Koblenz/Koln/Flensburg- Koln visit

June 14, 2023 to June 15, 2023

Two days with train trips, a short one from Koblenz to Koln yesterday and a longer one today from Koln to Flensburg. As everyone knows traveling on trains with bikes can be a challenge but it all went well. The only hiccups were boarding trains in Koln and changing trains in Hamburg. From a study of the platform information board, we had determined that the bike cars were at one end, but once the trains arrived we realized that the only bike car was at the other end of the long trains. So it was a dash to get to the bike car while passengers were getting off and on themselves. All the checking and asking doesn’t seem to help, it seems to be a toss up which end of the train has the bike car.

But once on, it is terrific, a spot for your bike, comfortable seats and plug-ins for your phones. We love the transportation system in Europe, most of the time, everything works so smoothly.

Yesterday with a 12:30 departure, we were enjoying a relaxed start at the campsite when we met a couple in their mid 50’s from Northern England. They have embraced a minimalist lifestyle, shed their home and vehicles and are slow traveling with a tent and backpacks. Since April they have been to Spain, France, Austria, Hungary and Romania. Their enthusiasm for Romania has us thinking about Transylvania, Romanian Revival architecture and the Eurovelo 6 Danube cycle route for a future trip.

This is our second stay at this ideally located campground with its view across the Mosel looking at the Deutsches Eck. A great way to start the day. A short cycle to the train station and an hour and a half journey and we were in Koln rolling out of the station looking up at its famous cathedral.

We cycled to the campground 4 km south on the opposite side of the river. After quickly putting up the tent and stashing our things we returned to the city centre for our short half day visit.

Having toured Koln in 2018 and having only a few hours to explore this time, there were a few spots we wanted to return to. First was the Oberland Shipyard, a tech centre with fashionable condo buildings and hip bars and restaurants. We are so drawn to the river that we once again opted for a Biergarten for bratwurst (vegetarian ones too), fries and wonderful views of the river and passing barges. We then cycled and stopped for brief visits of the Dom, old Koln and the pedestrian streets before heading home to the campground. We crossed back across the river on the Hohenzollern Bridge which was teaming with people out for sunset views and photos of the Dom and city. Just about at the campsite we passed another biergarten. The sun was warm and the light golden so we happily decided we still had room for one more flammekueche and drinks and sat down to enjoy the sunset over the Rhine.

In the morning it was up early, take the tent down and cycle to the station. As we had timed the ride home last night, we knew that we’d have an easy run to the station this morning.

As mentioned above, once on the train and the stress levels subsided, we relaxed, wrote our blog posts, enjoyed our sandwiches while watching the farming heartland of Germany go by from our comfortable train seats.

Still on the train after Hamburg we saw plenty of solar and windmills and our first thatched roofs since arriving in Germany.

Flensburg was a surprise. It is a bustling waterfront city with distinctive restored buildings in the old town, pedestrian and cycle paths on the quay beside vintage, masted ships, pleasure boats and fishing trawlers.

Our accommodations tonight have a real Scandinavian look and has us excited in our anticipation of our adventures in Denmark starting tomorrow.