Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Munchen and the End
August 25, 2009 (Connor's 22nd Birthday!)
Just woke up in Orleans. We arrived here around 1PM yesterday. The ride from Tours on Sunday was probably the best weather we have had all trip. It felt like a crisp, fall day in the morning, and then Indian summer in the afternoon. About 20 clicks into the ride, I started seeing signs for the chateau at Cheverny. This is where the famous water lilly paintings were done by Degas. Having plenty of time to get to Orleans we took a detour. Once we got off the main road along the Loire River, the countryside got a lot more interesting. We got to Cheverny around 2PM and toured the chateau and the grounds. I would say the hilight for both of us was visiting the dog kennel. They keep about 50 French hounds for fox hunting. The smell was a little strong, but we are both missing our dogs at home, so we go nuts whenever we see any. It is kind of interesting that the chateau is privately owned. The family lives in the upper part of the right side of the chateau. The husband and wife were married there in 1994 and they have three children. I cannot believe the tourist money does any more than defray some of the operating costs of the place. I would say he is more than "nuvoue riche"!
We biked on to just south of Chambord and camped. The next day we biked into Chambord. I imagine this is where they make Chambord liquor, which tastes like an alcoholic berry pancake syrup. The chateau there is beautiful, too. We took pictures of the outside but did not stop. Continued biking to Orleans and arrived around 1PM. It is a beautiful city. I am not sure how big it is, but it has an interesting tram system. Very few cars in the city. The statue of Joan of Arc is right in the middle of the city.
We hop on our train to Paris in an hour and then catch the TGV to Munchen, where we will arrive at around 9PM. I found a place called Tent City about 6 clicks from the train station where we can camp. It looks like a huge outdoor hostel. It should be interesting.
This brings the biking portion of the trip to an end. I just broke another spoke yesterday for a grand total of 5 broken spokes, two flats, one destroyed rear derailleur, and one destroyed chain. Jordan had no flats and no broken spokes. The only work I had to do on her bike was minor adjustments after she would crash. It is ironic that the only serioius bike mechanic problems (derailleur) happened on the very first day of biking. One other bike maintenance task I did on the Italian Riviera was rotate my front and back tires. The back was getting pretty worn, which is normal since most of the weight is on it. All in all, pretty lucky in this regard.
Some pratical tips... Three pieces of equipment were crucial. The GPS (Garmin with Europe chip) was fantastic once I got the hang of it. About the only time it had serious problems was when you were in cities that had confusing roads. It would sometimes lead you in circles. In those cases, I would hit the out button to see a wider area on the screen, and then just bike in the general direction I wanted to go. The GPS came in very handy when choosing campgrounds. We used it to see where the closest restaurants or grocery stores were in relation to available campsites. I am looking forward to future versions which access the web and let you actually see more information about the sites in question. We would often use the GPS in conjunction with the next crucial piece of equipment to make our choices...
The netbook computer, although we could have done the trip without it, was a great piece of equipment to have. As mentioned previously, we would use it to check on ratings of hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, train schedules. But one of the best aspects of having it was the ability to communicate with people back home. We met a lot of interesting people on this trip, but there were some lonely points, too. It was always a high point of the day to find free WiFi (usually at McDonalds) and get on-line. It obviously was necessary to keep the blog updated in pretty much real time. I ended up getting the Dell Mini, refurbished, for about $260 (based on a recommendation by Chuck Shull, who really researches his purchases!). I also purchased a "sleeve" for it and a plastic case designed for bathing supplies (from The Container Store) to insure that I kept it dry. It was always in my handlebar bag.
The last crucial piece of equipment was our lowly cargo net begs from LL Bean. I originally decided to get these because we were only allowed two pieces of checked luggage per person on the plane. Our bikes were one of these, so I needed something strong and light-weight to carry our bike bags, tent, sleeping bag, etc. The cargo net bags were perfect. What I did not count on was how handy they were when we started travelling by train or checking into hotels. Most of the trains make you remove all panniers from the bike and then hang it vertically from the front tire. Since the amount of time you have to board a train is very short in most cases, unloading all our gear from our bikes and putting it in our cargo bags made entry and exit from trains much easier.
Another thing I highly recommend is hooking up with any friends you can while travelling. The second day of the trip, we had dinner with Ben Gifford and his mom, Klaudia Shaw. We had a great time seeing familiar faces in England. Next, we spent several great days in Paris at Paul and Danielle Zilk's home. It was great being joined there by Rob and Cheryl Crim and their kids, Haley and Jack. Lastly, we rolled into Lugano, Switzerland after rough biking in the Bavarian Alps and squatted for a full week with Vic Rush and his boys, Jordy and Keenan.
But the big thing we learned is the same thing Dorothy learned in the Wizard of Oz... There is no place like home! Barb, Connor, and Donna Madlener are meeting us in Munchen in a few days for a tour of eastern Europe. I wish Ian could have made it, too, but he is going to spend this time on Hilton Head watching Aslan, Wrigley, and Hallie. We are really excited to see them. Then it is back to the good old US of A! I may post some more on this blog of the eastern bloc portion of the trip, or I may not. Au Revoir, Arrevederchi, Auf Wiedersehen, So 'long, Good Bye!
Jordan and Mark
Just woke up in Orleans. We arrived here around 1PM yesterday. The ride from Tours on Sunday was probably the best weather we have had all trip. It felt like a crisp, fall day in the morning, and then Indian summer in the afternoon. About 20 clicks into the ride, I started seeing signs for the chateau at Cheverny. This is where the famous water lilly paintings were done by Degas. Having plenty of time to get to Orleans we took a detour. Once we got off the main road along the Loire River, the countryside got a lot more interesting. We got to Cheverny around 2PM and toured the chateau and the grounds. I would say the hilight for both of us was visiting the dog kennel. They keep about 50 French hounds for fox hunting. The smell was a little strong, but we are both missing our dogs at home, so we go nuts whenever we see any. It is kind of interesting that the chateau is privately owned. The family lives in the upper part of the right side of the chateau. The husband and wife were married there in 1994 and they have three children. I cannot believe the tourist money does any more than defray some of the operating costs of the place. I would say he is more than "nuvoue riche"!
We biked on to just south of Chambord and camped. The next day we biked into Chambord. I imagine this is where they make Chambord liquor, which tastes like an alcoholic berry pancake syrup. The chateau there is beautiful, too. We took pictures of the outside but did not stop. Continued biking to Orleans and arrived around 1PM. It is a beautiful city. I am not sure how big it is, but it has an interesting tram system. Very few cars in the city. The statue of Joan of Arc is right in the middle of the city.
We hop on our train to Paris in an hour and then catch the TGV to Munchen, where we will arrive at around 9PM. I found a place called Tent City about 6 clicks from the train station where we can camp. It looks like a huge outdoor hostel. It should be interesting.
This brings the biking portion of the trip to an end. I just broke another spoke yesterday for a grand total of 5 broken spokes, two flats, one destroyed rear derailleur, and one destroyed chain. Jordan had no flats and no broken spokes. The only work I had to do on her bike was minor adjustments after she would crash. It is ironic that the only serioius bike mechanic problems (derailleur) happened on the very first day of biking. One other bike maintenance task I did on the Italian Riviera was rotate my front and back tires. The back was getting pretty worn, which is normal since most of the weight is on it. All in all, pretty lucky in this regard.
Some pratical tips... Three pieces of equipment were crucial. The GPS (Garmin with Europe chip) was fantastic once I got the hang of it. About the only time it had serious problems was when you were in cities that had confusing roads. It would sometimes lead you in circles. In those cases, I would hit the out button to see a wider area on the screen, and then just bike in the general direction I wanted to go. The GPS came in very handy when choosing campgrounds. We used it to see where the closest restaurants or grocery stores were in relation to available campsites. I am looking forward to future versions which access the web and let you actually see more information about the sites in question. We would often use the GPS in conjunction with the next crucial piece of equipment to make our choices...
The netbook computer, although we could have done the trip without it, was a great piece of equipment to have. As mentioned previously, we would use it to check on ratings of hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, train schedules. But one of the best aspects of having it was the ability to communicate with people back home. We met a lot of interesting people on this trip, but there were some lonely points, too. It was always a high point of the day to find free WiFi (usually at McDonalds) and get on-line. It obviously was necessary to keep the blog updated in pretty much real time. I ended up getting the Dell Mini, refurbished, for about $260 (based on a recommendation by Chuck Shull, who really researches his purchases!). I also purchased a "sleeve" for it and a plastic case designed for bathing supplies (from The Container Store) to insure that I kept it dry. It was always in my handlebar bag.
The last crucial piece of equipment was our lowly cargo net begs from LL Bean. I originally decided to get these because we were only allowed two pieces of checked luggage per person on the plane. Our bikes were one of these, so I needed something strong and light-weight to carry our bike bags, tent, sleeping bag, etc. The cargo net bags were perfect. What I did not count on was how handy they were when we started travelling by train or checking into hotels. Most of the trains make you remove all panniers from the bike and then hang it vertically from the front tire. Since the amount of time you have to board a train is very short in most cases, unloading all our gear from our bikes and putting it in our cargo bags made entry and exit from trains much easier.
Another thing I highly recommend is hooking up with any friends you can while travelling. The second day of the trip, we had dinner with Ben Gifford and his mom, Klaudia Shaw. We had a great time seeing familiar faces in England. Next, we spent several great days in Paris at Paul and Danielle Zilk's home. It was great being joined there by Rob and Cheryl Crim and their kids, Haley and Jack. Lastly, we rolled into Lugano, Switzerland after rough biking in the Bavarian Alps and squatted for a full week with Vic Rush and his boys, Jordy and Keenan.
But the big thing we learned is the same thing Dorothy learned in the Wizard of Oz... There is no place like home! Barb, Connor, and Donna Madlener are meeting us in Munchen in a few days for a tour of eastern Europe. I wish Ian could have made it, too, but he is going to spend this time on Hilton Head watching Aslan, Wrigley, and Hallie. We are really excited to see them. Then it is back to the good old US of A! I may post some more on this blog of the eastern bloc portion of the trip, or I may not. Au Revoir, Arrevederchi, Auf Wiedersehen, So 'long, Good Bye!
Jordan and Mark
Munchen and the End
August 25, 2009 (Connor's 22nd Birthday!)
Just woke up in Orleans. We arrived here around 1PM yesterday. The ride from Tours on Sunday was probably the best weather we have had all trip. It felt like a crisp, fall day in the morning, and then Indian summer in the afternoon. About 20 clicks into the ride, I started seeing signs for the chateau at Cheverny. This is where the famous water lilly paintings were done by Degas. Having plenty of time to get to Orleans we took a detour. Once we got off the main road along the Loire River, the countryside got a lot more interesting. We got to Cheverny around 2PM and toured the chateau and the grounds. I would say the hilight for both of us was visiting the dog kennel. They keep about 50 French hounds for fox hunting. The smell was a little strong, but we are both missing our dogs at home, so we go nuts whenever we see any. It is kind of interesting that the chateau is privately owned. The family lives in the upper part of the right side of the chateau. The husband and wife were married there in 1994 and they have three children. I cannot believe the tourist money does any more than defray some of the operating costs of the place. I would say he is more than "nuvoue riche"!
