Euro Africa | Andrew Ray | Travel Blog

Page 9 of Euro Africa Travel Blog Posts

Europe » Germany » Lower Saxony August 17th 2007

This is our last day on the Weser and as advertised it is the prettiest. During a stop in Bodenweder, a gentleman who turned 71 this week, talks to us about the town, the cycle route along the Weser, the town's history as the home of Baron Muenchhausen (of which there are many stories/legends of which he tells us some) and of his experiences as a child during the war and as town mayor. He also is the retired pharmacist of the pharmacy named Muenchhausen as it stands in front of the Baron Muenchhausen fountain. ... read more

Holzminden

Europe » Germany » Lower Saxony August 16th 2007

View of yet another small ferry service on the Weser

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Very pleasant weather today. ... read more

Weser

Europe » Germany » Lower Saxony August 15th 2007

Leaving Kassel

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We get back on our bikes after overdoing the fatty foods and contemporary art of Kassel. The ride is very pleasant as we are finally going downhill! as we follow first the Fulda out of Hessen where it joins the Weser through Lower Saxony en route to the North Sea. The weather is not always sunny but very attractive landscapes and lots of services in pleasant towns as well as moderate temperatures along the route make it quite enjoyable. ... read more

Kassel

Europe » Germany » Hesse » Kassel August 13th 2007

Bikes on Train

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Kassel is home to a once every five year contemporary art show. The town center was largely rebuilt after the war and offers little historical charm. The most pleasant areas are along the river and up on the hill, the two parts of the town which the local royal family used to place their homes/castles. These former royal areas are now used for the art exhibit which this year is numbered Documenta XII. We stay in a small hotel near the train station. We overeat in Kassel since one night we go to a Chinese all you can eat and the following night to a Schnitzel house where they double coat the schnitzel and serve it with french fries. The town of Kassel focuses heavily on this one in five year event as even the Churches ... read more

Frankfurt am Main

Europe » Germany » Hesse » Frankfurt August 10th 2007

Deutsches Architekturmuseum or German Architecture Museum

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We are now in Frankfurt am Main. Because of heavy rains in southern Germany the past few days, we skip a scheduled three days of cycling and camping along the Limes from Stuttgart to Hessen and instead took the train to Frankfurt and the comfort of a three day hotel stay here. We are able to visit with Gernot and Harald, who live quite near our hotel. They take us out to a restaurant Zur Schoenen Muellerin, where we have local treats such as Apfelwin, Handkaese mit Musik and large servings of local Schnitzel. ... read more

Stuttgart

Europe » Germany » Baden-Württemberg » Stuttgart August 8th 2007

John and Ray in front of Stuttgart Schloss

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We spend three nights in Stuttgart. The first night is pleasant as well as the first morning when we go to the top of the MBenz tower where you get a great view of Stuttgart. Stuttgart is situated in the centre of a bowl. And around the town are some vineyards. Thus, the city is quite scenic. But after the first day, the sky gets quite gray, with low clouds. There are heavy rains throughout Germany. Our campsite is not that pleasant. We decide to skip the cycle of the last past of the Limes Route because of the rain. Instead we plan to take the train to Frankfurt am Main, where we will stay in a hotel for 3 nights. ... read more

Roman Ruins

Europe » Germany » Bavaria August 6th 2007

Remains of Roman Wall

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Sunny and warm weather for the two days we spend along the Limes Strasse as we leave Bavaria for Baden Wuertemburg. We camp near Pfahlheim in Ellwangen at the Campingplatz am Sonnenbachsee. Across the way is a major regional folkfest, where we go to have a beer and sausage before finishing the evening with a pizza at our campground's pizzeria. When we arrive at AAlen on the afternoon of the second day, because of the increasing heat we decide to take the train to Stuttgart. We are able to set up camp before going out for dinner in Stuttgart. ... read more

Nuremberg

Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Nuremberg (aka Nürnberg) August 3rd 2007

Central Nuremberg

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Three nights in Nuremberg. Enjoy our stay with Andreas, who previously lived in Vancouver. ... read more

Searching for Roman ruins/remains on the Limes Trail

Europe » Germany » Bavaria August 2nd 2007

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We are now on the Limes Bicycle Route. It purports to follow the Limes, which is the border between the Roman Empire and the lands occupied by Germanic tribes that the Romans did not occupy. We know that it will be a hilly route as the Romans wanted to have tower posts along the border from which to look down into the territory they did not control. We plan to do three stretches of the Limes. The first stretch from Hienheim to south of Nuremburg we see a few remains but the major ones are too far off our route for us to see and to keep to schedule as we want to take the train into Nuremburg for three days with Andreas. We do have enjoyable stops in Altmannstein and Kipfenberg. ... read more

Rest stop on hill before descent to Denkendorf

Last Day on the Danube

Europe » Germany » Bavaria August 1st 2007

Bike Box in Kelheim

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Lovely weather for our one and only cruise (other than bike ferries) along the Danube. A retirement age cyclist helps us keep on the route as we leave the Danube (we had cycled without a map for part of the Danube route since the river is an obvious point) but now we have a map and thus problems. The cyclist talks at length about the attractions of his "Heimat" as he calls the area in a 5 km radius of his home. We feel guilty as we don't appear to have recognized the depth and diversity of the attractions in the area as we just cycle through. ... read more

Weisses Brauhaus in Kelheim (dates from 1607)

Start of Danube cruise from Kelheim to the Weltenburg Cloister

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Andrew Ray

Euro Africa

Andrew and Ray are travelling for eight months. June 2007 - cycling from Geneva to Vienna via Lausanne, Luzern, Liechtenstein, Innsbruck, Salzburg and Graz. July 2007 - staying in Vienna. August 2007 - cycling from Vienna to Berlin via the Danube, the Limesstrasse, Kassel, Hannover and Dresden. September 2007 - staying in Berlin. October 2007 - through Denmark by bike then by boat to England and plane to Channel Islands - visiting friends/family November 2007 to January 2008 - South Africa for 3 months of visiting friends/family, safaris, hiking, beachcombing and wine tastin... full info