To Frankfurt. - All Roads Lead to Rhine 2024 - CycleBlaze

August 11, 2024

To Frankfurt.

A look out the blinds towards the Altstadt of Munich's skyline. Heilig Geist church on the left. St. Peter's Catholic church and Munich's oldest church on the right.
Heart 4 Comment 3
Scott AndersonThat structure in front gives it an odd perspective. To me it makes it look like the tower on the left is leaning.
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3 months ago
Patrick O'HaraTo Scott AndersonGood catch. I didn't see this at the time. But, that optical illusion is pretty cool. Thanks for your eye 👁️
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3 months ago
Karen PoretTo Patrick O'HaraTrompe-l’oeil
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3 months ago

I'm a day behind in the journal and am writing this from Frankfurt, so I have to fill in a gap in the journal, that being our last night in Munich, as well as our travel day yesterday from Munich to Frankfurt

The cycling part of this year's tour is over and now our minds turn towards getting ready to head home.  Things like packing the bikes into boxes and getting transportation to the airport for us and the bikes are now our main concerns. But, the adventure's not over just quiet yet.

Our first adventure two nights ago was related to our dinner.  Our hotel is located next to a restaurant that specializes in  Schweinshaxe and Kartoffelklöße, translated as pork knuckle and potato dumping.  

We passed this restaurant's windows on our several forays into Munich and the food did look rich, well presented and delicious, and we were both craving some protein and carbs, I suppose.  And, for some reason, Sue was hellbent on having this for dinner.   So, Sue went down for a take out dinner that we would eat in our room.  We weren't in the mood for sitting down in a restaurant, which is most of the time for us, anyways.  

It really wasn't a hit for either of us.  The dumplings seemed heavy and had a doughy taste and rubbery texture rather than the potatoes that we were both craving.   We really thought that we'd also love the crispy pig skin, but that didn't really do it for us either.  We also found the meat rather fatty and salty as well.  So, it wasn't a hit, but I'm glad we tried it anyways.  Live and learn.

When we woke the next morning, we had breakfast and packed up the bikes for the final leg of this trip, the train from Munich to Frankfurt.  Our train was scheduled to depart at 10:39am, so we had plenty of time to slowly walk the bikes one last time through the Marienplatz and take in the quiet morning streets of Munich, as early morning workers made their way through the streets holding coffees and eating their morning pastries.  We arrived early at the München Hauptbahnhof (train station), and spent our time watching the arriving and departing trains as thousands of travelers and commuters moved through the station, each one headed in their own direction.

Waiting. Watching life.
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The train arrived. We found the bicycle car.  And, we put our bikes in the reserved spaces that Sue had the foresight and smarts to book months ago.  Sue had also brilliantly reserved our seats as well.  The train line that we were on is a busy one that runs from Innsbruck, Austria to Hamburg, Germany on the North Sea.  It's an ICE train that is considered a fast train that travels at speeds of up to 320kms an hour and there are only about 10 spaces on the very last car reserved for bicycles.  The fastest we travelled on our journey today was about 230kms an hour, as indicated on the screen display on the train.  But, when you travel along at those speeds, it sure doesn't feel like it.  It's such a smooth and quiet ride on these electric fast speed trains.

The beginning of the bicycle fiasco. As you can see, our bikes are in their reserved spots, thanks to Sue. The guy in the back is a freeloader looking to sneak on.
Heart 2 Comment 2
Suzanne GibsonNow you know why Janos refuses to take a bike on German trains! And imagine if you hadn't reserved so far in advance!
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3 months ago
Patrick O'HaraTo Suzanne GibsonI don't blame him. DB and other European train companies really need to deal with this problem. They need more spaces for bikes. Period.
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3 months ago

Anyways.  Regardless of the amazing technology of modern day train travel, it was a less than pleasurable experience.   Although we had reserved spots for our bikes, there were also cyclists that did not reserve spots that also got onto the train, and the bike area was clogged with passengers without reservations and this caused quite a cuffuffle for both passengers and the train staff.  As the train departed Munich, the staff relented and allowed the cyclists without reservations to continue on.  However, the problem became worse as we travelled along making stops towards Frankfurt, picking up more cycling passengers.  Some of them had reservations, some of them didn't.  So, those cyclists that got on in Munich without reservations for their bikes were kicked off the train, and those who tried to get on at stops along the way without reservations were also not allowed on.  Thank goodness Susanna is the master planner and organizer for our tours.

