Little Yellow Roads

May 29 - in the AM

I’m in a swanky café in downtown Hanover.  I’ve really immersed myself in the riding for the last couple of days.  It’s been amazing.  The asphalt has been REALLY smooth (no chip seal!), there’ve been some crushingly steep hills, and the scenery has been fantastic.  I cranked up one hill (not sure if I’d make it) and at the top there was a sign informing me that I’d just climbed a 13% grade.  The descent was also 13%!!!  The little yellow roads on my maps are the ones that provide the best riding.  The traffic is low, the asphalt quality is high, and the scenery is amazing.  Here are several photos from the fogline on the "little yellow roads":

Yesterday, as I rode north, I asked a couple of other cyclists in Wega for directions to Fritzlar.  After visiting for a bit they asked if I’d join them for a beer.  They said they would catch the next train to get home to Kassel.  We enjoyed a 2 hour conversation and they bought me a wiener schnitzel and a couple of drinks.  When their train came, we said our goodbyes and I continued north and made it to Warburg just as the sun was setting.  I camped at a nice campground in Warburg next to more local bike tourists.  David, Josiah, and their father were out for a weekend of touring on the local bike paths.  They were fascinated with my equipment and we visited about the joys of bike touring for some time.  I rode long yesterday and made it over the last of the mountains to the southern side of Hanover.  I couldn’t find the campground I was looking for, so I camped among the windmills along a trail next to a farmers field.  I was greeted this morning by walkers and joggers along the trail.  A few stopped to visit and asked if I’d slept well.

The weather this morning was foggy, cool, and really windy.  I ate my eggs and cheese and lounged in the tent for a while, waiting to see if the weather would mellow a little.  It did, I packed up and rode into Hanover.  The wind is out of the northeast, so we’ll see how today’s riding compares with the splendid last couple of days.

May 29 - in the PM
Today the saddle was not comfortable and my legs were tired.  I took breaks often and decided to stop for a while at the Bergen-Belsen Memorial (where Anne Frank died).  I’m glad that I did.  This trip has really been such a journey of enjoying the kindness and generosity of humanity.  The memorial was a chilling reminder to me of the atrocities that we humans are capable of committing.  In that light, how much more beautiful is the tolerance, acceptance, and love that strangers have shown me?

I pedaled east toward a tent symbol on my 1:150,000 scale map.  When I arrived, I found a couple of the most gracious campground hosts yet.  (Not to mention the best campground I’ve been to in Germany.)  They have free showers and free internet.  They made me a nice dinner of Curry Worst and fries.  They let me in on a little secret too.  The reason there is no free internet in Germany is because if you illegally download a song or a movie, they hunt you down and fine you 450 Euros.

Tomorrow, to Hamburg!!!

Finding Frankfurt

May 27

I’ve seen the beautiful churches of Speyer, pedaled through Worms looking for a campground that wasn’t there, and eaten “Knuckle of Pork” (which turned out to be the knee) in the center of Frankfurt.  After setting up my tent at the Frankfurt campground (shared with lots of Bruce Springsteen fans there for his concert), I walked into the neighborhood and into a local bar.  I ended up in an engaging conversation with Lirim, an outgoing German of Albanian decent.  We talked for hours about language, politics, Albanian history, and the work cultures of our countries.  It was a great connection, and a fun conversation.  The bar owner, Islam (from Cosovo), gave me a complimentary beer when I told him I was from America.  What kindness!

The next morning was a real low point for my moral.  I was having a really hard time navigating out of Frankfurt, the map I had was terrible, and I had lost my snap-on plastic map case so I couldn’t even keep my inadequate map in front of my eyes.  I took a long detour in Bad Homberg (which was quite beautiful) to a huge bike shop that was able to replace my map case (it helps that my Ortlieb handlebar bag is German made) and I continued north.  The riding got better and better as the day went on: busy highways gave way to small country roads with hills that weren’t too steep, far less traffic, with castles on the horizon.  Upon arriving at one castle on a hill (Muntzenberg), I found myself in the middle of a giant renaissance festival, surrounded by jesters, knights, apothecaries, and all other sorts of characters.  After snapping some photos and asking a few questions, I rode on.  I stopped for a kebab at a Turkish owned restaurant in one small town, and finished the day with some of the best riding I’ve had on the entire trip.  It’s amazing how the highs and lows can come in such close proximity to each another.

I camped at the top of a hill in Homberg and shared a site with a lovely elderly couple from Friedberg.  After bathing at a faucet and eating my dinner, I visited with them under their camper canopy.  They told me stories of their travels, having driven their VW camper all over the continent: Lisbon, eastern Turkey, Italy, Scandinavia.  We looked at maps late into the night and ate some of the chocolate that Jean-Marc had given to me.  They gave me ideas on where to go next, what highways to take, and what sights to be sure to take in.  They also let me know that there wouldn’t be truck traffic for the next couple of days since the next day was Sunday and Monday was a national holiday.  Maybe it’s time to throw down and make some miles?

