Friday, June 16, 2017
Thursday's Pictures
Here are the pictures that I was unable to load yesterday because of slow WiFi. I will do today's post after dinner.
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Eutin to Lubeck -- Thursday, June 15, 2017
Very slow WiFi tonight. Hope I can get this posted.
We had a leisurely 30 mile ride today with a few interesting diversions. After a few blocks of cobblestones to wake us up, we had some pleasant rolling hills through small towns and forested areas until we came to a long stretch -- perhaps 5 miles -- of resort beaches on the Baltic Sea. On our left were beautiful sandy beaches and on the right we saw a succession of extremely nice homes, some hotels that looked very nice and a series of apartments or condos. For the most part we traveled on the "boardwalk," which was actually a surface paved with bricks. It was fairly congested, so we moved slowly.
After a while we came to a pier that went out to a very nice spot for our coffee break -- the Mikado Teehaus. About eight of us stopped there for a long rest, enjoying our refreshments -- Pat and I shared a marzipan pastry which was quite tasty. Our evening destination, Lubeck, is billed as the marzipan capital of the world. (More on that later.)
We continued on until we came to something that can only be described as a strawberry market/festival extraordinary. There was a huge building with all sorts of strawberry related products and activities. In one area, they were making strawberry preserves in small (perhaps two gallon batches), ladling the strawberries out of a huge bathtub. There were also strawberry liquers, candies, drinks, smoothies, wines, etc. In the retail area there were all sorts of clothing and toy items, with a strawberry motif. Moving on a little bit was a large self-service cafeteria with excellent food. Most of us ate lunch there.
Back on the bicycle, we pedaled on (past a large nest with some baby storks) until we came to the river. There is a tunnel under the river, but it has no bike lanes, so they have a free bike shuttle that runs every fifteen minutes. You simply walk on the bus with your bike, or put it on the trailer, and ride under the river, where you depart and pedal on your way.
Shortly afterward, we arrived in Lubeck. After a quick shower we all met for a guided tour of the local museum of the Hanseatic League -- I will skip the history lesson and say only that it was very interesting.
We were on our own for dinner tonight. Seven of us went to a traditional German restaurant housed in a building that dates back to 1525. The food was excellent, and the portions huge. I had roast pork with a prune sauce and red cabbage and some "pancake dumplings." Needless to say, we had no room for dessert.
After dinner I took a short walk through the city center looking for some marzipan. I could not find a single place where I could buy marzipan -- the supposed hallmark of this city. Since we leave in the morning for Hamburg (where we will stay two nights), I doubt that I will get any marzipan here.
The WiFi is too slow to let me add pictures today. If we have better connectivity tomorrow, I will add today's pictures. Here's hoping that I can at least upload this text.
We had a leisurely 30 mile ride today with a few interesting diversions. After a few blocks of cobblestones to wake us up, we had some pleasant rolling hills through small towns and forested areas until we came to a long stretch -- perhaps 5 miles -- of resort beaches on the Baltic Sea. On our left were beautiful sandy beaches and on the right we saw a succession of extremely nice homes, some hotels that looked very nice and a series of apartments or condos. For the most part we traveled on the "boardwalk," which was actually a surface paved with bricks. It was fairly congested, so we moved slowly.
After a while we came to a pier that went out to a very nice spot for our coffee break -- the Mikado Teehaus. About eight of us stopped there for a long rest, enjoying our refreshments -- Pat and I shared a marzipan pastry which was quite tasty. Our evening destination, Lubeck, is billed as the marzipan capital of the world. (More on that later.)
We continued on until we came to something that can only be described as a strawberry market/festival extraordinary. There was a huge building with all sorts of strawberry related products and activities. In one area, they were making strawberry preserves in small (perhaps two gallon batches), ladling the strawberries out of a huge bathtub. There were also strawberry liquers, candies, drinks, smoothies, wines, etc. In the retail area there were all sorts of clothing and toy items, with a strawberry motif. Moving on a little bit was a large self-service cafeteria with excellent food. Most of us ate lunch there.
Back on the bicycle, we pedaled on (past a large nest with some baby storks) until we came to the river. There is a tunnel under the river, but it has no bike lanes, so they have a free bike shuttle that runs every fifteen minutes. You simply walk on the bus with your bike, or put it on the trailer, and ride under the river, where you depart and pedal on your way.
