and sometimes veers away through nearby rural areas. One highlight of the morning ride was the unique suspension bridge at Langenargen. Apparently this bridge was the model for the much more famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

    Another more dramatic highlight occurred a short time later. We had just pulled over to enjoy the lakeside views, when an eagle eyed Gordon spotted something much more dramatic - an airship. Yes, it was a real blimp coming straight for us. It was not something you see every day of the week, especially at not such close quarters. Friederichshafen is famous for being the home of the airship. Although we did not have time to visit the airship museum, we did get to see one flying right over our heads.

    Further along we crossed the causeway to the small island city of Lindau. The waterfront is dominated by a towering lighthouse and a lion, also sitting on the top of a tower. Lindau is obviously a tourist mecca, complete with those dreadful little tourist trains and hordes of selfie taking visitors.

    Maggie and I looked for somewhere to buy lunch, but quickly discovered that the prices asked by the waterfront cafes were daylight robbery. I did not feel like paying $60 AUD for a Wiener Schnitzel. We went in search of something more appropriate for our impoverished financial status.

    Our search led us to a small bakery outside the dilapidated station building. At 5 Euros for a salad roll, this was more what I was looking for. What I wasn't expecting was to be served by the unfriendliest girl I had met in a long, long time. Not only did she snarl at me, but she literally snatched the money from my hand when I paid her. I wondered what had sent her into such a state, hoping that she had not taken the time to spit on our rolls behind our backs.

    We then went to find somewhere to eat our budget lunch near the water. We eventually found a seat near the railway line, where we were entertained by a very talented saxophone playing busker. To my surprise, the rolls tasted better than expected, so it wasn't a complete disaster.

    We only had about 10 km further to ride to reach our destination of Bregenz. This also meant that we had to cross into Austria, although neither of us noticed any sign of the border while we were riding. At this point the lake is narrower, and the opposite shoreline is quite spectacular.

    The bike path is also quite spectacular for an entirely different reason. We shared the path with a continuous stream of other cyclists, many of whom were either inexperienced riders, wobbling all over the path, or would be Tour de France winners, trying to set a new personal Strava record. The combination made for a quite dangerous mix of near misses and shouted warnings.

    We reached Bregenz mid afternoon and spent some time walking the centre of the city. I had heard about Europe's "narrowest house" being in the centre of the city, and wondered how anyone could live in a house that was only 57 cm wide. After visiting the house, I found out the answer. It is actually a con. Although the front of the house might be only 57 cm wide, once inside it opens up to a quite spacious art gallery. I was a little disappointed to be misled by the publicity.

    Tomorrow's ride will see us start to head back westwards. The following day will see us complete our circuit when we arrive back at Konstanz.    Baca lagi

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    A Supermoon in Arbon

    29 September 2023, Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Today we continued our circuit of the Bodensee, riding from the Austrian city of Bregenz to Arbon in Switzerland. Once again the weather was almost monotonously perfect. It is hard to believe that, after so many days of cycling, we have only experienced one wet day. Even that day was not wet enough to saturate us, just enough to dampen our spirits.

    After leaving Bregenz, we are now rounding the south east corner of the lake and are now starting to make our way back towards Konstanz. This section of the ride also teased us with some great views of the snow capped Swiss Alps.

    One of the highlights of the ride was crossing the Rhine River, as it flows into Lake Constance. We stopped on the bridge for some time to make fun with our shadows projected onto the water so far below us.

    Since the day's ride was a quite modest 40 km, we reached Arbon quite early in the day. We were excited to find that our hotel was the oldest building in the city, having been started in 1330. It certainly is one of the most character filled places I have ever stayed in.

    When I learned that this evening would be the last supermoon for 2023, I suggested that we should have a picnic on the lakeside. This would also save us all being bankrupted by the hugely expensive prices at the town's restaurants.

    We stocked up with supplies from the nearby supermarket and then found a good vantage point to watch the moon rise. It not only was a lovely place to enjoy a peaceful picnic, but it also seemed to be a great source of mirth for every local who walked past.

    Although the moon did rise on schedule at around 7.20pm, it was partly obscured by broken clouds. In spite of that, it was still a most memorable evening.

    Tomorrow we complete our circuit by riding the rest of the way to Konstanz.    Baca lagi

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    A Bloody Incident in Arbon

    30 September 2023, Jerman ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    It was certainly a shocking and unexpected sight. As David made his appearance at the breakfast table, we could not help but notice that his arms and shirt were covered in blood. It is hard to know how to react in such circumstances. Do you just ignore the elephant in the room, or do you try to make light of the situation?

    I know that we were staying in a 700 year old establishment, and also that such establishments would undoubtedly harbour many dark secrets, but I had no idea that such things could influence the actions of someone in the enlightened 21st Century.

