August 11, 2024
To Frankfurt.
| Heart | 4 | Comment | 3 | Link |
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.
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.
| Heart | 2 | Comment | 2 | Link |
2 months ago
2 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.
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
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.
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.
| Heart | 8 | Comment | 2 | Link |
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.
| Heart | 3 | Comment | 0 | Link |
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 |
Thanks again, folks. Great journey, great journal. Come back soon.
2 months ago
2 months ago
2 months ago
2 months ago
Safe travels back to BC and looking forward to the prologue!
2 months ago
1 month ago
1 month ago
1 month ago
1 month ago
2 months ago
2 months ago
2 months ago