We biked on to just south of Chambord and camped. The next day we biked into Chambord. I imagine this is where they make Chambord liquor, which tastes like an alcoholic berry pancake syrup. The chateau there is beautiful, too. We took pictures of the outside but did not stop. Continued biking to Orleans and arrived around 1PM. It is a beautiful city. I am not sure how big it is, but it has an interesting tram system. Very few cars in the city. The statue of Joan of Arc is right in the middle of the city.
We hop on our train to Paris in an hour and then catch the TGV to Munchen, where we will arrive at around 9PM. I found a place called Tent City about 6 clicks from the train station where we can camp. It looks like a huge outdoor hostel. It should be interesting.
This brings the biking portion of the trip to an end. Biked over 2,000 clicks. I just broke another spoke yesterday for a grand total of 5 broken spokes, two flats, one destroyed rear derailleur, and one destroyed chain. Jordan had no flats and no broken spokes. The only work I had to do on her bike was minor adjustments after she would crash. It is ironic that the only serioius bike mechanic problems (derailleur) happened on the very first day of biking. One other bike maintenance task I did on the Italian Riviera was rotate my front and back tires. The back was getting pretty worn, which is normal since most of the weight is on it. All in all, pretty lucky in this regard.
Some pratical tips... Three pieces of equipment were crucial. The GPS (Garmin with Europe chip) was fantastic once I got the hang of it. About the only time it had serious problems was when you were in cities that had confusing roads. It would sometimes lead you in circles. In those cases, I would hit the out button to see a wider area on the screen, and then just bike in the general direction I wanted to go. The GPS came in very handy when choosing campgrounds. We used it to see where the closest restaurants or grocery stores were in relation to available campsites. I am looking forward to future versions which access the web and let you actually see more information about the sites in question. We would often use the GPS in conjunction with the next crucial piece of equipment to make our choices...
The netbook computer, although we could have done the trip without it, was a great piece of equipment to have. As mentioned previously, we would use it to check on ratings of hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, train schedules. But one of the best aspects of having it was the ability to communicate with people back home. We met a lot of interesting people on this trip, but there were some lonely points, too. It was always a high point of the day to find free WiFi (usually at McDonalds) and get on-line. It obviously was necessary to keep the blog updated in pretty much real time. I ended up getting the Dell Mini, refurbished, for about $260 (based on a recommendation by Chuck Shull, who really researches his purchases!). I also purchased a "sleeve" for it and a plastic case designed for bathing supplies (from The Container Store) to insure that I kept it dry. It was always in my handlebar bag.
The last crucial piece of equipment was our lowly cargo net begs from LL Bean. I originally decided to get these because we were only allowed two pieces of checked luggage per person on the plane. Our bikes were one of these, so I needed something strong and light-weight to carry our bike bags, tent, sleeping bag, etc. The cargo net bags were perfect. What I did not count on was how handy they were when we started travelling by train or checking into hotels. Most of the trains make you remove all panniers from the bike and then hang it vertically from the front tire. Since the amount of time you have to board a train is very short in most cases, unloading all our gear from our bikes and putting it in our cargo bags made entry and exit from trains much easier.
Another thing I highly recommend is hooking up with any friends you can while travelling. The second day of the trip, we had dinner with Ben Gifford and his mom, Klaudia Shaw. We had a great time seeing familiar faces in England. Next, we spent several great days in Paris at Paul and Danielle Zilk's home. It was great being joined there by Rob and Cheryl Crim and their kids, Haley and Jack. Lastly, we rolled into Lugano, Switzerland after rough biking in the Bavarian Alps and squatted for a full week with Vic Rush and his boys, Jordy and Keenan.
But the big thing we learned is the same thing Dorothy learned in the Wizard of Oz... There is no place like home! Barb, Connor, and Donna Madlener are meeting us in Munchen in a few days for a tour of eastern Europe. I wish Ian could have made it, too, but he is going to spend this time on Hilton Head watching Aslan, Wrigley, and Hallie. We are really excited to see them. Then it is back to the good old US of A! I may post some more on this blog of the eastern bloc portion of the trip, or I may not.
Au Revoir, Arrevederchi, Auf Wiedersehen, So 'long, Good Bye!
Jordan and Mark
Just woke up in Orleans. We arrived here around 1PM yesterday. The ride from Tours on Sunday was probably the best weather we have had all trip. It felt like a crisp, fall day in the morning, and then Indian summer in the afternoon. About 20 clicks into the ride, I started seeing signs for the chateau at Cheverny. This is where the famous water lilly paintings were done by Degas. Having plenty of time to get to Orleans we took a detour. Once we got off the main road along the Loire River, the countryside got a lot more interesting. We got to Cheverny around 2PM and toured the chateau and the grounds. I would say the hilight for both of us was visiting the dog kennel. They keep about 50 French hounds for fox hunting. The smell was a little strong, but we are both missing our dogs at home, so we go nuts whenever we see any. It is kind of interesting that the chateau is privately owned. The family lives in the upper part of the right side of the chateau. The husband and wife were married there in 1994 and they have three children. I cannot believe the tourist money does any more than defray some of the operating costs of the place. I would say he is more than "nuvoue riche"!
We biked on to just south of Chambord and camped. The next day we biked into Chambord. I imagine this is where they make Chambord liquor, which tastes like an alcoholic berry pancake syrup. The chateau there is beautiful, too. We took pictures of the outside but did not stop. Continued biking to Orleans and arrived around 1PM. It is a beautiful city. I am not sure how big it is, but it has an interesting tram system. Very few cars in the city. The statue of Joan of Arc is right in the middle of the city.
We hop on our train to Paris in an hour and then catch the TGV to Munchen, where we will arrive at around 9PM. I found a place called Tent City about 6 clicks from the train station where we can camp. It looks like a huge outdoor hostel. It should be interesting.
This brings the biking portion of the trip to an end. Biked over 2,000 clicks. I just broke another spoke yesterday for a grand total of 5 broken spokes, two flats, one destroyed rear derailleur, and one destroyed chain. Jordan had no flats and no broken spokes. The only work I had to do on her bike was minor adjustments after she would crash. It is ironic that the only serioius bike mechanic problems (derailleur) happened on the very first day of biking. One other bike maintenance task I did on the Italian Riviera was rotate my front and back tires. The back was getting pretty worn, which is normal since most of the weight is on it. All in all, pretty lucky in this regard.
Some pratical tips... Three pieces of equipment were crucial. The GPS (Garmin with Europe chip) was fantastic once I got the hang of it. About the only time it had serious problems was when you were in cities that had confusing roads. It would sometimes lead you in circles. In those cases, I would hit the out button to see a wider area on the screen, and then just bike in the general direction I wanted to go. The GPS came in very handy when choosing campgrounds. We used it to see where the closest restaurants or grocery stores were in relation to available campsites. I am looking forward to future versions which access the web and let you actually see more information about the sites in question. We would often use the GPS in conjunction with the next crucial piece of equipment to make our choices...
The netbook computer, although we could have done the trip without it, was a great piece of equipment to have. As mentioned previously, we would use it to check on ratings of hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, train schedules. But one of the best aspects of having it was the ability to communicate with people back home. We met a lot of interesting people on this trip, but there were some lonely points, too. It was always a high point of the day to find free WiFi (usually at McDonalds) and get on-line. It obviously was necessary to keep the blog updated in pretty much real time. I ended up getting the Dell Mini, refurbished, for about $260 (based on a recommendation by Chuck Shull, who really researches his purchases!). I also purchased a "sleeve" for it and a plastic case designed for bathing supplies (from The Container Store) to insure that I kept it dry. It was always in my handlebar bag.
The last crucial piece of equipment was our lowly cargo net begs from LL Bean. I originally decided to get these because we were only allowed two pieces of checked luggage per person on the plane. Our bikes were one of these, so I needed something strong and light-weight to carry our bike bags, tent, sleeping bag, etc. The cargo net bags were perfect. What I did not count on was how handy they were when we started travelling by train or checking into hotels. Most of the trains make you remove all panniers from the bike and then hang it vertically from the front tire. Since the amount of time you have to board a train is very short in most cases, unloading all our gear from our bikes and putting it in our cargo bags made entry and exit from trains much easier.
Another thing I highly recommend is hooking up with any friends you can while travelling. The second day of the trip, we had dinner with Ben Gifford and his mom, Klaudia Shaw. We had a great time seeing familiar faces in England. Next, we spent several great days in Paris at Paul and Danielle Zilk's home. It was great being joined there by Rob and Cheryl Crim and their kids, Haley and Jack. Lastly, we rolled into Lugano, Switzerland after rough biking in the Bavarian Alps and squatted for a full week with Vic Rush and his boys, Jordy and Keenan.
But the big thing we learned is the same thing Dorothy learned in the Wizard of Oz... There is no place like home! Barb, Connor, and Donna Madlener are meeting us in Munchen in a few days for a tour of eastern Europe. I wish Ian could have made it, too, but he is going to spend this time on Hilton Head watching Aslan, Wrigley, and Hallie. We are really excited to see them. Then it is back to the good old US of A! I may post some more on this blog of the eastern bloc portion of the trip, or I may not.
Au Revoir, Arrevederchi, Auf Wiedersehen, So 'long, Good Bye!
Jordan and Mark
Monday, August 24, 2009
Musings on the Metric System
August 24th, 2009
Musings on the Metric System
Jordan and I just completed a very enjoyable ride from Tours to Orleans, via Cheverny and Chambord. As the clicks melted away on a beautiful Sunday (yesterday) under an azure sky and perfect temperature, I began to think about the kilometer versus the mile. The first thing that hit me was how much easier it is to bike a kilometer versus a mile, since there are 1.6 of them to each mile. One of the benchmarks of an accomplished rider is doing a CENTURY... 100 miles. I have to confess that it has been many years since I have done a century. No matter what kind of shape you are in, they are draining. Now, a METRIC century is something else entirely. I can set out on a Saturday morning, put in a metric century (i.e. 62 miles), and be back home for the second half of a Buckeye game with my feet propped up and a cold PBR in my hand!
Next, look at the silly components of a mile... 1,760 yards, 5,280 feet. Now the kilometer... 1,000 meters, 100,000 centimeters and you can keep on going to millimeters if you want to. Don't even get me started on the English system of land measurement, namely acres and even hectares. What the hell is a hectare?
There is a sweet rhythm to the metric system. Since I am from Irish/Scottish stock, maybe our non-rhythmic system explains my inability to dance.
There is only one unit of measure that I respect in our system. When you go to get beer in America, we sell it by the case. How many beers in a case? 24. How many hours in a day? 24. Coincedence? I think not!
Can you tell we are getting to the end of the trip?
Musings on the Metric System
Jordan and I just completed a very enjoyable ride from Tours to Orleans, via Cheverny and Chambord. As the clicks melted away on a beautiful Sunday (yesterday) under an azure sky and perfect temperature, I began to think about the kilometer versus the mile. The first thing that hit me was how much easier it is to bike a kilometer versus a mile, since there are 1.6 of them to each mile. One of the benchmarks of an accomplished rider is doing a CENTURY... 100 miles. I have to confess that it has been many years since I have done a century. No matter what kind of shape you are in, they are draining. Now, a METRIC century is something else entirely. I can set out on a Saturday morning, put in a metric century (i.e. 62 miles), and be back home for the second half of a Buckeye game with my feet propped up and a cold PBR in my hand!
