Hameln to Grossenwieden - sightseeing in Hameln: and caught in a thunderstorm - Exploring Holland, Germany and Denmark on a Recumbent Tandem - CycleBlaze
Bike shops and outdoor stores are always a temptation for us. Our Alite Mayfly chair kits have been a major disappointment. Within a week of using them on the trip, one of them broke and is super frustrating to use. The other chair has developed the same problem in the last week. We bought the chairs before we left on the trip because we wanted to have chairs that were short enough to let us sit in the tent vestibule without Barry hitting his head. We love our Helinox chair sets, but they are too tall for sitting in the tent. After all the problems we have had with the Alite chairs, we really wish that we had brought the Helinox chairs. We have been looking for a replacement for the defective chairs. In the outdoor store, we found a lightweight camp stool that is made in Germany. It is too tall to sit on in the tent, but it will do the job and will be far less frustrating than the Alite chairs.
After shopping in the outdoor store, we decided to take a quick stroll through the old town of Hameln and then head off for the town of Minden in about 60 kms. We quickly discovered that it is impossible to rush. In Hameln, one needs to take the time to soak in all the rich historical ambience of the old town. The half timbered buildings were very impressive.
Meanwhile the sun had come out and it looked like we would have a sunny ride out of Hameln. Unfortunately, this only lasted a few minutes as the sky turned black and the wind started whipping around us. We pushed on through the corn fields fighting a relentless headwind. After about twenty kilometres, the thunderstorm struck and we raced for a cluster of trees. The cluster of trees was actually a small village. We shared a tree with two women on their bikes who had been riding ahead of us. They were donning thin see-through plastic rain capes and ventured on into the storm. Mary Ellen and I made the decision to see what accomodation was available in the village. Luckily, around the corner was a farm that offered B&B accomadation. As we rang the door,we knew that we had msde the right decision to stop for the day as the wind, thunder and rain increased. "Bett & Fruhstuck Hof Klostermann" is a gem of a place.We are now warm and cozy in our room as we watch the rain pour down.
Rats are a common theme throughout the city of Hameln, due to the folk tale based here.
This apotheke (Lowen) is an interesting drug store. The pharamacist told me that the business has been there for 140 years - he added the ceramic storage drawers 40 years ago. The pottery on top were used to mix prescriptions. It is always a delight to visit an Apotheke in Germany, as the staff always offer personalized and professional service, regardless of the type of product you are buying - kleenex, prescriptions, lotion - all are considered an important purchase....old fashioned service.
such beautifully restored buildings here. We are constantly walking with our heads up looking at the sights - but people stop us and want to know about our bike and what we are doing.
We agreed that this is the best cake we have had in a bakery in Germany - the one of the right: layers of strawberry, chocolate, vanilla and chocolate icing with marzipan.