Shortly afterward, we arrived in Lubeck. After a quick shower we all met for a guided tour of the local museum of the Hanseatic League -- I will skip the history lesson and say only that it was very interesting.
We were on our own for dinner tonight. Seven of us went to a traditional German restaurant housed in a building that dates back to 1525. The food was excellent, and the portions huge. I had roast pork with a prune sauce and red cabbage and some "pancake dumplings." Needless to say, we had no room for dessert.
After dinner I took a short walk through the city center looking for some marzipan. I could not find a single place where I could buy marzipan -- the supposed hallmark of this city. Since we leave in the morning for Hamburg (where we will stay two nights), I doubt that I will get any marzipan here.
The WiFi is too slow to let me add pictures today. If we have better connectivity tomorrow, I will add today's pictures. Here's hoping that I can at least upload this text.
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Loop ride from Eutin -- Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Today was an all
around great day of cycling. Weather certainly makes a difference.
It was warm enough to set off without a jacket; the forecast for 0%
chance of rain proved accurate, and the wind has all but disappeared.
I did the 40 mile loop which consisted of easy rolling hills through
a number of small farm towns and villages.
We all started off
together and stopped for pictures at “The Bridegroom's Oak,” an
oak tree in the Dodauer Forest. It's important feature is a hole in
the trunk, reached by a ladder that functions as a dead drop or
public letter box for people seeking love partners. It is the only
tree in the world that has a postal address. The story, greatly
condensed, is that a young man and his lady love (whose father
disapproved of the relationship) corresponded by letters left in the
tree. When the father relented and they married, word of the tree's
history leaked and people started writing to the tree in hopes of
finding a partner. The postal service delivers several letters a day.
It is a public letterbox; anyone can open, read, take, or answer the
letters. At least 5, and reportedly more than 100, marriages, have
been brought about by the Bridegroom's Oak.
 |
| Checking the mail |
 |
| Colin reading a letter |
Our next stop was
Plon where we had coffee and visited the castle, one of the largest
in the state of Schleswig-Holstein and the only one located on a
hill. It is currently owned by an optometry association and is used
as a training center.
 | |
| Coffee in Plon |
 |
| At the Castle in Plon |
Many of us stopped
in the lakeside village of Malente for lunch. I had a very tasty
schnitzel with french fries (and mayonnaise – the German way to eat
french fries) before setting off for the second half of the ride.th century, and officialy registered as a
church in the 16th century (1529, if I remember
correctly).
 |
| When pigs fly -- cows will walk on water? |
Throughout this tour
we have been seeing beautiful large fields of grain – in Denmark it
was mostly rye; here is is apparently wheat. The bright green makes
for some very appealing vistas.
Fellow rider Andy
Jardin is celebrating his birthday today. At breakfast he was
surprised by a nice vase of roses! Then, as we were cycling, I
noticed that Ronny who was marking the route with chalked had written
a birthday greeting on the pathway. (Andy and his wife, Gwen, were on
the Chile tour that I did in 2016.)
Tonight we will be
having a traditional German dinner together.
The hotel WiFi is
currently out of service, so I will post this when we get back on
line.
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Oldenburg to Eutin, Germany -- Tuesday, June 13, 2017
We got off the train in Oldenburg, having crossed from Denmark to Germany. The van was waiting with our bikes, and we set off on the 25 mile ride to Eutin. We did have wind, but not as fierce as yesterday, and the ride was extremely pleasant, with rolling hills through farm country and small villages. The roads and bike paths were excellently maintained and I arrived at our hotel for the evening by around 1:30.
The hotel is a small family operation and the proprietors are extremely friendly. Before I even changed from my bike clothes, I had a light "lunch" consisting of a cross between a cream puff and strawberry shortcake, with a cup of coffee, served in the garden. It was homemade and absolutely delicious.
After settling in, I strolled around the town square and took a few pictures. We had our evening briefing to discuss tomorrow's options, since we will be in this hotel for two nights. We have the option of (1) a forty mile loop ride with some climbing, (2) a shorter loop ride without the hills, (3) either of the above with a two hour boat ride through five interconnected lakes, (4) a very short bike ride to the boat trip, or (5) take the day off. I am leaning toward the long bike ride, but the weather and the wind will be the determining factors.