Next, look at the silly components of a mile... 1,760 yards, 5,280 feet. Now the kilometer... 1,000 meters, 100,000 centimeters and you can keep on going to millimeters if you want to. Don't even get me started on the English system of land measurement, namely acres and even hectares. What the hell is a hectare?
There is a sweet rhythm to the metric system. Since I am from Irish/Scottish stock, maybe our non-rhythmic system explains my inability to dance.
There is only one unit of measure that I respect in our system. When you go to get beer in America, we sell it by the case. How many beers in a case? 24. How many hours in a day? 24. Coincedence? I think not!
Can you tell we are getting to the end of the trip?
Saturday, August 22, 2009
On to the Loire Valley
August 21, 2009 Train from Cassis to Aix-en-Provence via Marseilles
Yesterday was a total beach day. The beach was just like the one in Rhodes, Greece that I was at three years ago. Instead of sand, there are round pebbles. Our feet have toughened up pretty well, so it was no problem dealing with it. The water was surprisingly cold. It was actually very refreshing. There was a nice shower between the beach and the town of Cassis, so we could get the salty brine off of us.
We walked back to the campground, which was a two click climb up a steep hill, and got back around 6:30. After showers and a couple beers at the campground pub, we started thinking about what we should do for dinner. The pub was not putting on a meal like they did the previous night, and we really did not feel like walking back to Cassis, and then back up the two click hill. We noticed people with pizza boxes, so we figured there had to be a pizza place in the other direction. So, about 8:30PM we started walking that way, following the scent of garlic and pizza crust. We had gone about half a click and did not see any promising signs. Then I spotted what looked like an RV on the side of the road with a bunch of cars around it. Jordan could read the sign on the side and it said PIZZA! We walked up to the RV and it was a mobile pizza shop. The oven was right behind the cab of the RV. It was a husband and wife team. They spoke no English, but we we able to communicate to them that we wanted two pizzas, a SUPREME and a ROYAL, whatever the heck they were! She said something that made me think it would be a while. Then she held up all 10 fingers. I figured 10 minutes was no big deal, so I said "Oui' Oui, madamoselle (sp?)". We waiting about half an hour when Jordan said, " Do you think she meant 10 o'clock?" Damn! She was right again. I said we did not have many choices at this point. Jordan walked back to camp and I waited until the pies were done, around 9:45. They were worth the wait... Delicious!
We just transferred trains in Marseilles. I am glad we did not ride into this city. It really does not look that attractive, and I have heard that there are seedy areas. I have already called a campground near Aix that has a pool.
August 22, 2009
When we got off the train in Aix, we decided to purchase tickets for Angers right away. The spots for bikes often fill up quickly, so we did not want to be left stranded. Our tickets got us there by way of the TGV to Lyon. The TGV is the bullet train, but it has a special station that was about a 20 click bike ride from Aix. The ticket guy said it was a pretty hilly ride. Since our train left at 8:30, we decided to look for a place to stay close to the TGV station. We found a little hotel (Auberge?) just a couple clicks from the train station. Before riding to it, we decided to have lunch in Aix. It is really a neat town that I have been to before with Barb. Additionally, Heather Campanelli, who I used to work with, spent some time studying here. She loved it here.
Lunch was fantastic... Jordan got a big salad and I got a rump steak, which we then went halvesie on, followed by gelato. I would have liked to have spent some more time strolling around Aix, but it was still hot as hell. We hopped on our bikes about 4PM and rode to the Auberge. It ended up being a fairly easy ride, which surprised Jordan since the ticket guy had warned us about a lot of up and down. It kind of reminded me of when we biked across the USA. In the Tetons we ran into a group of guys going from East to West. They told us that the Appalachian mountains were much tougher than the Rockies. A few weeks later when we got to the Appalachians, we could not believe how easy they were. We flew up them. The point is that whatever terrain you hit first on a long bike ride seems like the toughest, because you are not "road-hardened" yet. I still remember the Oregon Coast and the Cascades being the toughest. They really were not tougher than the Rockies. We just encountered them first.
The Auberge was rated two stars, but it was much better than that. It had 12 rooms, and I think they only had a few vacancies. The dinner we had there was fantastic, with all sorts of little niceties... foi gras sample, sorbet, and a little mini dessert after the main dessert, which was poached nectarine with ice cream and whipped cream. Oh, the main course was dorado (sp?) with rissoto.
We got up early today and rode to the TGV station. If you have never ridden the TGV, it is an interesting experience. I think the train travels around 200 MPH, but I am not sure. The only time you get the feeling that you are moving fast is when you go into a turn. To keep the train on the track, the turns are banked fairly steeply. You can really feel the centrifugal force when you go into one of them. We got to Lyon in about two hours. Our layover was supposed to be 5 hours, which really started to weigh on my mind. I went up to the ticket office and started asking about different options. I considered going to Nantes, but that would have taken even longer. Then I looked at going to Tours. We decided to take a train there which left at 12:39PM. We should get there by about 5:15. There is a campsite abvout 6 clicks from the train station, right on the Loire River, which is exactly where we want to go. I am a little sorry that we are not going to bike the section from Angers to Tours, but I did not want to waste half the day in the Lyon train station. We will continue biking past Orleans if we have time, or we will just go to Munich from there.
Yesterday was a total beach day. The beach was just like the one in Rhodes, Greece that I was at three years ago. Instead of sand, there are round pebbles. Our feet have toughened up pretty well, so it was no problem dealing with it. The water was surprisingly cold. It was actually very refreshing. There was a nice shower between the beach and the town of Cassis, so we could get the salty brine off of us.
We walked back to the campground, which was a two click climb up a steep hill, and got back around 6:30. After showers and a couple beers at the campground pub, we started thinking about what we should do for dinner. The pub was not putting on a meal like they did the previous night, and we really did not feel like walking back to Cassis, and then back up the two click hill. We noticed people with pizza boxes, so we figured there had to be a pizza place in the other direction. So, about 8:30PM we started walking that way, following the scent of garlic and pizza crust. We had gone about half a click and did not see any promising signs. Then I spotted what looked like an RV on the side of the road with a bunch of cars around it. Jordan could read the sign on the side and it said PIZZA! We walked up to the RV and it was a mobile pizza shop. The oven was right behind the cab of the RV. It was a husband and wife team. They spoke no English, but we we able to communicate to them that we wanted two pizzas, a SUPREME and a ROYAL, whatever the heck they were! She said something that made me think it would be a while. Then she held up all 10 fingers. I figured 10 minutes was no big deal, so I said "Oui' Oui, madamoselle (sp?)". We waiting about half an hour when Jordan said, " Do you think she meant 10 o'clock?" Damn! She was right again. I said we did not have many choices at this point. Jordan walked back to camp and I waited until the pies were done, around 9:45. They were worth the wait... Delicious!
We just transferred trains in Marseilles. I am glad we did not ride into this city. It really does not look that attractive, and I have heard that there are seedy areas. I have already called a campground near Aix that has a pool.
August 22, 2009
When we got off the train in Aix, we decided to purchase tickets for Angers right away. The spots for bikes often fill up quickly, so we did not want to be left stranded. Our tickets got us there by way of the TGV to Lyon. The TGV is the bullet train, but it has a special station that was about a 20 click bike ride from Aix. The ticket guy said it was a pretty hilly ride. Since our train left at 8:30, we decided to look for a place to stay close to the TGV station. We found a little hotel (Auberge?) just a couple clicks from the train station. Before riding to it, we decided to have lunch in Aix. It is really a neat town that I have been to before with Barb. Additionally, Heather Campanelli, who I used to work with, spent some time studying here. She loved it here.
Lunch was fantastic... Jordan got a big salad and I got a rump steak, which we then went halvesie on, followed by gelato. I would have liked to have spent some more time strolling around Aix, but it was still hot as hell. We hopped on our bikes about 4PM and rode to the Auberge. It ended up being a fairly easy ride, which surprised Jordan since the ticket guy had warned us about a lot of up and down. It kind of reminded me of when we biked across the USA. In the Tetons we ran into a group of guys going from East to West. They told us that the Appalachian mountains were much tougher than the Rockies. A few weeks later when we got to the Appalachians, we could not believe how easy they were. We flew up them. The point is that whatever terrain you hit first on a long bike ride seems like the toughest, because you are not "road-hardened" yet. I still remember the Oregon Coast and the Cascades being the toughest. They really were not tougher than the Rockies. We just encountered them first.
The Auberge was rated two stars, but it was much better than that. It had 12 rooms, and I think they only had a few vacancies. The dinner we had there was fantastic, with all sorts of little niceties... foi gras sample, sorbet, and a little mini dessert after the main dessert, which was poached nectarine with ice cream and whipped cream. Oh, the main course was dorado (sp?) with rissoto.
We got up early today and rode to the TGV station. If you have never ridden the TGV, it is an interesting experience. I think the train travels around 200 MPH, but I am not sure. The only time you get the feeling that you are moving fast is when you go into a turn. To keep the train on the track, the turns are banked fairly steeply. You can really feel the centrifugal force when you go into one of them. We got to Lyon in about two hours. Our layover was supposed to be 5 hours, which really started to weigh on my mind. I went up to the ticket office and started asking about different options. I considered going to Nantes, but that would have taken even longer. Then I looked at going to Tours. We decided to take a train there which left at 12:39PM. We should get there by about 5:15. There is a campsite abvout 6 clicks from the train station, right on the Loire River, which is exactly where we want to go. I am a little sorry that we are not going to bike the section from Angers to Tours, but I did not want to waste half the day in the Lyon train station. We will continue biking past Orleans if we have time, or we will just go to Munich from there.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Casiss, France
Remember the movie "Good Morning, Vietnam"? Robin Williams says "Today's weather is hot and moist. That is good in a woman, but bad in a jungle!" Well, it has been hot as hell here. The climate is dry, but we are sweating are butts off. We had some really good climbs yesterday as we approached Cassis, France. Since we have some days to burn and this is such a cool town, we decided to hit the beach today. The town reminds me of the club that George Constanza (Seinfeld) went to that only let in beautiful people. This is a very popular resort, maybe because it is so close to Marseilles.
Jordan and I are really getting tired of each other... In a good way! We are both looking forward to having Barb, Connor, and Donna Madlener join us. Despite getting on each other's nevers, I have definitive proof that we are bonding. She just popped three big zits that were on my neck. I don't know how a father and daughter could get any closer!
Tomorrow we are going to hop on the train to Aix-en-Provence. I kind of wanted to bike there, but Jordan asked me what I am trying to prove? That I am not getting old? Once again, she is right.
Jordan and I are really getting tired of each other... In a good way! We are both looking forward to having Barb, Connor, and Donna Madlener join us. Despite getting on each other's nevers, I have definitive proof that we are bonding. She just popped three big zits that were on my neck. I don't know how a father and daughter could get any closer!