Into Germany!

May 24

Crossing the Rhine

It was tough to leave Jean-Marc and Christine.  They really pampered me: endless amounts of delicious food, Corsican wine, Alcasian beer, Christine’s rubarb pie every morning for breakfast, Jean-Marc’s espresso several times a day, guided climbing excursions…you get the picture.  I had a great send off too.  They gave me maps of the Strasbourg bike trails (without which, I guarantee you I’d still be in Strasbourg), directions to the local supermarche and patisserie, as well as a ration of extra dark of French chocolate!

I found my way through Strasbourg and crossed the Rhine river into Germany.  My sister had suggested (a severe understatement) that I ride to Baden-Baden and bathe at the Friedrichsbad.  So, I gunned it up highway 3 and, after asking directions at least a dozen times, found the bathhouse (bathing castle).  It was an otherworldly experience and when I look back, it seems as if it were a dream.  I sprung for the works and got the brush treatment as well as the cream massage.  The whole endeavor lasted about 4 hours and had over 14 stages including saunas, steam rooms, tepid baths, hot baths, a cold plunge and a cocoon-like nap at the end.  I got lost often and, at times, felt like I was in a rat maze (a luxurious one).  I would like to go back and see if I could do it without needing so much instruction.  It’s a bit humiliating to be walking around totally naked and asking people that are fully dressed, “Where do I go now?  Do I take my towel with me this time?  With my slippers on or off?”  When I finished with the bathing experience, I rolled north.

The only map of Germany I had was one that I bought at a gas station after crossing the Rhine.  Let me tell you that navigating in a foreign country with a 1:300,000 scale map by bicycle is an exercise in futility, especially when you’re trying to stay OFF the highways.  It was the best map I could find at the time.  Today, I stopped at a bike shop at picked up a bike specific map at 1:100,000 scale (and still had issues).

There are some real differences between Germany and France (don’t roll your eyes at me).  It’s apparent that Germans like to “keep ‘em separated“ when it comes to bikes and cars.  As soon as I crossed the Rhine, I was asked to get onto the sidewalk.  Wishing to abide by the rules of the land I’m traveling in, I gave it a try.  There are bike paths (discontinuous at best) everywhere in this area between Baden-Baden and Frankfurt.  They vary extremely in quality.  At one point you can be cruising along on good asphalt, turn a corner, and be on technical dirt single track that you’d need a mountain bike to ride.  You turn a different corner and end up in a farmer‘s field with no choice but to back track.  Most of the regional highways have bike paths running along beside them (sometimes on both sides), but only between villages.  So, when you come into a village, you ride in the street (the drivers are considerate, but seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere).  When you leave a village you really have to watch for the opportunity to get back on the bike trail.  If you miss it, you’ll be separated from it for a while.  The bike paths are really bumpy, cross all the approaches coming off the highways and roads, force you to really slow down and cross individual lanes of traffic at roundabouts (instead of just going round the roundabout), and have random other trails coming onto them at all imaginable angles (so bikes come flying out onto the trail in front of you quite often).  It’s safer to ride in the street, but the drivers don’t like it when there’s a path for you to ride in.   I’ve already been honked at and yelled at several times.  There’s a bike/pedestrian trail out west of Missoula (in Frenchtown) that brings up this same issue.  Cyclists are traveling too fast to safely be on the trail with pedestrians, dogs, and casual bikers, but the motorists expect you to be on it.  Well, the trail in Frenchtown is WAY better than these trails.  I’m not going to over generalize though, the Rhine valley is very highly populated and things may change as I head north.  The maps make it look like there will be some good riding north of Frankfurt.  We’ll see.

I do love that you can get a cup of coffee in the bakery shops here (not to mention the fact that you can use the bathroom too).  Also, there are an incredible number of English speakers here.  Asking directions and questions about groceries is very easy here too.  I haven’t had to flap my wings and act like I’m laying an egg yet (I got big laughs in France with that one at the grocery store….since they don‘t refrigerate the eggs, I always have trouble finding them).  I’ve also been amazed at how smooth the manhole lids are on the roads, as well as the railroad track crossings.  You’ve got to love German craftsmanship!

I’m on my second night of camping in a random place here in Germany.  The campgrounds have been fewer and further between.  Last night, after riding north from Baden-Baden, a local steered me to a public picnic shelter to camp.  I’m not sure if it was low profile enough for me though; I got woken up at 1am to three flashlights in my face and a language I couldn’t understand.  Apparently, a man was looking for his son who hadn’t come home.  I was amazed when out of the borderline frantic German (complete gibberish to my ears at 1am) came, “A boy…..20 years old…..with yellow bike……was here?”  “Oh!”, I replied. “No.  I‘m sorry.”  It took me a bit to get back to sleep after they walked away.

