Day 16 Hinte

 48 miles today

Today required a change in plans because I found out that the ferry from Germany to the Netherlands only runs once on Saturday and once on Wednesday at this point in the season.  If I missed it I would probably need another 2-3 days of riding to get back to my trail.  So off to Hinte for the night and then I will catch the ferry first thing in the morning.

I noticed a few days ago that my legs had decided to join my journey and stopped complaining about riding 50 miles day after day.  It's nice now to have them along for the ride!!

Riding along paths on a network of canals.  If you notice, almost all the bike paths are made from various paver stones.  I can't imagine the labor involved in making these paths.

Found this very interesting specimen tree in someone's yard along a canal.

Passed through the lovely village of Aurich.  They had a wonderful pedestrian thoroughfare leading to a central market.  I couldn't get over how many people were out and about at 10am on a Friday morning.

So now I am in the town of Hinte on my last night in Germany.  Tomorrow I will take the ferry to The Netherlands and head to Groningen.

Day 15 Sande

 54  miles to Sande 

Another day of sunshine and a nice ride.  First thing in the morning I rode downtown Bremerhaven to catch a ferry - but not without getting stopped by police 3 times.  First time they stopped me for riding the wrong way on the bike path (which is on the sidewalk).  Second time they stopped me for riding on the sidewalk and not in the road.  And the third time they stopped me to make me walk down a 20 foot ramp - then I could get back on the bike.  This all happened within 10 minutes!!

I eventually did make it on to the ferry to Nordenham

Passed through several villages with canals that led to the sea.

I stopped on the dike overlooking the Wadden Sea to have a snack and these folks came along and asked a bunch of questions about my trip.  And we talked about their travels and what part of Germany they were from (Bremer).  Very nice folks.

I rode through a lot of farm land today.  A lot of cows, a lot of sheep, and wind farms everywhere you looked.

This is the charming town of Varel.  It might be hard to see in the pictures but each property has a wooden flag hanging out front with either a family name, if it is a residence, or a person's name and occupation if it is a business.

Finally I got to my host's home.  This is Bernd and his cat Freddy.  His home is right alongside a canal and was the quietest home I had ever been in.  In the evening there was absolutely not a sound.  Very remote.  We shared nice meals and good conversation.

Day 14 Bremerhaven

 Woo hoo!  Another beautiful day to ride - and another day with a change in plan.

I had thought this was going to be a short easy day since I put in extra miles yesterday.  So I lollygagged around in the morning and didn't hit the road until 9:30.  Even with that and a bunch of sightseeing I was at my campground at 1pm.  When I tried to register for the night they said that registration did not open until 3:30.  So instead of sitting around I went another 20 miles before finding a place to stop.

Anyway - again, a lovely day.  Started off about 48 degrees and I had a sweatshirt on under my windbreaker.  But the sweatshirt came off soon enough with the sun being out and heat building up from riding.

A nice shadow means the sun was shining bright.

Passed lots of sheep grazing along the sides of the dikes.  For a while I thought I was in Ireland!!

I made it to Cuxhaven and the terminus of the Elbe River.  This structure marks where the Elbe ends and the North Sea starts.  I was so happy to see the Elbe flow into the North Sea.  1st, because it was a lovely day.  2nd, because it's the North Sea.  And 3rd, because after traveling 2600 miles along the Danube River a few years ago Brian and I had some bike trouble and we did not see the Danube flow into the Black Sea.  So this was gratifying.

Lots of these little stationary huts along the waterfront.  Apparently people own these things.  They open up and form seating for two with some protection from the wind.  I saw a few people had theirs open and they also store extra chairs and blankets in there.

Then rode on the Bremerhaven which is a pretty big shipping center.  There were several cargo ships being loaded/unloaded.  Trucks and trains everywhere carrying shipping containers.

  

So many trucks and trains were loaded with new cars.  And huge parking garages loaded with new cars.  Anyone out there waiting for a new vehicle?  It's probably here somewhere!

Day 13 Grossenworden and Otterndorf

 Today was scheduled to be an easy day after sitting around in Berlin and Hamburg.  So I started out to my campground 39 miles away.  It was a beautiful day.  Started riding this morning 46 degrees.  Got up to 60 degrees in the afternoon - and SUNNY!  Woo Hoo.  What a difference the sun makes.  It was great to get out of the city and back on bike paths through little towns and villages.

I passed miles and miles of apple orchards being harvested.  The trees, however, were not like back at home.  They were much smaller and very skinny - but yet loaded with apples.

Many homes in these villages still have thatched rooves (roofs).

Even saw one thatched roof being re-done.

Anyway - I got to my campsite only to find it was just a rest stop for a car or camper.  It was just a patch of grass; no water, no shower, no bathroom, no nothing.  So I got back on the bike and did another 25 miles to the town of Otterndorf where I got a room for the night.  This is really a delightful, charming, small town.  Looks like a very nice place to live.

This extra mileage today really cuts down how far I have to go tomorrow so I'll try to sleep in a bit. 

Tomorrow I make it to the end of the Elbe River as it empties into the North Sea.