Tomorrow we are going to hop on the train to Aix-en-Provence. I kind of wanted to bike there, but Jordan asked me what I am trying to prove? That I am not getting old? Once again, she is right.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Le Lavandou, French Riviera
August 17. 2009
Sitting in m tent sweating my ass off about 100 clicks east of Marseilles. The weather has been unbearably hot the last few days. We have decided to make another course correction. We are going to take a train from Marseilles to Nantes and finish the biking portion of the trip by biking up the Loire Valley to Orleans. From there we will take a train to Munich to meeeet Barb, Connor, and Donna. I am not sure if it will be much cooler, but the biking will be easier. We are dealing with a lot of hills on the Med coast.
My cousin Jim just emailed me to let me know that his dad, Uncle Dick, has been diagnosed with B-cell Lymphoma. Uncle Dick has been one of the biggest fans of this blog. I hear from him every couple days. This news has hit me pretty hard. Uncle Dick is one of those "larger than life" figures who seem almost indestructible. One of my strongest memories of Uncle Dick is cutting firewood at boy scout campouts. He would lift a 3 foot blade chain saw straight upover his head with his left hand and pull the cord with his right hand. That sucker would roar to life with Uncle Dick holding it with one hand.
He has accomplished an incredible amount in his 80 years and now he has decided it is time to KICK CANCER'S ASS! I want all of you blog readers to send some prayers' positive brain waves, whatever towards Uncle Dick. It is said that Chuck Norris' tears can cure cancer, but no one knows for sure since Chuck has never cried. Well, if he ran into Uncle Dick, he would be making lemonade in his pants and crying bucket loads!
I don't want to paint a one-sided picture of Uncle Dick. As imposing a figure as he is, he is also the biggest Teddy Bear in the world. Since my dad's death in 1986, he has been a surrogate father fror me. He also has made a special connection with Jordan. She calls him "the nicest older man in the world." She never knew her grandfathers, so he gets elected to that role as well.
August 18th, 2009
Got biking early today to try to avoid the heat. Have 21 clicks in by 11AM and doing fine.
It's still hot as hell here, but I am going to try and get some shut-eye...
Sitting in m tent sweating my ass off about 100 clicks east of Marseilles. The weather has been unbearably hot the last few days. We have decided to make another course correction. We are going to take a train from Marseilles to Nantes and finish the biking portion of the trip by biking up the Loire Valley to Orleans. From there we will take a train to Munich to meeeet Barb, Connor, and Donna. I am not sure if it will be much cooler, but the biking will be easier. We are dealing with a lot of hills on the Med coast.
My cousin Jim just emailed me to let me know that his dad, Uncle Dick, has been diagnosed with B-cell Lymphoma. Uncle Dick has been one of the biggest fans of this blog. I hear from him every couple days. This news has hit me pretty hard. Uncle Dick is one of those "larger than life" figures who seem almost indestructible. One of my strongest memories of Uncle Dick is cutting firewood at boy scout campouts. He would lift a 3 foot blade chain saw straight upover his head with his left hand and pull the cord with his right hand. That sucker would roar to life with Uncle Dick holding it with one hand.
He has accomplished an incredible amount in his 80 years and now he has decided it is time to KICK CANCER'S ASS! I want all of you blog readers to send some prayers' positive brain waves, whatever towards Uncle Dick. It is said that Chuck Norris' tears can cure cancer, but no one knows for sure since Chuck has never cried. Well, if he ran into Uncle Dick, he would be making lemonade in his pants and crying bucket loads!
I don't want to paint a one-sided picture of Uncle Dick. As imposing a figure as he is, he is also the biggest Teddy Bear in the world. Since my dad's death in 1986, he has been a surrogate father fror me. He also has made a special connection with Jordan. She calls him "the nicest older man in the world." She never knew her grandfathers, so he gets elected to that role as well.
August 18th, 2009
Got biking early today to try to avoid the heat. Have 21 clicks in by 11AM and doing fine.
It's still hot as hell here, but I am going to try and get some shut-eye...
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Cannes to Frejus
August 16, 2009 Cannes to Frejus
Since our room in Cannes had AC, we took advantage and stayed their until about 10:30. After packing up, we stepped out into the heat. The one saving grace is that it is getting less humid. The landscape, except for the Med. Sea, almost looks like Arizona. It is all scrubby firs, cedar, and very little grass. The rocks have taken on a very reddish hue. Ever since Monaco, we have seen cruise ships in most of the cities along the Cote d'Azur. Since we got started so late, we lowered our mileage sites and headed for Saint-Raphael. After aboujt two or three hours of fairly hard biking, we stopped at a cute road-side restaurant. Their specialty was salads and omelettes. Jordan had the former and I had the latter. We were even able to get ice (glace) with our water! I don't know if I have mentioned before how hard it has been to get ice in Europe. I have yet to see it in the grocery stores. When we buy wine at the store, we always have to scrounge to get ice. One time I got it dry ice that the grocery store was using to keep their fish cold.
Just after lunch, I heard the familiar PING of a broken spoke..l. another one on my cassette side of my rear wheel. We kept on riding to Saint-Raphael where I was hoping to find an open bike store. Upon arriving, we discovered that August 15th was some big holiday in France and none of the stores would be open, other than restaurants and bars. We checked with the local tourist office to see if their were any rooms available and there were not. This is the height of holiday season and a Saturday. She was able to give me a list of local campgrounds and it looked like there was a nice one outside of Frejus, about 9 clicks away. By this time we were broiling and Jordan had a pounding headache.
Frejus is located a little inland from the beach. Spotting a good-looking fruit stand, we pulled over for some refreshments. There is something about biking that makes me crave fruit. Jordan feels the same way. We bought nectarines, a pear, a cantolope, and some huge grapes. We ate the grapes immediately, since they would be hard to pack. Each one exploded in our mouths.
We took off from the fruit stand and were only about half a click from the campsite. The road had no bike path at that point, but just ahead was a three foot high stone wall that separated the road from a biking/walking path. Jordan was 20 yards behind me so I thought she would see it without me mentioning anything. I turned slightly to the right upon approaching the dividing wall to get on the bike path. About two or three seconds later I heard a huge crash. I whipped around to see that Jordan had run right into the dividing wall and got thrown to the ground. I got off my bike and ran back to help her. She seemed like she was in shock. I grabbed her arm and led her off the road and onto the bike path, then I grabbed her bike. Instead of comforting her, I started screaming at her... "What the hell are you doing? You are going to kill yourself!" I then brought up all the clumsy moves she has been making of late, and she snapped! She called me every name in the book, and I deserved it. I am not sure why I reacted like I did. I was so scared when I heard the crash. I should have hugged her instead of screaming at her.
The lesson I am learning is that I can not push her as hard as I have been. It seems that the afternoons after a hard morning of riding, are really tough on her. She lost her concentration for just a second and it was almost disasterous. As Sergeant Barnes said in "Platoon"... "If you don't keep your sh!t wired tight, I goddamn guarantee you a trip out of the bush... IN A BODY BAG!" As my brother Jeff has shown me, everything you need to know about life is in the movie "Platoon".
We arrived at the campground without further mishap and set up the tent. We decided to go our separate ways for an hour or two to cool down. I swam, showered, then got a half liter of horrible white wine at the campground restaurant. Jordan came by and we had a nice dinner. The food ended up being much better than the wine. We have decided to spend another day here since the pool is nice and the bike shops are closed. I don't want to risk breaking another spoke. We may ride the short distance back to Saint Raphael to get on the Internet and buy food at a grocery store. I could also use another book, since I just finished "Quite Ugly One Morning". Excellent book! Very Carl Hiassen-like.
I have talked with Jordan about altering our itinerary a bit, not like we haven't altered it already! I suggested to her that once we get to Aixe-on-Provence, we take a train up to somewhere in the Loire Valley. My sister, Jane, said it was her favorite part of her trip biking through Europe. It may be a little cooler up that way, and we will be closer to Munchen (Munich) when we finish riding. She agrees as long as there are no mountains!
Since our room in Cannes had AC, we took advantage and stayed their until about 10:30. After packing up, we stepped out into the heat. The one saving grace is that it is getting less humid. The landscape, except for the Med. Sea, almost looks like Arizona. It is all scrubby firs, cedar, and very little grass. The rocks have taken on a very reddish hue. Ever since Monaco, we have seen cruise ships in most of the cities along the Cote d'Azur. Since we got started so late, we lowered our mileage sites and headed for Saint-Raphael. After aboujt two or three hours of fairly hard biking, we stopped at a cute road-side restaurant. Their specialty was salads and omelettes. Jordan had the former and I had the latter. We were even able to get ice (glace) with our water! I don't know if I have mentioned before how hard it has been to get ice in Europe. I have yet to see it in the grocery stores. When we buy wine at the store, we always have to scrounge to get ice. One time I got it dry ice that the grocery store was using to keep their fish cold.
Just after lunch, I heard the familiar PING of a broken spoke..l. another one on my cassette side of my rear wheel. We kept on riding to Saint-Raphael where I was hoping to find an open bike store. Upon arriving, we discovered that August 15th was some big holiday in France and none of the stores would be open, other than restaurants and bars. We checked with the local tourist office to see if their were any rooms available and there were not. This is the height of holiday season and a Saturday. She was able to give me a list of local campgrounds and it looked like there was a nice one outside of Frejus, about 9 clicks away. By this time we were broiling and Jordan had a pounding headache.
Frejus is located a little inland from the beach. Spotting a good-looking fruit stand, we pulled over for some refreshments. There is something about biking that makes me crave fruit. Jordan feels the same way. We bought nectarines, a pear, a cantolope, and some huge grapes. We ate the grapes immediately, since they would be hard to pack. Each one exploded in our mouths.
We took off from the fruit stand and were only about half a click from the campsite. The road had no bike path at that point, but just ahead was a three foot high stone wall that separated the road from a biking/walking path. Jordan was 20 yards behind me so I thought she would see it without me mentioning anything. I turned slightly to the right upon approaching the dividing wall to get on the bike path. About two or three seconds later I heard a huge crash. I whipped around to see that Jordan had run right into the dividing wall and got thrown to the ground. I got off my bike and ran back to help her. She seemed like she was in shock. I grabbed her arm and led her off the road and onto the bike path, then I grabbed her bike. Instead of comforting her, I started screaming at her... "What the hell are you doing? You are going to kill yourself!" I then brought up all the clumsy moves she has been making of late, and she snapped! She called me every name in the book, and I deserved it. I am not sure why I reacted like I did. I was so scared when I heard the crash. I should have hugged her instead of screaming at her.
The lesson I am learning is that I can not push her as hard as I have been. It seems that the afternoons after a hard morning of riding, are really tough on her. She lost her concentration for just a second and it was almost disasterous. As Sergeant Barnes said in "Platoon"... "If you don't keep your sh!t wired tight, I goddamn guarantee you a trip out of the bush... IN A BODY BAG!" As my brother Jeff has shown me, everything you need to know about life is in the movie "Platoon".
We arrived at the campground without further mishap and set up the tent. We decided to go our separate ways for an hour or two to cool down. I swam, showered, then got a half liter of horrible white wine at the campground restaurant. Jordan came by and we had a nice dinner. The food ended up being much better than the wine. We have decided to spend another day here since the pool is nice and the bike shops are closed. I don't want to risk breaking another spoke. We may ride the short distance back to Saint Raphael to get on the Internet and buy food at a grocery store. I could also use another book, since I just finished "Quite Ugly One Morning". Excellent book! Very Carl Hiassen-like.