Tonight, I “initiated some kindness” as Willie Wier puts it.  I stopped along the road and asked a couple sitting out on their patio enjoying a beer if they spoke any English.  After they said no, I asked if they spoke any French (you know I was desperate now.)  They replied no, so, I motioned setting up a tent and going to sleep and pointed to a freshly mowed patch of grass outside their fence.  “Ok?”, I said.  The gentleman pointed to his watch and asked how long.  I laughed and said, “Only one night.”  He laughed and said “Ok.” while motioning in the direction of the spot I had suggested.  So, I’m in my tent now with dinner in my belly (pasta with Comte cheese from the Jura region of France).

An interesting bike path going against traffic on a one way street!

The weather has really changed and today was hot.  I saw 31 degrees Celsius at one point on a digital readout.  It’s slowly cooling off this evening, and I’m certain I’ll sleep better tonight than I did last night!

A love note to France

Le Pilier de Barr 6a+ (5.10b)
photo by Jean-Marc

Jean-Marc and I at Klingenthal

I'll only be in France for another couple of hours.  I'm about to get packed up and depart the home of my wonderful hosts here in Achenheim, Jean-Marc and Christine, and pedal east, across the Rhine, and into Germany.  I roped in with the perfect crowd here in Alsace.  Jean-Marc took me climbing yesterday at a nearby sandstone outcrop and quarry.  We had such a good time laughing, talking about climbing, and exchanging climbing terms and jargon in our different languages.  It was the perfect "rest day" after 15 days of cycling.  Thank you, Jean-Marc and Christine!

I'd like to thank France for blessing me with such a wonderful experience.  She has far surpassed my expectations with her wonderfully complex, diverse, and welcoming communities.  Her land is beautiful, as is her language and cuisine, but her people have stolen my heart.  Vive la France!  I'll be back one day.

French Hospitality

My generous hosts in Wiches,
Edmond and Lysiane

The last several days here in France have been like a dream.  The roads have been smooth and mostly free of traffic, the scenery outdoes itself with every bend in the road, the sun has been shining, and the hospitality I've been welcomed with has been far warmer than the sunniest day.  I wasn't allowed to pay for my coffee by a hotel-restaurant owner (and she gave me a plate of cookies too), a nice couple picked up the tab for my two Coca-Colas at the top of the Col du Hantz, and last night in Wiches, a family took me into their home because it looked like it was about to rain.  I stopped to ask them if there was a place to camp and they simply answered, "You can camp at our house."  Well, you can't call it camping when you're invited in for dinner, drinks, a shower, a bed, and breakfast in the morning!  When Edmond opened his garage and I saw all the bicycles leaning against the wall (and the road bike on the trainer), I knew I was in the company of a kindred spirit.  "Thank you." just isn't enough to express the gratitude I feel.

Jean-Marc and Christine

Today was a short (and all downhill) ride into Achenheim (a village just west of Strasbourg).  I'm staying with Jean-Marc and Christine, friends of Claudine (Missoula) and Lucile (Paris).  I've somehow worked my way into a French circle of friends who all have rock climbing (and hospitality) as their common denominator.  Upon arriving, I was served an unbelievable 5 course lunch, complete with champagne!  Then the three of us headed into Strasbourg by car (my first time in a car since I got to Europe).  Jean-Marc and Christine were my tour guides and we saw cathedrals, old hotels, canals, and the European Parliament.  Tonight, they are taking me out for flammekueche.  I'm already salivating.

Time to stop and rest the legs

My legs are seriously tired.  I'll be staying here for two nights to gain some direction and let my legs rest.  Yesterday I rode over two named passes.  (Did I mention how glad I am that I didn't go to the Alps?)  I got worked over pretty good.  I fully understand now why people tour with three chain rings.  Col de la Chipotte and Col du Hantz got me over the Vosges mountains.  The long decent toward Strasbourg from the top of the Col du Hantz was on perfect asphalt and felt like it would go on forever.  I wound it up in the 50x11 several times.  Very exhilarating towing the B.o.b. trailer!

I'm still in France?

The last few days have definitely seen changes in the architecture.  With each new village I come to, the buildings look more and more German.  Christine filled me in on a bit of the history of Alsace and how it has gone back and forth between Germany and France many times, the last time being the occupation during WWII.  In the cathedral of Strasbourg there was even a memorial to the American soldiers that died in the efforts to free Alsace from Germany.

Looking up, in the Strasbourg Cathedral

Today, while walking in Strasbourg, I heard someone speaking English with an American accent for the first time since leaving Paris.  I have not met another American on the entire trip.  Most French ask me if I'm from Great Britain; when I say that I'm from the U.S. they usually reply in a surprised and delighted manner, "Aaaahhhh, américain!"  Needless to say, it's a nice feeling to be so well received.