40 miles to Grossenworden to campground.  Short ride today.  Spent the morning in Hamburg.

Day 12 Hamburg

 After 11 straight days of rain, and another 4 in a row predicted for the Berlin area, I decided to change plans and take a train to Hamburg.  I got the train at the central Berlin train station which was pretty big.  Its got 4 separate levels, with trams on the top level and trains below.  The station also incorporates a shopping mall which was interesting to see.

The train itself was one of the high speed electric trains.  It was really nice.  Comfortable seating and very quiet.  Even the passengers were quiet.  No cell phones went off.  No music was playing.  Just peace and quiet.  

Here is a picture of the information screen inside the train.  Note the speed: 227km/h.  That's about 141 mph.  That's moving pretty fast; and super quiet.

I rode around Hamburg for about 3 hours before the rain started again.  Like most cities, there are some nice areas and then some not so nice areas.  There are 2 artificial lakes in the middle of Hamburg which are very nice.  Large enough for sail boats and motor boats.  Numerous parks around the lakes provide ample opportunity for city residents to get outside.

Tonight I stayed in a hostel.  My roommates were Nolan from California, Tuan from Vietnam and Alex from Russia.

Although the city is nice I'm itching to get back out in the countryside with quieter bike paths and quaint little villages.  That will start again tomorrow.

 

Hamburg.  2nd largest city in Germany (1st is Berlin).

Speicherstadt - considered the largest warehouse district in the world.  17 interconnected buildings with over 3.3 mullion square feet of storage.  Currently one third of all the world's carpet is produced in these warehouses.

Elbphilharmonie - Contains 2 concert halls, a music education school, restaurant, and a hotel.  Designed to resemble the large sail of a boat or a wave of water.

St. Michael's Church - built in 1669.  Has over 2500 seats.  Has a crypt containing 2425 people.

Beatles Platz - The Beatles played many small clubs in Hamburg before they became famous.

St. Pauli and Reeperbahn - Used to be exclusively the red light district but now contains many bars, restaurants, art galleries, clubs, theaters, and a carnival.

Planten un Blomen - Botanical park with great water show at night synchronized to scores of classical music.

Japanischer Garten & Teehaus - free to enter.

Day 11 Berlin

 Berlin Wall Memorial.  Several sections of the original walls are still in place.  Standing in the open zone between the walls - and seeing where the guard towers were - you can see there was virtually no opportunity for escape.

The outer wall is 12 feet high with a rounded top.  Impossible to get over.

Memorial to the people shot while trying to escape.  Some were just little kids.

The Pergamon Museum.  A truly remarkable collection of full scale reconstructions of architectural monuments from Greek and Roman antiquity.  Most were excavated in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  Unfortunately one of their most famous exhibits is closed until 2025 for maintenance work.  That is the Pergamon Alter dating from the 2nd century BC.

This is a section of the Processional Way leading to the Ishtar Gate in Babylon

This is the smaller of the 2 Ishtar Gates.  Constructed in 575 BC by order of King Nebuchadnezzar II.  This was considered one of the original Seven Wonders of the World.  Just to stress - this is the original Ishtar Gate - not just a model.  Truly remarkable.

This is a model showing what the Processional way and the Gates would have looked like.  It must have been awe inspiring for anyone arriving in Babylon for the first time.

Below is the Market Gate of Miletus.  Originally built in the 2nd Century AD.

This is a mosaic tile floor from a residence in Miletus.

This is the facade of the Hall of the Trajaneum in the city of Pergamon.  Built to honor emperor Trajan and to treat him as a god.  Early 2nd century AD.

This is my host in Berlin, Simon.  He was gracious in letting me stay 2 days at his flat.  He has a wealth of knowledge about Berlin and picked out some great places to eat.

Pergamon Museum - it's inside Berlin's Museum Insel.  Contains the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, The Pergamon Altar, the Mschatta Facade from a desert castle in Jordan, and the Roman Market Gate of Miletus, which dates to the 2nd century.

Day 10 Berlin

 28 miles to Berlin

Easy ride today with the wind still at my back.

Checkpoint Charlie - Boundary between east and west Berlin.  East Germany was controlled by the soviets, while west Germany was controlled by the Americans.

Brandenburg Gate - Construction started in 1788.  It is the entry to Unter den Linden, a boulevard of Linden trees that led to the royal palace.  The gate survived WWII but sustained damage.

Huge Right to Life demonstration at the gate today with the largest police presence 
I have ever seen. 

Reichstag Building - parliament building topped by a glass dome.  The tower in each of the four corners represent the four states of the German Empire:  Prussia, Bavaria, Wurttemberg, Saxony.

Berlin Cathedral - Built at the start of the 20th century as a way to express the imperial power of Germany.

Victory Column (The Siegessaule) - was built toward the end of the 19th century in celebration of several Prussian military triumphs.  At the very top of the column is an angelic, winged figure that represents Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory.

Holocaust Memorial.  These nondescript concrete blocks extend underground to a holocaust museum below this memorial.

Staying for one more full day in Berlin so I'll post more tomorrow.  Tonight my host, Simon, and I went out to a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner, which was fantastic.