Blogs from Germany, Europe - page 9

July 17, 2023 – Mark and Savannah arrive I wake up early, I know you are shocked. I arrive downstairs and a wonderful breakfast welcomes me provided by Swen and Eva. Yes, Kirsten and Bea are already having their breakfast. But I did beat Caroline. Ok, today Mark and Savannah are arriving around 12 pm from Düsseldorf by the end of breakfast that has now grown to 1 pm. I always thought those German trains were so punctual….I guess not. We discuss what to do this afternoon and we all decide to rent e-bikes and ride through the vineyards close to Karlsruhe. Done! Kirsten has reserved six e-bikes and we are to pick them up around 1:30 pm. Now we just must wait on Mark and Savannah. Swen picks up Mark and Savannah from the train ... read more

July 14, 2023 – Wining through the Vineyards We wake up around 7 am its 60 degrees with very low humidity outside. The weather alone is worth the trip to Europe. Breakfast starts at 8 am so we shower and dress ready for our e-bike adventure. Downstairs we go and it 7:55 am and the door to breakfast area is being guarded by Helga, I casually walk by toward the front door exit ...all the time Helga is eyeing me. I’m standing out front of the hotel listening to the church bells ringing its 8 am, I turn around and look at Helga. She reluctantly opens the door and steps aside while giving me the eye. We find our place in the breakfast area, ok when staying in a Zimmer or hotel you are assigned a ... read more

Hello Everyone We started our cruise yesterday afternoon,wow it’s so amazing people everywhere,we havnt cruised for a while now,but it was made easy by MSC ,it’s organised so well,we were onboard in no time. The next morning we cruised into WARNEMUNDE founded in about 1200,WARNEMUNDE was for centuries a small fishing village with minor importance for the economic and cultural development of the region. In 1323 WARNEMUNDE lost its autonomous status as it was purchased by the city of Rostock in order to safeguard the city’s access to the Baltic Sea.it was not until the 19th century that Warnemunde began to develop into an important seaside resort. WARNEMUNDE is today one of the worlds busiest cruise ports.. We were due to leave here at 5pm,but because of high winds the port authoritzy won’t let us leave,Tommorrow ... read more

Another good breakfast and lovely hotel. The hotel owner took a group photo before we set off as it was the first day we had all had breakfast together. Sue and John hadn't gone earlier as it was a shorter ride. While we were waiting to have the photo taken the hotel cat walked across the path with a mouse in his mouth. The owner said he catches at least one mouse a day. It was up and over and through the forests but it was a very gentle slope. There were, of course, some very gravelly paths. We kept meeting up with Tony, Deborah and Shirley. We cycled a few miles along the Donau Ludwig canal which was very pleasant riding. The Ludwig-Donau-Main-Kanal is an abandoned canal in southern Germany. The canal linked the Danube ... read more

Bavaria Day 15 A full start to the day but warm, encountering some light showers mid morning. After a few kilometres along the valley I saw some gravel and thought the tarmac road alongside would eventually join the cycle path. I was mistaken and ended up quite a way from the planned route and ended up climbing into the hills and still encountered gravel, some if it quite loose in one ascent. It did mean that I passed several sawmills, which I have an interest in since I ran one for 25 years. A Veolia waste plant was also seen which was processing sawmill waste into compost and dealing with other smelly waste. Amazingly there were also a few vintage tractors hiding in sheds just waiting for me to pass by and photograph them. Coffee and ... read more