I have talked with Jordan about altering our itinerary a bit, not like we haven't altered it already! I suggested to her that once we get to Aixe-on-Provence, we take a train up to somewhere in the Loire Valley. My sister, Jane, said it was her favorite part of her trip biking through Europe. It may be a little cooler up that way, and we will be closer to Munchen (Munich) when we finish riding. She agrees as long as there are no mountains!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Cote d Azur, Cannes, France
August 14th, Nice France
We had a relaxing and hot day off yesterday. I took my bike to a bike shop just West of San Remo. The owner said he could not fix my spoke until about 4PM. Since I had nothing else going on, I said that would be fine. I went to a hotel across the street and used their wireless Internet to catch up on stuff and update the blog. Jordan texted me about two hours later and then rode down to join me. We had a late lunch and then picked up my bike. After returning to the campground, we took a quick dip in the Med. Sea and then showered. We walked towards San Remo and found a great little restaurant. The grilled squid was a big winner!
Got up early today because I had made a hotel reservation for Cannes, about 90 clicks away. Soon into the ride, we began to realize that maybe we had bitten off more than we could chew. Once we hit France, the riding got a lot tougher. By the time we hit Monaco, we were exhausted. Just before Nice I realized that we had left the Med. Sea road and we on the harder road that is a bit inland. After a quick course correction, we got back on the coast where the riding was much easier, although still pretty tough. The heat is starting to take its toll, too.
We grabbed lunch and then made it to Nice about an hour later. Jordan said there was no way she was going to ride all the way to Cannes. Our hotel was non-refundable, so we opted for plan B... THE TRAIN! We are sitting on one of the local trains headed towards Cannes. As much as I like riding on the Cote d Azure, this is pretty damn good!.
A few notes on the two Rivieras... The Italian Riviera to the French Riveria is sort of like Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head. I liked the Italian Riviera, but it is a little seedy. As soon as we crossed into France there was a definite upgrade in roads, buildings, cars (a cool Ferrari zoomed past us... kind of ironic that it is an Italian car!). I am really looking forward to getting my almond croissant addiction attended to. I have been hungering for some since leaving France and entering Belgium several weeks ago. No other country can bake like the French!
I forgot to mention an interesting conversation between Vic and his oldest son, Jordy, as we were going to play tennis the other day in Lugano. Vic was bitching him out for buying a pair of tennis shoes last year and then never using them. Jordy first protested that he did wear them frequently. Vic then asked why they have been in the back of his car for the last 6 months. Jordy moved to excuse number two: mom bought them so why do you care, Dad. Vic told him that mom got the money from Vic. Excuse number 3 soon followed, and it was a good one: Jordy professed he was going through a style change! That finally shut Dad up. Vic and I were both too busy laughing at the "style change" comment. Kids are not much different despite being from Switzerland or the USA!
Train arrived in Cannes and we just found our hotel and showered. Off to explore.
We had a relaxing and hot day off yesterday. I took my bike to a bike shop just West of San Remo. The owner said he could not fix my spoke until about 4PM. Since I had nothing else going on, I said that would be fine. I went to a hotel across the street and used their wireless Internet to catch up on stuff and update the blog. Jordan texted me about two hours later and then rode down to join me. We had a late lunch and then picked up my bike. After returning to the campground, we took a quick dip in the Med. Sea and then showered. We walked towards San Remo and found a great little restaurant. The grilled squid was a big winner!
Got up early today because I had made a hotel reservation for Cannes, about 90 clicks away. Soon into the ride, we began to realize that maybe we had bitten off more than we could chew. Once we hit France, the riding got a lot tougher. By the time we hit Monaco, we were exhausted. Just before Nice I realized that we had left the Med. Sea road and we on the harder road that is a bit inland. After a quick course correction, we got back on the coast where the riding was much easier, although still pretty tough. The heat is starting to take its toll, too.
We grabbed lunch and then made it to Nice about an hour later. Jordan said there was no way she was going to ride all the way to Cannes. Our hotel was non-refundable, so we opted for plan B... THE TRAIN! We are sitting on one of the local trains headed towards Cannes. As much as I like riding on the Cote d Azure, this is pretty damn good!.
A few notes on the two Rivieras... The Italian Riviera to the French Riveria is sort of like Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head. I liked the Italian Riviera, but it is a little seedy. As soon as we crossed into France there was a definite upgrade in roads, buildings, cars (a cool Ferrari zoomed past us... kind of ironic that it is an Italian car!). I am really looking forward to getting my almond croissant addiction attended to. I have been hungering for some since leaving France and entering Belgium several weeks ago. No other country can bake like the French!
I forgot to mention an interesting conversation between Vic and his oldest son, Jordy, as we were going to play tennis the other day in Lugano. Vic was bitching him out for buying a pair of tennis shoes last year and then never using them. Jordy first protested that he did wear them frequently. Vic then asked why they have been in the back of his car for the last 6 months. Jordy moved to excuse number two: mom bought them so why do you care, Dad. Vic told him that mom got the money from Vic. Excuse number 3 soon followed, and it was a good one: Jordy professed he was going through a style change! That finally shut Dad up. Vic and I were both too busy laughing at the "style change" comment. Kids are not much different despite being from Switzerland or the USA!
Train arrived in Cannes and we just found our hotel and showered. Off to explore.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Switzerland to Italy
August 13th, San Remo, Italy
It has been a while since we have had Internet access. I broke another spoke yesterday (only two so far) and this one is on my rear wheel, cassette side. I rode another 30 clicks with no problem. We are staying in a great campground right on the Mediterrean Sea, Italian Riviera. We have been biking pretty hard since we took the train from Lugano to Genoa. I rode to a bike shop this morning, and the guy says he cannot fix it for a few hours. We have decided to spend two nights here, so I said no problem. I am in the hotel Firenza, across the street from the bike shop. Now let me get back to the happenings since the last post.
Vic picked us up from the train station on Friday night. We went out for pizza with a bunch of his friends. Afterwards we all went to Vic's place for wine and song. Ended up going to bed around 3PM. Spent Saturday running errands with Vic. He always cooks a big meal on Sundays for his family, ex-wife (Monica) and her two year old daughter, Charlise. Around 9PM we went to the film festival. We did not watch any of the movies, since it was more fun to just got to the parties. We ended up at a cool place. It was almost like being in the Hocking Hills and somebody putting a night club in Rock House or Cedar Falls! It was another late night.
The next day we got up late and started cooking. I made a banana cream pie for dessert. Vic's meal was amazing... Pasta, mussels, fish. Jordan made a great tomato/avocado/feta salad. We ate around noon, cleaned up, swam in Lake Lugano and relaxed. A little later, Giordano wanted to play tennis. He really has the bug, so Vic, he, and I went and played. Vic has an excellent game, but Jordy is catching up to him. After tennis, we stopped by the basketball court, where Keeno was playing a little 3 on 3. Vic, Jordy, and I formed a team and played one game. The Italians really got a kick out of playing basketball against Americans. We almost beat them, but sadly, our advanced age was too much, despite our more skilled play!
We went back home and barbecued pork ribs and chicken. It was another late night (3AM). We got up early and said our goodbyes. This was a very relaxing week, but I am antsy to get back on the bike. We had to take local trains to Genoa because of our bikes. We ended up having to switch trains 3 times. We ended up almost missing connections because we both fell asleep. We arrived in Genova (Italian spelling) around 4PM and rode to a campground on the western edge of town. Genova is a big port city, pretty industrial. The campsite was up on a big hill overlooking the city. We set up camp and then rode back down to the city. The only decent restaurant that we saw open was a Chinese place. It was actually really good!
The next day we did some serious riding, about 60 clicks after getting up really late. We stopped at lunchtime to swim in the Med. Sea then we bike to another campground that was again on a hill overlooking the city we were in. This time we camped in an olive grove. We walked down to the Med Sea for a swim and then had a nice Italian dinner, gnocchi with gargonzola and some sort of fresh baked fish. The town was really lively with a festival. A lot of magicians and games for all the kids.
We got up fairly early yesterday and started biking for San Remo. On the way I stopped at a little book shop looking for a map of the Riviera. The old woman in the store spoke English well. I told I was looking for a map of France, in my typical Ohio accent with a very hard "a". She looked at me and said, we say "Fronce". I then said "You say tomato, I say tomoto". She then smiles at me and says, "Let's call the whole thing off!" I started cracking up.
Arrived at our campsite around 4PM. We set up our tent which is right on the Med Sea. What a picturesque setting! After swimming in the ocean and then the pool, we showered and went back to the tent. I guy about my age was setting his tent up next to us. I said hello, and he replied in English. Turned out he was from Australia and his name was Boyd. We exchanged the usual info... How long you been on the road, where you going, etc. He had just come from Paris and asked me if I needed some maps. I did, and gladly accepted a great map of the French Riviera. I then invited him for a beer. The three of us went to the local restaurant and had a great time. Boyd is between jobs, too. He decided to take a 6 month bike trip. None of his "mates" could make it, so he is doing it alone. His bike was kind of old, but it had interesting gearing. His granny gear had 34 teeth and the small gear on the front was the smallest I have ever seen. He said that when he is going uphill in the low gear, cockroaches can pass him. It is really cool to see another old coot our there "living the dream". Taking a day off today and tomorrow we push on to Cannes, France.
It has been a while since we have had Internet access. I broke another spoke yesterday (only two so far) and this one is on my rear wheel, cassette side. I rode another 30 clicks with no problem. We are staying in a great campground right on the Mediterrean Sea, Italian Riviera. We have been biking pretty hard since we took the train from Lugano to Genoa. I rode to a bike shop this morning, and the guy says he cannot fix it for a few hours. We have decided to spend two nights here, so I said no problem. I am in the hotel Firenza, across the street from the bike shop. Now let me get back to the happenings since the last post.
Vic picked us up from the train station on Friday night. We went out for pizza with a bunch of his friends. Afterwards we all went to Vic's place for wine and song. Ended up going to bed around 3PM. Spent Saturday running errands with Vic. He always cooks a big meal on Sundays for his family, ex-wife (Monica) and her two year old daughter, Charlise. Around 9PM we went to the film festival. We did not watch any of the movies, since it was more fun to just got to the parties. We ended up at a cool place. It was almost like being in the Hocking Hills and somebody putting a night club in Rock House or Cedar Falls! It was another late night.
The next day we got up late and started cooking. I made a banana cream pie for dessert. Vic's meal was amazing... Pasta, mussels, fish. Jordan made a great tomato/avocado/feta salad. We ate around noon, cleaned up, swam in Lake Lugano and relaxed. A little later, Giordano wanted to play tennis. He really has the bug, so Vic, he, and I went and played. Vic has an excellent game, but Jordy is catching up to him. After tennis, we stopped by the basketball court, where Keeno was playing a little 3 on 3. Vic, Jordy, and I formed a team and played one game. The Italians really got a kick out of playing basketball against Americans. We almost beat them, but sadly, our advanced age was too much, despite our more skilled play!
We went back home and barbecued pork ribs and chicken. It was another late night (3AM). We got up early and said our goodbyes. This was a very relaxing week, but I am antsy to get back on the bike. We had to take local trains to Genoa because of our bikes. We ended up having to switch trains 3 times. We ended up almost missing connections because we both fell asleep. We arrived in Genova (Italian spelling) around 4PM and rode to a campground on the western edge of town. Genova is a big port city, pretty industrial. The campsite was up on a big hill overlooking the city. We set up camp and then rode back down to the city. The only decent restaurant that we saw open was a Chinese place. It was actually really good!
