Germany (Part I)
Perhaps Europe summed up in one successful, burgeoning and beautiful country, I took a few solid cracks at Germany and enjoyed myself on every visit.
It was the origin & conclusion of my 3rd Big Cycle Tour, and this place, the people and the weather did not disappoint.
Danke schön, ich liebe dich Deutschland.
Köln (Cologne)
Before getting the Euro-bike tour underway, I made a detour over to the city of Cologne to meet-up with my fellow intrepid New Zealand backpacker buddy Katja. We tackled the massive Kölner Dom (cathedral) and then slaked our thirst with locally crafted Kölsch beer. Which was just the tune-up for getting together with her friends at their flat where we partied ‘til the wee-hours.
It's just how things are done in Deutschland, and who was I to argue with German tradition?
Rhine River Findings
Katja & I made a day-trip down the famous Rhine River past vineyards, castles and monuments. En route, we passed through Rudesheim, Trechtingshausen and St. Goar to the confluence of the Moselle & Rhine rivers at Koblenz.
We capped off the day with some live music courtesy of the New Bomb Turks.
Thank you so much Katja.
Southwest Germany
Back in bike-action. I got moving in earnest from Frankfurt-am-Main, at first heading west to Mainz where I picked up the Rhine River once more and followed it south through the towns of Worms, Heidelberg, Baden Baden and Freiburg. Great riding.
Around The Bodensee
After close to a month of cycling in Switzerland, I crossed Lake Constance (The Bodensee) which brought me back onto German soil. I continued east, riding through Mainau Island and the towns of Meersburg, Lindau Island and Friedrichshafen where I stopped at the Zeppelin Museum (Think airships, not Jimmy Page).
With the Bodensee always on my right, my clockwise circuit around Lake Constance was sunny, warm and breezy, making for fantastic riding.
Lighthouse & harbour at Lindau Island
Munich & Oktoberfest
After much debauchery at Greece's Pink Palace, I boarded ferry's, trains & buses back to Germany to meet up with sweet Yuki whom I'd met in Basel, Switzerland. She lived and worked near Munich and said I'd have to stop by on my way back to Frankfurt. After a bit of rest, I asked my body to once again put on its game face for arguably the world's biggest party: Oktoberfest.
Now, it's difficult to capture in a few words the enormity of the worlds biggest beer-drinking festival. After being there, I can't say I've ever attended anything that involved that many people being so drunk, yet so civilized, courteous and happy at the same time. Legendary.
