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Here I have reproduced the blog I kept while I was on my self-supported European bike tour from Amsterdam to Switzerland and the travelling I did before and after. The original is kept on my blog at http://henrythehorrible.blogspot.com.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
# posted by Tripp : 12:41 PM
Wednesday (Karlsruhe->Strasbourg, France), 65mi
I'm actually sitting at a desk with wireless internet typing this! This is probably the nicest hostel I've ever been in. It's right in downtown Strasbourg (Ciarus - http://www.ciarus.com). It was just starting to drizzle a bit (I think my luck is up with the nice weather) and I was getting frustrated because I couldn't find the place, and then a sign for it appeared. I'm pretty excited it's so nice because last night I was stuck in a boiling hot room with two Turkish men, one of whom snored really loudly. I didn't sleep much, so this empty, clean room is much appreciated.
Today was another long one at 65 miles. I had a head wind most of the day which really sucked. It was mostly overcast and I could definitely see the front moving in. Luckily it never rained on me because that would make things miserable. I think tomorrow will be partly cloudy, but no rain. We shall see.
Not a whole lot to report otherwise. It was sort of a boring slog through small towns and long the canals. Strasbourg is certainly the most exciting thing of the day. Tomorrow I'll probably take some pictures as it's already getting dark here. The only other news (that you may have guessed) is that I've been biking in France all day! I passed over in just the first 15km or so of the journey. Here's the evidence:
The route and the interactive route.
Another ferried river crossing. These are pretty fun...
Hunh-hunh-hunh. I have infiltrated zee heavily-guardED French borDER.
The last of the sunny weather...
I had a little crash on this slippery granite curb. Not a big deal, but one of the trailer hitches popped off. The lady in the house behind the bike came out, gave me a dirty look, and then closed the brown gates to her driveway in my face. Screw you too!
A nice shot of some of the bike path through a park outside Strasbourg.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
# posted by Tripp : 12:36 PM
Thursday (Strasbourg, France->Breisach-am-Rhein, Germany), 50mi
Well, I've found an internet connection just down the road from the hostel I'm staying in. So I'm sitting on the Rhine, watching the sun go down and writing this blog. Not bad.
I woke this morning and got right out to take in a bit more of Strasbourg. It really is a lovely city. I was a little worried when I first came in because I got lost in the industrial section, but the old part of the town is pretty cool. I took a bunch of pictures...
Today was a little shorter, but the quality of the route did improve. There were some more hills and quaint little towns and not so much heavy industry. The weather was generally overcast and there were a few rain squalls, but I didn't have to put on the wet weather gear. Also, there wasn't any wind today which was really nice.
I spent the first half of the day following the Rhone-Rhine Canal - that's why my path looks so straight on the map. It was nice, but eventually got a little boring. After going over a major hydroelectric dam I was back in Germany following the Rhine and the Grande Canal d'Alsace. I ventured through some old ruins and eventually made it to Breisach. I got one of the "leader" rooms in the hostel which means it has only one other bed and its own bathroom. It's also insulated from the zillions of kids that are running around. Anyway, I went out and ate a currywurst and then had a big plate of donner.
I could make Basel tomorrow, but then my tour would be over. I think I'm going to take a quick jaunt east to the town of Freiburg which supposed to be really nice. I'll spend the night there and then make for Basel on Saturday. Sunday or Monday I'll take a train from Basel to Milan and then meet up with Charles in Verbania on Tuesday.
The evidence...
The route and the interactive route.
Looking out of the hostel window in Strasbourg.
The old cathedral in Strasbourg.
The "Petit France" part of Strasbourg.
The bike path along the Rhone-Rhine Canal. Not too bad...
Alone along the Grande Canal d'Alsace. It was very peaceful today.
The difficult passage back into Germany. Man those border guards are tough.
Eating lunch and waiting out a rain squall.
The Lindburg ruins. Unfortunately all the posted historical info was in French or German so I really couldn't tell ya the significance. I think it was a Benedictine monastery at one point. However, no tourists and no entrance fee. I had it all to myself.
"King of the castle. King of the castle."
The medieval town of Breisach as I arrived.
Friday, October 19, 2007
# posted by Tripp : 3:23 AM
Finished the post below and updated the commentary. Check it.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
# posted by Tripp : 11:19 AM
Just arrived in Basel, Switzerland. Below is my blog for yesterday. I'm going to be hungry after this so I'll probably go check out the town and then come back later to do the blog for today. Enjoy.