The next day we did some serious riding, about 60 clicks after getting up really late. We stopped at lunchtime to swim in the Med. Sea then we bike to another campground that was again on a hill overlooking the city we were in. This time we camped in an olive grove. We walked down to the Med Sea for a swim and then had a nice Italian dinner, gnocchi with gargonzola and some sort of fresh baked fish. The town was really lively with a festival. A lot of magicians and games for all the kids.
We got up fairly early yesterday and started biking for San Remo. On the way I stopped at a little book shop looking for a map of the Riviera. The old woman in the store spoke English well. I told I was looking for a map of France, in my typical Ohio accent with a very hard "a". She looked at me and said, we say "Fronce". I then said "You say tomato, I say tomoto". She then smiles at me and says, "Let's call the whole thing off!" I started cracking up.
Arrived at our campsite around 4PM. We set up our tent which is right on the Med Sea. What a picturesque setting! After swimming in the ocean and then the pool, we showered and went back to the tent. I guy about my age was setting his tent up next to us. I said hello, and he replied in English. Turned out he was from Australia and his name was Boyd. We exchanged the usual info... How long you been on the road, where you going, etc. He had just come from Paris and asked me if I needed some maps. I did, and gladly accepted a great map of the French Riviera. I then invited him for a beer. The three of us went to the local restaurant and had a great time. Boyd is between jobs, too. He decided to take a 6 month bike trip. None of his "mates" could make it, so he is doing it alone. His bike was kind of old, but it had interesting gearing. His granny gear had 34 teeth and the small gear on the front was the smallest I have ever seen. He said that when he is going uphill in the low gear, cockroaches can pass him. It is really cool to see another old coot our there "living the dream". Taking a day off today and tomorrow we push on to Cannes, France.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Venice
August 7th, 2009
Leaving Venice
We are sitting in front of the Venice train station waiting for the train back to Lugano. Yesterday, Jordan was complaining that I had only booked one night, but now she is not singing that tune. She agreed that 24 hours is just about right. It is an amazing city, but it exists entirely on tourism. There are hundreds of the same pizzarias, gelaterias, paper machie mask stores, etc. Plus, in the summer, there are a few more fragrancies than you have to deal with in other times of the year. That being said, you can get GREAT food here. I got on WWW.Fodors.com and searched for some recommendations in the "$$" range (medium expensive). Both places ended up being more than a mile walk from Piazza San Marco (Saint Mark's Square). That was a good sign, since they would tend not to be the tourist trap places. We ate at Osteria La Zucca last night, splitting lasagna and a lamb dish. We had gorgonzola pasta as an appetizer. We topped it all off with panna cotta with chocolate sauce. Just now, we had lunch at L'anice Stellata. Their specialty is fish. After insalata mista, we both had a seafood rissotto. All I can say is "graci" and "prego"... they are about the only Italian words I know!
We get back into Lugano around 9PM. I am not sure if Vic will be around to pick us up. He may be going to a film festival tonight. We will figure out a way back to his place if that is the case.
Leaving Venice
We are sitting in front of the Venice train station waiting for the train back to Lugano. Yesterday, Jordan was complaining that I had only booked one night, but now she is not singing that tune. She agreed that 24 hours is just about right. It is an amazing city, but it exists entirely on tourism. There are hundreds of the same pizzarias, gelaterias, paper machie mask stores, etc. Plus, in the summer, there are a few more fragrancies than you have to deal with in other times of the year. That being said, you can get GREAT food here. I got on WWW.Fodors.com and searched for some recommendations in the "$$" range (medium expensive). Both places ended up being more than a mile walk from Piazza San Marco (Saint Mark's Square). That was a good sign, since they would tend not to be the tourist trap places. We ate at Osteria La Zucca last night, splitting lasagna and a lamb dish. We had gorgonzola pasta as an appetizer. We topped it all off with panna cotta with chocolate sauce. Just now, we had lunch at L'anice Stellata. Their specialty is fish. After insalata mista, we both had a seafood rissotto. All I can say is "graci" and "prego"... they are about the only Italian words I know!
We get back into Lugano around 9PM. I am not sure if Vic will be around to pick us up. He may be going to a film festival tonight. We will figure out a way back to his place if that is the case.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
On the Way to Venice
August 6, 2009 Train from Lugano to Venice
I have been derelict in my blog duties the last few days while getting completely pickled in Lugano. We have imbibed way too much wine the last couple of nights. The train from Stuttgart arrived in Lugano on Monday evening, about 9PM. Jordy and I loaded up our bikes, turned on the GPS, and made our way through Lugano to Vic Rush's bachelor pad. Garmin got us within 50 yards of his place, and I gave him a call. He sent his youngest son, Keenan (pronounced "Keeno"), to fetch us. I was surprised how much bigger he is than his dad! We walked into Vic's place and met Giordono, Vic's oldest son. He resembles Vic quite a bit. We proceeded to start drinking wine, which happens to be a common theme on this trip! Vic maded a wonderful dinner of barbecued chicken.
The setting of Vic's apartment is incredible. When you walk out his door, Lake Lugano is literally right in front of you. In two steps you can jump into the beautiful, blue water. We met several of the neighbors in the apartment building. They all get along great and there is a real community spirit. We told stories, sang songs, and generally had a good time until well after midnight. The next day, Jordy and I walked a couple miles along Lake Lugano towards the Italian border. There are apartments and small hotels most of the way. If you had problems walking, these would be tough places to get to. You cannot drive a car very close to most of them, and you have to navigate a lot of stairs; however, it would be well worth the effort.
When we got back to Vic's, we took our first swim in Lake Lugano. The water was refreshingly cool, but not too cold. We then ate a late lunch, and idled away the rest of the afternoon. Later on we went shopping in Lugano, since Jordan wanted to get another pair of shorts to bike in. We both decided not to use traditional biking shorts anymore. They are such a bacteria trap! One story I forgot to tell was a brief conversation I had with a Brit on the first night of camping in England. He asked me what I was doing, and when I told him, he exclaimed, "My God! You are going to have a back-side of steel by the time you are done!". Well, our butts feel like steel now, and we no longer have need of the padded bike shorts. We bought a box at the post office and sent the shorts, plus several other items back home.=
That evening, Vic made a cold pasta dish. Just before dinner, we were standing outside his door by the lake talking when a woman came up and said, "Oh, you speak English!". Her name was Vivian and she was taking a brief holiday, using one of Vic's neighbor's apartment whom she knew. She did not have dinner plans, so we invited her to join us. It was another late night of wine, talk, and song.
The next day, Vic let Jordy and me use his car to drive up the Gottard (sp?) Pass. We had planned on using our Swiss Passes to got to Jungfrau or the Matterhorn, but it would have taken 6 or 7 hours one way to either of those places. I will have to see them on the next visit. Gottard Pass was incredible. The Swiss have built an incredibly long tunnel (I think about 20 kilometers) through the mountains to by-pass the pass. We decided to drive over the pass going north in order to take in the view. I will post one of the pictures from the top. I am not sure how the Alps compare to the Rockies in height, but they sure are steep. I was surprised by the number of people I saw biking the pass, many of them on heavier mountain bikes. I don't think I would have enjoyed that ride much, particularly being fully loaded with gear. The road is an engineering marvel. You just wonder at the effort to build something like this.
On the return trip, we went through the tunnel. As we approached the half-way point in the tunnel, we both noticed how hot it was getting. The temperature must have increased about 10 degrees. I kept on thinking what a mess it would be if one car broke down while going through. Fortunately, that did not happen, and we finally got back out in the open. Once we are back at Vic's we took another swim and started popping open champagne that Jordy and I purcased on our return trip. We decided to have dinner at one of the traditional "grottoes" that the locals go to. These are small, rustic restaurants that specialize in grilled meats, particularly pork ribs and horse (That's right, Wilbur!). Almost everyone ordered the mixed grill, which included a little of all the meats. I stuck with just the pork, and Jordan had polenta with gorganzola cheese. The meats were seasoned with a lot of rosemary, which I love. Vivian joined us again for dinner, and I ended up being the beneficiary of her light appetite! I also sampled Jordan's polenta, which was excellent.
We returned to Vic's for more wine, songs, and stories. Now, we are a few miles from Milano, where we will switch trains for Venice. We are only going to spend about 24 hours there, but that should give Jordan a good sampling of the city. We will return tomorrow night to attend a film festival near Lugano. I hope my backside of steel doesn't turn into a backside of mush from this time off the bike!
Ciao Ciao!
I have been derelict in my blog duties the last few days while getting completely pickled in Lugano. We have imbibed way too much wine the last couple of nights. The train from Stuttgart arrived in Lugano on Monday evening, about 9PM. Jordy and I loaded up our bikes, turned on the GPS, and made our way through Lugano to Vic Rush's bachelor pad. Garmin got us within 50 yards of his place, and I gave him a call. He sent his youngest son, Keenan (pronounced "Keeno"), to fetch us. I was surprised how much bigger he is than his dad! We walked into Vic's place and met Giordono, Vic's oldest son. He resembles Vic quite a bit. We proceeded to start drinking wine, which happens to be a common theme on this trip! Vic maded a wonderful dinner of barbecued chicken.
The setting of Vic's apartment is incredible. When you walk out his door, Lake Lugano is literally right in front of you. In two steps you can jump into the beautiful, blue water. We met several of the neighbors in the apartment building. They all get along great and there is a real community spirit. We told stories, sang songs, and generally had a good time until well after midnight. The next day, Jordy and I walked a couple miles along Lake Lugano towards the Italian border. There are apartments and small hotels most of the way. If you had problems walking, these would be tough places to get to. You cannot drive a car very close to most of them, and you have to navigate a lot of stairs; however, it would be well worth the effort.
When we got back to Vic's, we took our first swim in Lake Lugano. The water was refreshingly cool, but not too cold. We then ate a late lunch, and idled away the rest of the afternoon. Later on we went shopping in Lugano, since Jordan wanted to get another pair of shorts to bike in. We both decided not to use traditional biking shorts anymore. They are such a bacteria trap! One story I forgot to tell was a brief conversation I had with a Brit on the first night of camping in England. He asked me what I was doing, and when I told him, he exclaimed, "My God! You are going to have a back-side of steel by the time you are done!". Well, our butts feel like steel now, and we no longer have need of the padded bike shorts. We bought a box at the post office and sent the shorts, plus several other items back home.=
That evening, Vic made a cold pasta dish. Just before dinner, we were standing outside his door by the lake talking when a woman came up and said, "Oh, you speak English!". Her name was Vivian and she was taking a brief holiday, using one of Vic's neighbor's apartment whom she knew. She did not have dinner plans, so we invited her to join us. It was another late night of wine, talk, and song.