The hotel is a small family operation and the proprietors are extremely friendly. Before I even changed from my bike clothes, I had a light "lunch" consisting of a cross between a cream puff and strawberry shortcake, with a cup of coffee, served in the garden. It was homemade and absolutely delicious.
After settling in, I strolled around the town square and took a few pictures. We had our evening briefing to discuss tomorrow's options, since we will be in this hotel for two nights. We have the option of (1) a forty mile loop ride with some climbing, (2) a shorter loop ride without the hills, (3) either of the above with a two hour boat ride through five interconnected lakes, (4) a very short bike ride to the boat trip, or (5) take the day off. I am leaning toward the long bike ride, but the weather and the wind will be the determining factors.
 | |
| After Monday's dinner |
 | |
| Andy is ready for the day's travels |
 | |
| At the train station |
 | |
| Windmill in Eutin (beer garden at night) |
Morning update -- Tuesday June 13, 2017
I am now on the ferry which is like a small city with multiple snack shops, coffee shops (including Starbucks), shopping and slot machines. The photo is of a much smaller ferry going the other way. (Surprisingly, it does not have WiFi, although the train has excellent WiFi.)
We are now passing a huge wind farm -- lots of turbines generating electricity.
We will have about 45 minutes more on the train and will then get on the bikes for about 25 miles.
Last night's hotel was not as fancy as many that we stay in but quite comfortable. The plumbing was unique, however. A single pair of faucets for both the shower and the sink.
Sent from my iPhone
Guy Cunningham
707-515-9964
Monday, June 12, 2017
Rodvig to Vordingbord -- Monday, June 12, 2017
WIND
That could be the whole blog for today. The weather channel forecast wind all day, with gusts up to 40 MPH. I don't know if the gusts got that strong, but we sure did get lots of wind today. It was only a 35 mile ride, but the wind made for slow going.
Most of us stopped for lunch at a cafe by the Marina in Presto, glad to get indoors and out of the wind. The wind, however, did not take a break and had increased in intensity by the time we resumed our ride.
The weather forecast also called for rain, and we were concerned after lunch that we might get rained on before reaching the hotel. About three miles from the hotel we reached a major intersection where there was no discernible arrow marking our route. We later learned that a passing shower had obliterated the arrows. After a phone call and some detective work with Google Maps, we got back on the correct path. Our group of about eight people arrived at the hotel less than a minute before the rain started. A few of those behind us were not so lucky.
Last night's dinner was a buffet in our hotel (in which we appeared to be the only guests). There must have been at least half a dozen dishes featuring spinach, which seem odd. This morning we cycled past field after field planted with spinach -- it all made sense.
As I type this, I see that it is raining very heavily outside. We are lucky to be inside, nice and dry.
In about half an hour, we will have a tasting of local craft beers, followed by dinner at a restaurant across the street from the hotel.
I have been surprised by the number of homes and farm buildings with thatched roofs, which you can see in one of the attached photos.
That could be the whole blog for today. The weather channel forecast wind all day, with gusts up to 40 MPH. I don't know if the gusts got that strong, but we sure did get lots of wind today. It was only a 35 mile ride, but the wind made for slow going.
Most of us stopped for lunch at a cafe by the Marina in Presto, glad to get indoors and out of the wind. The wind, however, did not take a break and had increased in intensity by the time we resumed our ride.
The weather forecast also called for rain, and we were concerned after lunch that we might get rained on before reaching the hotel. About three miles from the hotel we reached a major intersection where there was no discernible arrow marking our route. We later learned that a passing shower had obliterated the arrows. After a phone call and some detective work with Google Maps, we got back on the correct path. Our group of about eight people arrived at the hotel less than a minute before the rain started. A few of those behind us were not so lucky.
Last night's dinner was a buffet in our hotel (in which we appeared to be the only guests). There must have been at least half a dozen dishes featuring spinach, which seem odd. This morning we cycled past field after field planted with spinach -- it all made sense.
As I type this, I see that it is raining very heavily outside. We are lucky to be inside, nice and dry.
In about half an hour, we will have a tasting of local craft beers, followed by dinner at a restaurant across the street from the hotel.
I have been surprised by the number of homes and farm buildings with thatched roofs, which you can see in one of the attached photos.
 |
| Trish and Diane |
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Copenhagen to Rodvig -- Sunday, June 11, 2017
We had a perfect day for cycling. It was so perfect that I missed a turn and went 4 kilometers out of my way, having to retrace my steps, adding a total of 8 km to the day's ride, bringing my total to 53 miles for the day.
