http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Paul-and-Sara/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Paul and Sara en-us Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:45:52 +0000 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:45:52 +0000 Breakfast was early on the day we rode out of Waidhofen. After we ate we made a quick detour to Oparsquos house to say goodbye to him. We took some pictures and he photographed us riding away. We took the same route out as we took in. It was a bit hilly at first but flattened out toward the Danube. It was cold. We stopped at a little bus shelter to throw on more layers. We rode past Ybbs the t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Austria/Lower-Austria/blog-345271.html Now that wersquove finished our fiveday stay in Waidhofen an der Ybbs wersquoll offer you a glimpse into our marvellous visit Sorry there arenrsquot any juicy thrilling details from such a quiet little town. But after a long week on the road that isnrsquot such a bad thing. Itrsquos hard not to feel relaxed in this beautiful town nestled in such a picturesque river valley. And th http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Austria/Lower-Austria/blog-344807.html For the past week we've been pedaling along the Danube River through nearly freezing rain and warm sunshine making our way from our wonderful hosts in Kelheim to Paul's equally hospitable family in Waidhoven Austria. Here's a recap of our journey betweenAfter saying our goodbyes to the Anzinger family in Kelheim we rode off through the drizzle of rain down the Danube. It was cold that day. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Bavaria/blog-342335.html After 8 days or so in Kelheim it's about time we share what we've been up to. The Anzinger family being so kind to offer us a room in their house have been exceptional hosts and we can't begin to share our experiences here with them without first thanking them for their hospitality. It's been so great staying here with them. Thank you so much Albert Rosemarie Albert AnnaLena Matthias for w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Bavaria/blog-339342.html We left Munich following the Isar river on its journey toward the Danube. This was a surprisingly beautiful ride. After passing through the heart of Munich our path brought us to the Englischer Garten. A giant public park right near downtown. The Englischer Garten is huge. Covering 3.7 square kilometers it is larger than Central Park in New York. As we rode we passed vast expanses of grass and bea http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Bavaria/blog-337966.html After spending the larger part of the week lounging around camp by the zoo in Munich Paul's knees feel better and we are ready to get back on our bikes and head to the Danube. Cautiously of course. But what have we been up to here That's a good question actually. It seems like we haven't done much and it's nice for a change. But I feel the need to fill up this page more than four lines so I http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Bavaria/Munich/blog-335429.html Well not really. But we do have some bittersweet news for you. After some somewhat strenuous riding through the hills of the Black Forest Paul seems to have acquired some sort of overuse injury in his knees. Some google searching of the symptoms told us it could be Iliotibial Band Sydrome. While not life threatening it is certainly bike tour threatening. However Sara having been cautious with http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Baden-W-rttemberg/blog-333552.html We left BadenBaden heading somewhat SouthEast. Our path took us up the Steinberg which was quite a climb. We spent about an hour pedaling up this hill before we saw the top. But it was so worth it The view from Rote Lache over the little town of Forbach nestled in the valley was incredible. After a little rest we dove down the steep and winding road into Forbach passing little farmhouses and http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Baden-W-rttemberg/blog-333559.html Theres a quote in the center of Baden Baden by Bill Clinton that reads BadenBaden is so nice you have to say it twice. Its a cute quote but it doesnt quite convey just how nice it is here. Let me explain why this place should be renamed Badenbadenbadenbaden. First of all why did we decided to bike out of our way to Badenbaden Well of course after viewing Rick Steves Travel Sho http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Baden-W-rttemberg/Baden-Baden/blog-332636.html After another wonderful hotel breakfast we made our way out of Mannheim and on towards BadenBaden. Though it would take us a few days to get there. Day one out of Mannheim took us along dyke paths and muddy forest roads. We rode through on and off rain showers as we navigated the bike path signs southward. The riding was relatively uneventful. We rode through the somewhat boring flat river valle http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Baden-W-rttemberg/blog-332628.html We have finally found an internet cafe that will let us upload pictures Make sure to look back at our previous entries to see themWe left our Koblenz hotel room by 1000am on the first of October and had a rough time finding our way across the Rhein to get back on our bike path. The bridge was definitely made more for cars and the bike route was poorly signed. The bridge was incredibly windy http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Baden-W-rttemberg/Mannheim/blog-330750.html Although we had a path and a river to guide us in the right direction the Mosel River Valley was like a sea of vineyards. In a way it reminded me of Holland but in a more extreme way. There you can't look in any direction without seeing a windmill while here you can't even open your eyes without seeing more rows of grapevines than old people on bikes and believe me there are countless old peop http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/blog-329302.html Well it didnt take us long to make our way through Luxembourg being that it is smaller than the smallest US state. As we experienced Luxembourg City and the beautiful countryside we were intruiged by the mixture of French and German language and culture. What language do they speak here While sitting on a bus we saw three most of the ads were in French all of the signs telling you to 03 http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Luxembourg/Luxembourg-City/blog-329290.html We arrived in Maastricht quite exhausted from our 65 mile goose chase for a place to sleep. We wolfed down our dinner at the Youth hostel buffet and although it was a bit humiliating but we just couldn't slow down until we were uncomfortably full. That night we talked about how most of our day was spent cycling in order to stay on schedule. You see we didn't have a really accurate map when we http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Luxembourg/Luxembourg-City/blog-327429.html After our wonderful rest day in Utrecht we were excited to get back on our bikes. We rode through the city and after a couple of lucky turns through poorly marked bike paths we found our way out of Utrecht. What can we say the landscape was nearly identical to how it has been through the whole trip. We saw lots of flatness corn fields sheep and cows. Horses seem to be getting more popular dow http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/blog-327424.html After 270 miles of riding I'm certain that the Netherlands is the best place for one to try out bike touring for the first time. Here's why 1. The Knooppunkt system and LF Route network It is very easy to find your way cross country by bike in the Netherlands. The country is covered with a network of bikeroutes called 'LF routes'. Just check your LF map or a map online and decide which route http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/Province-of-Utrecht/Utrecht/blog-325553.html Time for another update already. We're now enjoying our first rest day since we left Amsterdam. After six riding days and over 270 miles we think it's about time. So here we are staying in a hotel in Utrecht living it up in the city. Well more like resting it up. We're quite tired. So we still go to bed early and sleep soundly. But before I get too in depth about Utrecht let's discuss how we go http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/blog-325548.html The bike touring lifestyle has been a blast so far... You are always living in the moment Where to get the next meal or three where to sleep where to relieve yourself. Its very refreshing. We spent so long looking forward to this trip and living in the future but now we are in the moment.You always have a perspective of the entire country when you visit a little town When you roll into an http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/Province-of-Utrecht/Amersfoort/blog-324958.html Last time we wrote we were in Sneek for the afternoon. Now we've made it all the way to Spakenburg. Here's how it all happened.We left Sneek and headed towards Lemmer. We just happened to leave Sneek right as school had ended and so we found ourselves trapped in a mass of children heading home for the day. This was rather annoying as they tend to be loud and obnoxius as well as slow. With a bit o http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/blog-324953.html Once it was time to leave Amsterdam on our bikes the sun was out and shining brightly. Perfect timing. The plan ride north to the giant dyke ride across then head back south. No big deal rightThe first day of riding lead us along the Markermeer the baylike body of water above Amsterdam. The ride was quite breezy with a constant Easterly wind. We now understand from a firsthand perspective http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/blog-324234.html