The next day, Vic let Jordy and me use his car to drive up the Gottard (sp?) Pass. We had planned on using our Swiss Passes to got to Jungfrau or the Matterhorn, but it would have taken 6 or 7 hours one way to either of those places. I will have to see them on the next visit. Gottard Pass was incredible. The Swiss have built an incredibly long tunnel (I think about 20 kilometers) through the mountains to by-pass the pass. We decided to drive over the pass going north in order to take in the view. I will post one of the pictures from the top. I am not sure how the Alps compare to the Rockies in height, but they sure are steep. I was surprised by the number of people I saw biking the pass, many of them on heavier mountain bikes. I don't think I would have enjoyed that ride much, particularly being fully loaded with gear. The road is an engineering marvel. You just wonder at the effort to build something like this.
On the return trip, we went through the tunnel. As we approached the half-way point in the tunnel, we both noticed how hot it was getting. The temperature must have increased about 10 degrees. I kept on thinking what a mess it would be if one car broke down while going through. Fortunately, that did not happen, and we finally got back out in the open. Once we are back at Vic's we took another swim and started popping open champagne that Jordy and I purcased on our return trip. We decided to have dinner at one of the traditional "grottoes" that the locals go to. These are small, rustic restaurants that specialize in grilled meats, particularly pork ribs and horse (That's right, Wilbur!). Almost everyone ordered the mixed grill, which included a little of all the meats. I stuck with just the pork, and Jordan had polenta with gorganzola cheese. The meats were seasoned with a lot of rosemary, which I love. Vivian joined us again for dinner, and I ended up being the beneficiary of her light appetite! I also sampled Jordan's polenta, which was excellent.
We returned to Vic's for more wine, songs, and stories. Now, we are a few miles from Milano, where we will switch trains for Venice. We are only going to spend about 24 hours there, but that should give Jordan a good sampling of the city. We will return tomorrow night to attend a film festival near Lugano. I hope my backside of steel doesn't turn into a backside of mush from this time off the bike!
Ciao Ciao!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Stuttgart to Lugano
August 3, 2009 Stuttgart Train Station
I just purchased tickets to Basel, Switzerland and four-day Swiss passes. The Swiss passes will get us on to Lugano, plus we can use them to travel to all the mountain sites over the next four days. We are pretty excited about getting off our bikes and doing some hiking. We will take day trips from Lugano and then get back in time to have dinner with Vic Rush. At least, that is the plan.
Yesterday afternoon while we were waiting out the rain, Jordan went into the cafe to use the bathroom. I was engrossed in my book so I did not notice that she had been gone for about an hour. I asked the waitress if she had seen my Tochter (German for daughter). She said she had seen her talking to a gentleman inside. I went in to see if all was OK. Jordan was engaged in conversation with a genial man, who looked about 60 years old. I introduced myself and he told me his name was Fritz Kurz. He had a notebook open and seemed to be working on something. He told us it was his memoirs. He then began to tell us a tale that reminded me of Forest Gump, in that he happened to rub elbows with several historical and theatrical figures, sometimes at crucial periods. His was a theatrical producer, and was the first producer to bring "Cats" to Germany. (Jordan verified this on Google later that evening.) That afternoon he was working on the part of his book where Robert Redford stole his long-time girlfriend. There was then some kind of litigation between him and Redford. Obviously, they are no longer on friendly terms.
We discussed a range of subjects, including the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre of Israeli athletes. Fritz said he was on the scene doing some sort of film work. He just happened to be in the same room when Willy Brandt, the chancellor of Germany at that time, asked him for his advice on what to do. Fritz said he advised Willy to let the terrorists leave Germany so it would be another country's problem. That did not happen. Security forces attacked and I think all the Israeli athletes were killed. By my calculation, Fritz would have been around 22 years old at the time. He had another story about advising Helmut Kohl later. Maybe it is all true, but I was more than a little incredulous.
Politically, Fritz was very conservative. He loved Ronald Reagan, liked Bush, thinks Obama is wet behind the ears foreign-policy wise, and thinks we should never waiver in our support of Israel. He thinks Islam is a morally bankrupt religion, and fears for Europe's future because of the growth of the Islamic population. I tend to agree with him on that point, although I think many religions have morally corrupt offshoots. It just seems that more peoploe are killing for Allah right now, than for God, Yahweh, or whatever. The growth of the Islamic population is a fact. Through immigration and reproduction, their numbers are increasing rapidly. We first noticed it with all the "Kebob" restaurants we started seeing in France. We continued to see them throughout Germany.
Finally, around 6:30PM, we said goodbye to Fritz and started riding towards Esslingen. It was getting a bit late, but I thought we had time to make it. Then it started pouring again. Jordan disagreed with going to Esslingen at this late hour, anyway. When I decided to turn around and return to Nurtigen, she asked me how it felt to always be wrong! We got under an overhang that happened to be right by a Subway sandwich shop. We ate dinner there and waited out the rain. After about 45 minutes and two rainbows, it stopped enough to bike three clicks to a hotel that I found compliments of the Garmin.
This morning we got up and had a great Fruestuck (breakfast) at the hotel. We went out to the garage to assemble our bikes and a German postman came past us on the way from dropping mail off at the hotel. The postal workers have very interesting-looking bikes. He stopped and we talked for a little bit. He said that Germany was getting better for bicycles because of environmental and economic concerns. I mentioned to him that he must get in pretty good shape riding the bike all day. He laughed and then showed me an ingenious electric motor that assisted his pedalling. The battery was just under the seat, attached to the top tube. It did not look very big, but as he said goodbye and gave a couple pedals, the power kicked in and away he went. Pretty amazing!
Our ride to Stuttgart was beautiful. We took a bike path most of the way along a very pretty river. In size and cleanliness, it reminded me of the Youghighenney. There were even a couple class three rapids. I took a video of the best one and will post it on the blog. We reached the Bahnhoff (train station) in Stuttgard around noon. We just boarded the train and are headed first for Basel, Switzerland and then on to Lugano. Should get there by 8PM.
I just purchased tickets to Basel, Switzerland and four-day Swiss passes. The Swiss passes will get us on to Lugano, plus we can use them to travel to all the mountain sites over the next four days. We are pretty excited about getting off our bikes and doing some hiking. We will take day trips from Lugano and then get back in time to have dinner with Vic Rush. At least, that is the plan.
Yesterday afternoon while we were waiting out the rain, Jordan went into the cafe to use the bathroom. I was engrossed in my book so I did not notice that she had been gone for about an hour. I asked the waitress if she had seen my Tochter (German for daughter). She said she had seen her talking to a gentleman inside. I went in to see if all was OK. Jordan was engaged in conversation with a genial man, who looked about 60 years old. I introduced myself and he told me his name was Fritz Kurz. He had a notebook open and seemed to be working on something. He told us it was his memoirs. He then began to tell us a tale that reminded me of Forest Gump, in that he happened to rub elbows with several historical and theatrical figures, sometimes at crucial periods. His was a theatrical producer, and was the first producer to bring "Cats" to Germany. (Jordan verified this on Google later that evening.) That afternoon he was working on the part of his book where Robert Redford stole his long-time girlfriend. There was then some kind of litigation between him and Redford. Obviously, they are no longer on friendly terms.
We discussed a range of subjects, including the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre of Israeli athletes. Fritz said he was on the scene doing some sort of film work. He just happened to be in the same room when Willy Brandt, the chancellor of Germany at that time, asked him for his advice on what to do. Fritz said he advised Willy to let the terrorists leave Germany so it would be another country's problem. That did not happen. Security forces attacked and I think all the Israeli athletes were killed. By my calculation, Fritz would have been around 22 years old at the time. He had another story about advising Helmut Kohl later. Maybe it is all true, but I was more than a little incredulous.
Politically, Fritz was very conservative. He loved Ronald Reagan, liked Bush, thinks Obama is wet behind the ears foreign-policy wise, and thinks we should never waiver in our support of Israel. He thinks Islam is a morally bankrupt religion, and fears for Europe's future because of the growth of the Islamic population. I tend to agree with him on that point, although I think many religions have morally corrupt offshoots. It just seems that more peoploe are killing for Allah right now, than for God, Yahweh, or whatever. The growth of the Islamic population is a fact. Through immigration and reproduction, their numbers are increasing rapidly. We first noticed it with all the "Kebob" restaurants we started seeing in France. We continued to see them throughout Germany.
Finally, around 6:30PM, we said goodbye to Fritz and started riding towards Esslingen. It was getting a bit late, but I thought we had time to make it. Then it started pouring again. Jordan disagreed with going to Esslingen at this late hour, anyway. When I decided to turn around and return to Nurtigen, she asked me how it felt to always be wrong! We got under an overhang that happened to be right by a Subway sandwich shop. We ate dinner there and waited out the rain. After about 45 minutes and two rainbows, it stopped enough to bike three clicks to a hotel that I found compliments of the Garmin.
This morning we got up and had a great Fruestuck (breakfast) at the hotel. We went out to the garage to assemble our bikes and a German postman came past us on the way from dropping mail off at the hotel. The postal workers have very interesting-looking bikes. He stopped and we talked for a little bit. He said that Germany was getting better for bicycles because of environmental and economic concerns. I mentioned to him that he must get in pretty good shape riding the bike all day. He laughed and then showed me an ingenious electric motor that assisted his pedalling. The battery was just under the seat, attached to the top tube. It did not look very big, but as he said goodbye and gave a couple pedals, the power kicked in and away he went. Pretty amazing!
Our ride to Stuttgart was beautiful. We took a bike path most of the way along a very pretty river. In size and cleanliness, it reminded me of the Youghighenney. There were even a couple class three rapids. I took a video of the best one and will post it on the blog. We reached the Bahnhoff (train station) in Stuttgard around noon. We just boarded the train and are headed first for Basel, Switzerland and then on to Lugano. Should get there by 8PM.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Biking Towards Stuttgart
August 2, 2009
Jordan and I are sitting at a little outdoor cafe, trying to warm ourselves up with a cappacino. We are in Nurtingen, about 30 clicks southeast of Stuttgart. For the last half hour, we have been riding in a light rain that was refreshing at first, but downright cold as it increased. Now that we are under cover, it is really coming down. We are going to try to wait it out so we can get some more clicks in today.
The last few days have been beautiful, but tiring. We just had a 1.6 click climb at 16% grade. After reviewing our progress since Nurenberg, we decided that we had better bike to a major city and then take the train to Zurich and Lugano. That is why we are headed towards Stuttgart. I hoped to get there tonight, but the rain may interfere with those plans.
This morning's ride took us through similar terrain as yesterday's. We descended into a steep valley that had thick forests on both sides. It reminded me very much of the area around Ohio Pyle, Pennsylvania. One difference is that I could see what looked like marble out-croppings in the valley walls. I could just imagine Hitler's Eagles Nest hideout being in this area!
Jordan is starting to accept the fact that there are hills and that they are out of control, although she did threaten to call Barb and tell her I am trying to kill her little girl.
Note on German Biking: I would rate Germany's bicycle efforts somewhere between France and Belgium. We see more bike trails than we did in France, but they are very haphazard. Not very Germanic at all. Instead of bike lines, there is sometimes a path (about the size of the Olentangy River Trail) on either or both sides of the road. Sometimes there are signs announcing it, and sometimes there are not. Sometimes it is one-way, sometimes both ways. Often it will just stop, and you must get off your bike and wheel it back onto the road. Another confusing item is that many farmers build similar trails between their fields and the roads. These will sometimes turn 90 degrees away from your intended direction before you realize what is going on. Because of all this, we often do not get on what may be good bike paths. A few drivers have yelled at us, probably something along the lines of why the hell aren't you using the bike trail that my taxes have paid for. Overall, it is better biking than the USA, but a far cry from Holland or Belgium.