Pedaling for Pastries

"Just keep pedaling, just keep pedaling..."  Touring alone means lots of internal dialogue.  Sometimes it's deep, even insightful and sometimes it's, well, like static on the radio.  The last few days I've been waffling back and forth between a goal driven, "Must get to Strasbourg! Must get to Strasbourg!" (said with a slight German accent), and a more laid back "Pedal slower! Soak it up, man! Ah, France!"  I think it's the latter voice that prevails when I take a detour into a village that I suspect will have a great Patisserie (bakery).

There's something about pedaling a bike (especially when I'm not pedaling it very hard) that makes me feel more youthful.  Maybe it's just the childish simplicity off it: make the pedals go around and you'll get to new places!  Well, the local pastry shops are some of my favorite "new places".

Yesterday, the weather was warmer so coffee didn't sound quite as good.  I stopped at a cute bakery in a little village and walked inside.  The folks that worked there were all smiles.  I ordered everything that looked appetizing.  The lady behind the counter would describe what something was (in French), I wouldn't understand but would order it anyway.  I went outside and sat on the curb and dove in.  The first pastry "Pate Lorrain" (named after the region I was pedaling through)  was still warm and had some sort of meat inside!  Perfect, it was lunchtime, anyway!  The second was a quiche made with chicken...divine.  Then I had my coffee flavored eclaire.  Still a bit peckish but wanting to save my Religieuse for latter in the day, I walked back in.  I ordered some huge whipped cream thing with strawberries and told the lady not to box it up...I was going to eat it right away.  She laughed and made sure to hand me a napkin.  I went back out to my spot on the curb.  Well, the child within definitely came out as I sunk my face into that one!  There's even a picture to prove it!

Burgundy into Champagne

Top of the climb

Yesterday was a national holiday in France: Ascension Day.  I don't know how they figured it out (kinda like the date of Christmas), but it's the day that Jesus ascended into heaven following crucifixion and resurrection.  I feel like I'm already in heaven and today I ascended my first real climb.  You can tell when you've pedaled your way up a true climb in France because there's always a big cross at the top (I guess I just know that from watching the Tour)!  The high speed descent into Bazoches was really exhilarating!  I got the B.o.b. trailer up over 40 mph and it followed me like a shadow!

Coffee Break

Entering Avallon

Most of the shops were closed on Ascension Day except for in the morning.  I stopped at a bakery in Corbigny and loaded up on pastries this time to eat throughout the day.  The riding was actually quite remote.  It was a lot longer in between villages, and the villages were like ghost towns, anyway.  I rode through the beautiful villages of Burgundy, stopping for coffee in Pierre-Perthuis, lunch in Avallon (a pastry that I'd purchased in the morning and half of a baguette with butter), and photos in Montreal.  Riding into Avallon was really a trip highlight.  I rode along a road with rock cliffs on one side, and a beautiful stream on the other.  Making my way into Ravieres, I asked three different locals where I should camp (there are not so many campgrounds when you are not on a published bike route or in a tourist area) and they all said to camp along the canal, that no one would care.  So, I pitched my tent, cooked my dinner, and fell asleep to the sounds of the frogs in the canal.

In Montreal

Heading toward Avallon

One of two foxes I saw in the evening

Camped along the canal

This morning I woke up and headed for coffee and a bathroom in Ravieres.  Then, I made sure to purchase a great sausage that I learned about from having dinner with Edwige: Saucisson! (I also bought a couple of baguettes, of course).  The hills were not quite as bad today.  I learned that my regional maps show little chevrons on the roads to indicate hills and their steepness.  So, to cater to my knee I've chosen my route with as few chevrons as possible!  I had a great lunch in  Châtillon-sur-Seine  (I made it back to the Siene!) and continued on.  I should note here that I'm up to about 7 shots of espresso per day.  This trip is pretty much fueled on baguettes, pastries, and caffeine!

Saucisson!

I gunned for Chaumont (riding under the impressive viaduct upon entering the town) and rested at the McDonald's for a bit.  My saddle started bugging me yesterday and it had intensified today as I rode.  It's like a nerve is getting pinched and it doesn't feel great.  When I got back on my bike after the break in Chaumont.....ouch!  I continued riding in hopes that it would go away.  The intensity lessened, but I wasn't really comfortable for the rest of the evening.  Today marks 12 days in a row of riding...days have been between 7 and 12 hours in the saddle.  Perhaps it's getting close to time for a rest day.  This evening, in Andelot, I broke down and got a room in a quaint little hotel with a restaurant below.  Dinner was foie gras and sweetbreads!

The viaduct in Chaumont

Time for a glass of bubbly!

foie gras

sweetbread (calf thymus)