Friday (Breisach->Freiburg), 20mi
Today I made the short journey to Freiburg. It was an easy trip, but it was freezing and my left knee is hurting pretty badly. First it was the right and that seems to have fixed itself, but now it’s the left. I just have one long trip left to Basel, Switzerland tomorrow though and then I can rest.
Anyway, I got to Freiburg and checked into the only hostel that had any room left. It’s about 3km outside of town, but not too far. I headed back in to town with a load of stuff to send home, grabbed a quick Nordsee fish sandwich, and headed to the post office. It only ended up costing 13.00 euros for a 3kg package back to the states. Not bad. I then wandered around to have a look at the city. Freiburg is an ancient town and has been capital of the southern end of the Black Forest forever. It has this bizarre system of mini canals that was originally used for refuse disposal and apparently they still work today. The little canals run right down the middle of all the main streets and people toss in cigarette butts and other small bits of garbage. I’m not really sure where they go. Then I happened on an indoor market called the Markethalle where I bought a noodle dinner and perused the goods. Then I ate another Nordsee fish sandwich. After that I made for the "Rick Steve's" recommended microbrewery (Brauerihaus Freierling), drank many delicious brews (2.5 liters to be exact), and witnessed a hysterical "rock'n'roll" band called "Soundedge". I very stealthily took a single picture as I left – hopefully it came out so the hilarity can be witnessed by all.
Then I ate a yufka donner and came back to the hostel. On the way back I broke a spoke nipple while riding along. I’ve never seen this before. Oh well, hopefully the local bike shop will have a nipple so I can repair my wheel. Otherwise I’ll be riding with 31 of 32 spokes, no big deal. Hahaha.
Currently I’m sitting in the basement of the youth hostel writing this. There’s no internet so I’m not sure when it will post. There are many drunken Germans here having a great time. Germans are so funny.
The route and the interactive route.
Cold, misty morning on the Rhine.
The Freiburg cathedral which took something like 300 years to complete. Notice everyone's favorite architectural feature - the flying buttress.
There used to be a large castle around the Black Forest hills above Freiburg. Naturally the castle was destroyed, but the Germans built this weird metal/wood tower that had a great view.
A view from the tower of Freiburg and the cathedral below.
And there I am on the tower with the Black Forest behind.
A typical street in Freiburg.
Aahh, the "Soundedge" photo. It's a bit dark, but there's no way I was going to use the flash. It's hard to tell, but the band members were Howie Mandell on the squeezebox, Bill Clinton on the acoustic guitar and vocals, Les Claypool's lesser-talented brother on the bass, and Charles Bronson on lead guitar.
# posted by Tripp : 4:43 PM
Saturday (Freiburg->Basel, Switzerland), 50mi
I've successfully reached my final destination. It was freezing (literally) when I got started, but it turned into the perfect day to finish my trip. The wind was at my back and the sky was clear and sunny.
The first thing I did this morning was go to the local bike shop to acquire a spoke nipple. The guy had one there and I found a sunny parking lot to repair my rear wheel in. It looks like the nipple had been broken for a day or two and only last night did the spoke pop out of the hole. Anyway, I replaced the spoke and the wheel was back to normal. I then hit the road and made for Switzerland.
Not a whole lot exciting happened that I can think of. Because the wind was coming from behind I cruised faster than most days. I also was probably about 10lbs lighter due to the stuff I sent back home yesterday. This part of the Rhine seems to be just a river which was nice - no factories and no barges. It was shallow and noisy, but still just as wide. Eventually I came to Basel which is a beautiful city. I found the hostel and secured a bed pronto. I wanted to celebrate tonight but couldn't find the right establishment. Perhaps in Milan...
Well, after just over 700 miles in the saddle I must say that it was really fun. I'm not sure what the next trip will be, but maybe the Nile?
The route and the interactive route.
The broken nipple next to its spoke. The head was sheared right off and I later found it sitting in the spoke hole on the rim.
Here I am trying to show how cold it is with my breath. You can't really see, but it was damn cold. Everything was covered in frost!
Repairing the wheel in the parking lot of an Aldi Sud. I got some weird looks.
Saying goodbye to the vineyards of the Black Forest.
Lunch on the Rhine.
Infiltrating the Swiss border. At least they actually have border guards - not that they do anything. I just walked my bike through.
Basel, Switzerland!