Jordan and I are sitting at a little outdoor cafe, trying to warm ourselves up with a cappacino. We are in Nurtingen, about 30 clicks southeast of Stuttgart. For the last half hour, we have been riding in a light rain that was refreshing at first, but downright cold as it increased. Now that we are under cover, it is really coming down. We are going to try to wait it out so we can get some more clicks in today.
The last few days have been beautiful, but tiring. We just had a 1.6 click climb at 16% grade. After reviewing our progress since Nurenberg, we decided that we had better bike to a major city and then take the train to Zurich and Lugano. That is why we are headed towards Stuttgart. I hoped to get there tonight, but the rain may interfere with those plans.
This morning's ride took us through similar terrain as yesterday's. We descended into a steep valley that had thick forests on both sides. It reminded me very much of the area around Ohio Pyle, Pennsylvania. One difference is that I could see what looked like marble out-croppings in the valley walls. I could just imagine Hitler's Eagles Nest hideout being in this area!
Jordan is starting to accept the fact that there are hills and that they are out of control, although she did threaten to call Barb and tell her I am trying to kill her little girl.
Note on German Biking: I would rate Germany's bicycle efforts somewhere between France and Belgium. We see more bike trails than we did in France, but they are very haphazard. Not very Germanic at all. Instead of bike lines, there is sometimes a path (about the size of the Olentangy River Trail) on either or both sides of the road. Sometimes there are signs announcing it, and sometimes there are not. Sometimes it is one-way, sometimes both ways. Often it will just stop, and you must get off your bike and wheel it back onto the road. Another confusing item is that many farmers build similar trails between their fields and the roads. These will sometimes turn 90 degrees away from your intended direction before you realize what is going on. Because of all this, we often do not get on what may be good bike paths. A few drivers have yelled at us, probably something along the lines of why the hell aren't you using the bike trail that my taxes have paid for. Overall, it is better biking than the USA, but a far cry from Holland or Belgium.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
More Bavaria
What an unbelievable part of Germany! The scenery is incredible, although it is the toughest riding we have had yet. It reminds me of crossing the Appalachian mountains as far as the grades and lengths of the climbs. We have lowered our daily mileage to about 60 clicks the last two days because we have gotten so tired by mid-day. Last night we camped on top of a mountain and today we are hotelling it in Heraldstadt. We will probably bike about two more days and then get on a train to Lugano to visit Vic Rush, aka Big Vic.
Note on the Germans in this region: In general, an extremely friendly people. They really get a kick out of my attempts to speak German. I am sure I am really butchering it, but they smile and answer in German. There have been many instances in these small towns we are travelling through that it has come in handy, since some of the locals speak little or no English.
On a trip of this length, it is pretty easy to piss off your travelling companion. My latest aggravating thing I am doing to Jordan is answering all her questions in German. Sometimes I just make up words that sound like German to keep it going. She says we need to go to Spain so she can aggravate me in similar fashion. I replied, "Nein, danke!"
Note on the Germans in this region: In general, an extremely friendly people. They really get a kick out of my attempts to speak German. I am sure I am really butchering it, but they smile and answer in German. There have been many instances in these small towns we are travelling through that it has come in handy, since some of the locals speak little or no English.
On a trip of this length, it is pretty easy to piss off your travelling companion. My latest aggravating thing I am doing to Jordan is answering all her questions in German. Sometimes I just make up words that sound like German to keep it going. She says we need to go to Spain so she can aggravate me in similar fashion. I replied, "Nein, danke!"
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Bavaria
Dinkelsbuhl, Bavaria, Germany
Jordan and I just biked into a picturesque Bavarian town by the strange name of Dinkelsbuhl. We decided to get a hotel, since our batteries, both physical and mental, needed recharging. Also, the hotel has Internet access, which is a large plus in our book. It is amazing how important that is to us. I love posting to the blog and reading the replies that come back.
Near the end of our train ride to Nuremburg, I used the toilet in the train. Since almost all the toilets in Europe cost cold, hard cash to use, cheap bastards like myself learn to train their bladders and colons to wait for the free bathrooms. The bathrooms on trains are free. I did some "heavy business" early on the ride, but then waited until the end of the ride to do one last number 1. Jordan and I were sitting in the bicycle car with one other guy who looked exactly like a good-looking Elliot Spitzer (no huge lantern jaw). He was a great guy who spoke English pretty well. The toilet in this car was amazing. It had a door that would have made most "panic room" doors jealous. Mr. Spitzer explained the workings of the door to me. I had to step inside and then hit a button to close the door. I followed his instructions, closed the door, unleashed the big fella, and started a vary satisfying micturation. About 10 seconds into it, I realized that I had no locked the door. That meant anyone outside could hit the open button, and there I would be in all my glory. I leaned over to the lock on the door, while continuing to relieve myself. There was a lock on the door, and I tried to turn it. To my surprise, turnig the lock OPENED the door. Jordan and Elliot started laughing their butts off at me! I reshut the door and started over. The same thing happened again! I finally decided to shut the door without locking it and hope nobody from outside opened it. I finished my business and came out. Jordan and Elliot were still laughing their asses off. Elliot explained to me that there was another button that locks the door. Oh well, another good bathroom humor story!
We arrived in Nuremberg about 3:20. After buying a map, we took off for a campground about 10 clicks away. The bike paths in Nuremberg were definitely a step down from the Netherlands, or Belgium, for that matter. They would start and stop rather indiscrimanately. I am sure there are good parts of this city, but going from the train station est, we did not see any. About 7 clicks outside the city we rode by a decent looking bike shop. I stopped and explained to one of the mechanics the problems I have been having with my rear derailleur. He asked if a could leave my bike until tomorrow, but I explained that I was just travelling through. He dropped everything and fixed the derailleur. The English guy who put it on, was not a good mechanic. I could tell that it was never in-line. The GERMANS fixed me up just fine! I ended up buying a new helmet and water bottle from them. They did not even charge me for the mechanical work.
We continued biking to a campground about 10 clicks from Nuremberg. We set up camp and then went to the campground restaurant. We ordered beers first and we just relaxing when a gregarious looking fellow walked by. I hit him with a "Wie geht es Ihnen?" which means "How are you?" I must have really shocked him, because his face screwed up and he asked "Was sagen Sie?" which means "What did you say?" After this initial blunder, we started communicating well. I asked him if I could buy him a drink, and he invited Jordan and me to eat dinner with his wife, mother, and step-father. We said sure! What a cool evening! His name was Juergen and his wife was Ursula. I never did get his parents's names, but they were really funny. Yuergen was extremely friendly and had a funny way of making strange expressions as he talked. We ate and drank until about 11PM and then parted company. What a great spontaneous experience!
Got up today around 8:30 and had breakfast of rolls and jam we bought last night, followed by a banana. Started biking by 9:30. We had an incredible head-wind and we were biking steadily up-hill all morning. Jordan asked if it was going to be like this all day and I said I hope not. After lunch, it leveled out considerably. Plus we changed from going due West to due South. The wind was coming out of the West so it was not affecting us as much now.
The Bavarian scenery is beautiful! Rolling landscape and beautiful bucolic farms. We rolled into Dinskelsbuhl around 4:30PM. It is the proto-typical Bavarian town. Since we are hotelling it, we bought food at a grocery store. After eating, we went out for dessert. Sehr gut!
Jordan and I just biked into a picturesque Bavarian town by the strange name of Dinkelsbuhl. We decided to get a hotel, since our batteries, both physical and mental, needed recharging. Also, the hotel has Internet access, which is a large plus in our book. It is amazing how important that is to us. I love posting to the blog and reading the replies that come back.
Near the end of our train ride to Nuremburg, I used the toilet in the train. Since almost all the toilets in Europe cost cold, hard cash to use, cheap bastards like myself learn to train their bladders and colons to wait for the free bathrooms. The bathrooms on trains are free. I did some "heavy business" early on the ride, but then waited until the end of the ride to do one last number 1. Jordan and I were sitting in the bicycle car with one other guy who looked exactly like a good-looking Elliot Spitzer (no huge lantern jaw). He was a great guy who spoke English pretty well. The toilet in this car was amazing. It had a door that would have made most "panic room" doors jealous. Mr. Spitzer explained the workings of the door to me. I had to step inside and then hit a button to close the door. I followed his instructions, closed the door, unleashed the big fella, and started a vary satisfying micturation. About 10 seconds into it, I realized that I had no locked the door. That meant anyone outside could hit the open button, and there I would be in all my glory. I leaned over to the lock on the door, while continuing to relieve myself. There was a lock on the door, and I tried to turn it. To my surprise, turnig the lock OPENED the door. Jordan and Elliot started laughing their butts off at me! I reshut the door and started over. The same thing happened again! I finally decided to shut the door without locking it and hope nobody from outside opened it. I finished my business and came out. Jordan and Elliot were still laughing their asses off. Elliot explained to me that there was another button that locks the door. Oh well, another good bathroom humor story!
We arrived in Nuremberg about 3:20. After buying a map, we took off for a campground about 10 clicks away. The bike paths in Nuremberg were definitely a step down from the Netherlands, or Belgium, for that matter. They would start and stop rather indiscrimanately. I am sure there are good parts of this city, but going from the train station est, we did not see any. About 7 clicks outside the city we rode by a decent looking bike shop. I stopped and explained to one of the mechanics the problems I have been having with my rear derailleur. He asked if a could leave my bike until tomorrow, but I explained that I was just travelling through. He dropped everything and fixed the derailleur. The English guy who put it on, was not a good mechanic. I could tell that it was never in-line. The GERMANS fixed me up just fine! I ended up buying a new helmet and water bottle from them. They did not even charge me for the mechanical work.
We continued biking to a campground about 10 clicks from Nuremberg. We set up camp and then went to the campground restaurant. We ordered beers first and we just relaxing when a gregarious looking fellow walked by. I hit him with a "Wie geht es Ihnen?" which means "How are you?" I must have really shocked him, because his face screwed up and he asked "Was sagen Sie?" which means "What did you say?" After this initial blunder, we started communicating well. I asked him if I could buy him a drink, and he invited Jordan and me to eat dinner with his wife, mother, and step-father. We said sure! What a cool evening! His name was Juergen and his wife was Ursula. I never did get his parents's names, but they were really funny. Yuergen was extremely friendly and had a funny way of making strange expressions as he talked. We ate and drank until about 11PM and then parted company. What a great spontaneous experience!
Got up today around 8:30 and had breakfast of rolls and jam we bought last night, followed by a banana. Started biking by 9:30. We had an incredible head-wind and we were biking steadily up-hill all morning. Jordan asked if it was going to be like this all day and I said I hope not. After lunch, it leveled out considerably. Plus we changed from going due West to due South. The wind was coming out of the West so it was not affecting us as much now.
The Bavarian scenery is beautiful! Rolling landscape and beautiful bucolic farms. We rolled into Dinskelsbuhl around 4:30PM. It is the proto-typical Bavarian town. Since we are hotelling it, we bought food at a grocery store. After eating, we went out for dessert. Sehr gut!
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