Missing a turn is hard to do on an ExperiencePlus bike tour because they mark the routes with chalk arrows. I must have been enjoying the bike path so much that I just buzzed on through a left turn arrow. The good part about this system is that if you go 3 or 4 km without seeing an arrow, you know something is wrong and you can backtrack until you pick up the arrows again.
We left our hotel in Copenhagen at 9 am. It is Sunday, so we did not have rush hour traffic to content with, and leaving the city was easy. It was all on bike lanes and bridges that are restricted to bikes and pedestrians. There is so much bicycle traffic in Copenhagen that they even have a procedure for the "Copenhagen left turn." Instead of getting in the left land and turning with the traffic as we do at home, you "box" the intersection -- go straight through, and then make a signal with your left hand (the signal we use for right turns in cars), then pull over to the right on the far side of the intersection, and wait for a green light to cross.
By 9:30, the sun was out and conditions were perfect for cycling. The next hour was all on a dedicated bike path where we didn't even see roads or cars. For the rest of the trip, the bike path generally ran parallel to the road, but we always had a path or a lane of our own. This is very different from most of the cycling that I have done where you generally share the road with the cars.
For the most part, we were riding close to the coast and the Baltic sea was visible most of the time. Our hotel in Rodvig is right on the sea, and I did get in the water briefly. It was too cold to stay in very long, but I have added one more sea to my list of seas and oceans that I have bathed in.
I mentioned to Philipp, one of our guides, that today was my anniversary and he recalled that this was not the first time that he and I have been together on my anniversary. As I said on Facebook, if you can't spend your anniversary with your wife, you can't beat a great bike ride in perfect weather.
A few might disagree with my characterization of the weather as perfect. We did have a fair amount of wind. But in Brentwood, CA, my home base, winds like we had today are pretty much the norm.
I got in early enough that I was able to do some laundry and hope that the Baltic sun will get the clothes dry this afternoon. The wind may help in that department, also.
Not many pictures today but here are shots of my laundry drying (the traveling clothesline is a great idea) and the fishin village of Rodvig.
Dinner tonight is in our hotel -- in about another hour.
Missing a turn is hard to do on an ExperiencePlus bike tour because they mark the routes with chalk arrows. I must have been enjoying the bike path so much that I just buzzed on through a left turn arrow. The good part about this system is that if you go 3 or 4 km without seeing an arrow, you know something is wrong and you can backtrack until you pick up the arrows again.
We left our hotel in Copenhagen at 9 am. It is Sunday, so we did not have rush hour traffic to content with, and leaving the city was easy. It was all on bike lanes and bridges that are restricted to bikes and pedestrians. There is so much bicycle traffic in Copenhagen that they even have a procedure for the "Copenhagen left turn." Instead of getting in the left land and turning with the traffic as we do at home, you "box" the intersection -- go straight through, and then make a signal with your left hand (the signal we use for right turns in cars), then pull over to the right on the far side of the intersection, and wait for a green light to cross.
By 9:30, the sun was out and conditions were perfect for cycling. The next hour was all on a dedicated bike path where we didn't even see roads or cars. For the rest of the trip, the bike path generally ran parallel to the road, but we always had a path or a lane of our own. This is very different from most of the cycling that I have done where you generally share the road with the cars.
For the most part, we were riding close to the coast and the Baltic sea was visible most of the time. Our hotel in Rodvig is right on the sea, and I did get in the water briefly. It was too cold to stay in very long, but I have added one more sea to my list of seas and oceans that I have bathed in.
I mentioned to Philipp, one of our guides, that today was my anniversary and he recalled that this was not the first time that he and I have been together on my anniversary. As I said on Facebook, if you can't spend your anniversary with your wife, you can't beat a great bike ride in perfect weather.
A few might disagree with my characterization of the weather as perfect. We did have a fair amount of wind. But in Brentwood, CA, my home base, winds like we had today are pretty much the norm.
I got in early enough that I was able to do some laundry and hope that the Baltic sun will get the clothes dry this afternoon. The wind may help in that department, also.
Not many pictures today but here are shots of my laundry drying (the traveling clothesline is a great idea) and the fishin village of Rodvig.
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