    Of added concern was the fact that Carol was yet to make her appearance. If our police inspector couple were still with us, I am sure that they would have been asking penetrating questions. We all know that marital relations can become strained on these protracted holidays, but none of our previous 49 trips had ever terminated with a murder.

    David finally noticed the strange looks all directed in his direction, and then explained that somehow in the middle of the night, he had ripped his arm open on his goose feather pillow. The resulting hemorrhage had left the sheets and pillows covered in blood. Now I had heard some far fetched stories in my time, and also met some mighty thin skinned Collingwood supporters, but this story really pushed the boundaries of credulity to the maximum.

    When Carol finally made her entrance, we were all a little relieved to see that she was still alive. Maybe there was some truth to David's story after all. In any case, David spent the rest of breakfast time, staring into space with a blank look of terror on his face. Apparently it was the time of the Grand Final in Melbourne, and he had somehow tuned his hearing aid into the Internet in order to follow the proceedings.

    This was all very well, but every time someone tried to talk to him, he replied with a huge shout. It was obvious that he had no idea of how loud he was talking. At one stage, the owner of the hotel down the street, came into the room to ask if we could keep the shouting down a little as his guests were getting rather unnerved at the noise.

    David did not finally settle until he announced that the final bell had sounded and that Collingwood had won by four points. I guess that sent thousands of bogan supporters into a toothless delirium. It was only later that I read that they only won because of an umpiring howler in the final 2 minutes of the game.

    We finally started riding on the last leg of our Lake Constance circuit at the later than usual time of 9.30am. It was a little sad that we would soon be parting company with these bikes that had served us so well. At least the weather was still perfect, although the sky was a little cloudier than the previous few days.

    The route itself held no great challenges, but the scenery was quite superb. At about the half way point, several of the women started demanding a toilet stop, after all they had ridden for over 15 km without a break. I tried to communicate this request to Gordon, but somehow the peloton split into two (and remained that way for the rest of the ride).

    The rear half of the group stopped at a lakeside cafe for coffee, cake and toilets, while the front half disappeared into the distance.

    All too soon we were rolling back into the familiar territory of Konstanz. We crossed the Swiss/German border without even noticing it, parked the bikes for the final time and went in search of lunch.

    Tomorrow, we have a very early start as we travel to Dijon. We will finally be leaving Germany and entering France - our home for the remainder of the trip.    Baca lagi

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    A Day in Dijon

    1 Oktober 2023, Perancis ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    The time had finally come for us to say a final goodbye to Konstanz. The problem was that the departure time was too early. Far too early. When your train to Zurich is scheduled to leave soon after 7 am, there was certainly no time for sleep ins or leisurely breakfasts.

    Since we were going to miss breakfast, the hotel compensated by making up a little "lunch bag" for each of us. The only problem with that is that it added to the copious amount of luggage we were already struggling to manhandle to the railway station.

    At least the train arrived (precisely) on time, and to our relief the carriage was only partially full. And so it should have been - after all it was 7 am on a Sunday morning.

    We enjoyed a comfortable trip back through the Swiss countryside to Zurich HBF (central station). That is where we faced the challenge of trying to find the correct platform for the train to Paris. With a complete absence of Information Offices and departure details, we were not even sure we were on the correct station.

    By some sequence of luck and good management we did manage to stumble into the Paris bound train. It was even more good fortune to discover that our carriage was almost empty. We even had enough space to sensibly store our luggage.

    Soon we were gliding silently out of the station and on our way to Dijon. The countryside outside was hiding under a thick fog, so we could not see very far. It was only when we reached the city of Basel that things changed dramatically. A huge crush of passengers clambered into our carriage, filling every empty seat. Luggage was jammed into anywhere available. This seems to be the recurring pattern in post Covid train travel.

    The driver managed to spur the motors into propelling the train at an eye watering 318 kph. That was quite an experience. Such was the speed of the train that we arrived in Dijon around midday.

    We stepped out of the train into 26C heat and bright sunshine. So much for all the winter clothing we had dragged all around Europe. Maggie and I had visited this city several times in the past and had very favourable memories of the place.

    We walked the short distance from the station to our hotel, and arrived to find the door securely locked. This was an Aparthotel, and checkin was not possible till 4 pm. That was a bit of a problem, until two other guests came out of the hotel, leaving the door ajar. We jumped at the unexpected turn of events, dragging our luggage into the foyer. And that is where it stayed while we spent the rest of the day exploring this historic city.

    Unlike the Germans who renovate every historic building, so that they look like they were built yesterday, the French are not afraid to let buildings age gracefully. Peeling paint and cracked timbers are a testimony to what each building has been through.    Baca lagi

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