It was a tough train ride.  The train's air conditioning was barely working.  The train was packed and people stood in the aisles, and all those hot bodies just added to the sweltering ride.  On top of that, the train was delayed by one and a half hours, and some of that time was eaten up by the staff dealing with the bicycle car fiasco.  So, a three and a half hour trip became a five hour trip.  

But, I managed to 'excuse me' by about fifty passengers standing in the aisles through eight railway cars to get to the front of the train for better air conditioning and a cold beer.
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When we arrived in Frankfurt we hustled our panniers and bicycles off of the train, and gasped a sigh of relief for arriving on the platform and for getting off that horrible train ride.  Even though the outside temperatures were hovering around 33 degrees, it somehow felt more refreshing than being on that train.  Phew.  

Thank God we're free. Back in Frankfurt.
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It was strange being back in Frankfurt.  On the one hand, it felt like it had been so long since we had been here; but, it also felt like no time had passed at all, and we made our way back to Hotel Florentina where we began our journey a month ago like homing pigeons.  We're even in the exact same room as when we began this adventure.

I dropped my phone and broke the screen right across the selfie camera lens. At least the better half of us is still in focus. Back at Hotel Florentina.
Heart 8 Comment 2
Suzanne GibsonAn artistic effect!
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3 months ago
Patrick O'HaraTo Suzanne GibsonHa ha. Thanks for your complimentary perspective.
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3 months ago

To celebrate arriving back in Frankfurt, we went to the local park kiosk-dude, grabbed some beers, picked up some groceries at the shop around the corner and watched the Classico San Sebastian cycle race on TV in our air conditioned room.  We both fell asleep well before 8:30pm.  Perfection.

Sue in front of our local park guy's kiosk. This place was quiet the local hangout for the after work crowd.
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There's likely to be some 'radio silence' for the next couple of days as we make our way back home to Beautiful British Columbia and get adjusted back to the nine hour time difference.  But, there will likely be some sort of reflection and recap to follow; and, if there isn't, thanks for following along, and thanks to all those people who commented and made us feel connected friends, family and to a greater cycle touring community through CycleBlaze.  It's really been great to share it with you all.

Rate this entry's writing Heart 15
Comment on this entry Comment 12
Scott AndersonTrains! I hate ‘em!!

Thanks again, folks. Great journey, great journal. Come back soon.
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3 months ago
Patrick O'HaraTo Scott AndersonI agree. Every time we get on a train in Europe, it's a crap shoot. Thanks Scott. I say this all the time, but you guys are an inspiration for keeping us going.
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3 months ago
Bill ShaneyfeltGreat trip! Enjoyed following.
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3 months ago
Mike AylingThanks for a great journal!
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3 months ago
Steve Miller/GrampiesIt really does feel like train travel is getting harder and more uncomfortable to us. And crowded. Yay for good planning. At least you had a guaranteed spot and were not amongst the unfortunates who were unceremoniously booted off along the way.
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3 months ago
Patrick O'HaraTo Mike AylingThanks for following along, Mike.
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3 months ago
Patrick O'HaraTo Bill ShaneyfeltThanks to you too Bill. I wish I had more homework for you!
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3 months ago
Karen PoretCongratulations on accomplishing a big feat in another land of fun!
Safe travels back to BC and looking forward to the prologue!
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3 months ago
sarah mulliganThank you Patrick for taking the time to craft your great blog posts, such a fun ride traveling along with you both...and no ticks this time! phew. Looking forward to big hugs next time I see you in Van. :)
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3 months ago
Patrick O'HaraTo sarah mulliganAwe. Thanks Sarah. I'm glad you followed along. We didn't mention it in the journal, but we found two ticks on Sue looking for a place to park themselves and suck blood, but we caught them before they could settle in. Thanks for your comments, too.
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3 months ago
Rachael AndersonI’m sorry your meal turned out to be so bad and that you had such a terrible train experience! I’m really going to miss reading your journal.
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3 months ago
Patrick O'HaraThanks for following along, Rachael. Looks like you guys will be back on the European mainland soon.....I bet you're looking forward to some flat riding in the Netherlands!
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3 months ago