July 3, 2023
Walsrode -> Koblenz (By Train)
Figuring out Deutsche Bahn
I woke up again in Regina and Werner's backyard trailer after another good night of sleep. We had a breakfast of leftover meats from yesterday, as well as fresh bread. My parents and I were planning on taking the 9:30am train out of Walsrode to Hanover, then another train to Magdeburg. However, as I was riding to meet my parents at the train station, the chain dropped off my bike. As we boarded the train to Hanover, we assessed our options. I had a feeling that my bike was in need of more maintenance, and that we could use an extra day to get that sorted out. We all decided to skip our day in Magdeburg, and instead go straight to Koblenz.
Hanover Hauptbahnhof was quite impressive. A nonstop river of people were navigating between train platforms, and trains were rolling in and out constantly. I was impressed with the sheer throughput of the place. We had about an hour layover here before our train to Koblenz arrived.
The train to Koblenz was great. The train was moving faster than freeway speeds through the countryside. For the last half, we were along the Rhine river, which provided scenic views. At some point on the train ride, a Deutsche Bahn worker came around with a tray of coffee. I flagged him down, and asked for a cup. Once he put the cup in front of me, I asked like a dumbass "Es ist gratis?" (is it free?). He gave me a look like "really dude?", and I gave him the cup back. My parents teased me the rest of the train ride about that one. Let it be known that this isn't like Amtrak where you get a free drink, you need to pay for everything on the train.
Once we arrived in Koblenz, my parents and I checked into our riverfront Airbnb. Koblenz is a much cleaner and nicer city than the earlier cities I had ridden through (Oldenburg and Bremen). There was no loose garbage on the streets, much less graffiti, and much fewer sketchy looking people hanging around.
My first order of business was to figure out why my bike kept eating chains. I took it to a local bike shop and the mechanic immediately recognized my problem: My front derailleur had vibrated loose, and was hanging too low. This was causing it to rub on my outer chainring when shifting. In addition, when I put my chain back together, I had put the master link on backwards. Who knew those had a direction? "Learn by doing" I guess. He also noticed that despite my attempt to bend my chainring back with pliers, it was still not true. He said this was not an immediate issue, but I should get it replaced at some point. He said he did not have the correct parts in stock, and that I should try taking it to Canyon. They have their world-headquarters in Koblenz after all.
I rode my bike carefully to the Canyon Service center, and asked them if they had replacement chainrings or entire cranks. They told me it would be 3-5 days, which was time I didn't;t have. I took my bike back to the Airbnb, flipped the master link, adjusted my front deraileur, and crossed my fingers that the bent chainring would hold for the rest of the trip.
My parents and I then walked around the city to find a dinner spot. We decided to eat at the Altes Brauhaus. Here my parents and I pigged out on some amazing traditional German food. Sauerbraten (pot roast), Schweinshaxe (slow cooked ham hock), and schnitzel were ordered. This place had been around since the 1600s, and had an incredibly cool vibe and good food.
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