June 29, 2016
43 kilometres of downhill - to Aachen!!
We love the British comedy series Fawlty Towers and have always wondered what it would be like to stay in such a hotel - and now we know! Basil Fawlty and his hapless team are alive and well in the mother/son team at Hotel Seehof.. Staying here was truly an unusual experience. It wasn't all bad but it was strange. We enjoyed having a delicious Belgian (Leffe) beer in the bar the night before. The son kindly brought us some mushroom soup and sauerkraut salad with fresh bread. He wouldn't take any money for this - he wanted us to taste homemade Belgian food and experience his hospitality. We greatly appreciated his kindness. As we sat in this wonderful space filled with incredible things, we wondered why we were the only people here.
The building itself is a crumbling shell of what was once a truly grand deluxe hotel from the 1920's. The exquisite antique furnishings remain throughout and the dining room (now sits unused) could seat 100's of people. It is like a museum....but no one is there. For some reason, we were allowed to choose from 2 rooms only, even though every room was empty. We chose the cheapest option. The rooms were large and grand but bathrooms must have been added some decades ago to what feels like must have been a very small closet. The mother spoke little English and was very firm with us that "only 30 minutes for the bathroom". We tried to understand but it got crazier and crazier as she started pounding on the wall for emphasis. She was clearly frustrated with us. Finally we found the son who spoke English (he had considerable charm and personality - unlike Basil Fawlty!) and he explained that they had to turn on the water and hot water for us - THIS would take 30 minutes. Oh dear, so much can get lost in translation.
Barry's problems began when he attempted to use the facilities -no room to sit down, and then when he showered, the taps came off, the faucet wouldn't stay, there was no room to turn around.... however, he won the battle and emerged clean and unharmed.
We were the only guests in the hotel.
It appears that the hotel had been remodelled as a Wellness Spa hotel some decades ago - there were statues of Greek goddesses and ornate plaster reliefs added to the walls - however, the practicalities were not in place as none of those areas (pool, sauna, etc) were working or open.
Checking out was a challenge - mama spends a lot of time in the cellar and it was hard to get her attention. How to pay our bill? How to get our bike? It all took time - how would they cope with more guests than just us?
The weather today is windy and cool but we are anxious to get on the trail. Last night's confusion and frustration of trying to camp and then walking the town to find an affordable hotel room took some time. So, we are raring to go.
We have really been enjoying riding on the Vennbahn Cycle Route. The path is paved and wide with good views of the countryside. This is unlike the earlier train route we rode on which felt closed in by vegetation. Once we realized that the route was completely downhill from Lommersfeld to Aachen, we decided to go for it and fly down the path to Aaachen. What a blast this was. We maintained a speed of 30 km.
We will stay in the municipal camping of Aachen for a few days and explore the old town.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 74 km (46 miles)
Total: 488 km (303 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 1 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |