Il y a un peu plus!

After staying a few days in Nancy including a day trip to Luxembourg and shopping for presents, I went with Denis and Farida to stay at his cousin's place in the village of St Saturin located only 10 km outside Avignon.

The trip south was largely via the freeway route followed by most of the Northern European horde in pursuit of summer Mediterranean sun. The A31 drawing from Germany, Holland and the rest of Northern Europe meets the A5 and A6 from Paris to create a flood of holidaying mankind which reaches its peak in the first few days of August. We were fortunate to be there a few weeks before this time. Even then the road was not far off choked.

Avignon and surrounding Provence has much to see. A bonus was the the Avignon Arts Fringe Festival, which was in full swing with street performances going on all the time. I managed to see a performance. I understood very few words but enjoyed it nevertheless.

The whole area is one of outstanding beauty and history. It is easy to understand what draws the tourists and there are so many! An ordinary street market in the tiny "vieux village" of Gordes is difficult to get to and park. The street is a veritable Tower of Babel of languages.

View from Gordes - Beautiful Provence

Gordes again

Avignon

Avignon - a show anyone?

Whilst the sun, wine, food, limestone mountain landscapes and the vieux villages of Provence are all great, my highlight was seeing Pont du Garde, the famous Roman aquaduct. This is an example of engineering infrastructure becoming a work of art and focus of many paintings. It only took 2000 years to turn it from engineering infrastructure into art!

Pont Du Garde

Pont du Garde - the painter's view

I then took the TGV to Paris for the final three days. In Paris, I managed to see Musee D'Orsay, my sister Edith's childhood friend Frances (34 years a Parisian), the Louvre (admittedly some sections only), Musee Du Quai Branley (the new Indigene museum) and, wait for it, the end of the Tour de France!

All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go - Avignon TGV Station

Beautiful Paris - Jardin du Luxembourg

Musee D'Orsay - Starry Starry Night

Musee D'Orsay - A favourite, Pissarro I think but could be wrong, again!

Musee du Louvre - done Mona Lisa now for the rest!

Le Tour est fin!

At the end of my last day, as the sun was setting I was in Place des Vosges my favourite "local" park in Paris.

Place des Vosges - Parisians relaxing on a Summer Sunday

It has been a great holiday but there is a limit. I am ready for home and work!

Summary

• distance travelled by bike - more than 2,200 km
• countries visited - France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Luxembourg
• long train journey - Copenhagen/Berlin, Berlin/Strasbourg and Avignon/Paris
• long car journey - Nancy/Avignon
  
• repairs - one flat tyre, one chain and back gear wheel replaced, front brake pads replaced, brake cable adjustment and one spoke replaced.

View The 2008 Trip in a larger map

Diary and riding log with cumulative distance travelled

22 May 2008 - departed Melbourne
23 May - arrived Paris, met by Denis, road to Nancy (Denis and Farida)
26 May - bike trip begins - Nancy to Lac de Madine Lorraine (camp) - 80 km
27 May - Lac de Madine to Verdun (hotel) - 140 km
29 May - Verdun to Grandpre, Argonne (camp) - 218 km
30 May - Grandpre to Reims (hotel) - 300 km
1 June - Reims to St Choix (chambre d'hote) - 352 km
2 June - St Choix to St Quentin (hotel) - 443 km
3 June - St Quentin to Amiens (camp) - 546 km
5 June - Amiens to Albert (camp) - 620 km plus unrecorded of approx 30 km
7 June - Albert to Cambrai (hotel) - 674 km
11 June - Cambrai to Mauberge (camp) - 732 km
12 June - Mauberge to Fosses BELGIUM (hotel) - 800 km
13 June - Fosses to Andenne (chambre d'hote) - 830 km
14 June - Andenne to St Geertruid HOLLAND (camp) - 891 km
16 June - St Geertruid to Grathern (camp) - 977 km
17 June - Grathern to St Antonius (camp) - 1052 km
18 June - St Antonius to Renkum (Anke and Roy) - 1115 km plus approx 30 unrecorded.
22 June - Renkum to Rolde (camp) - 1235 km
23 June - Nordloh GERMANY (camp) - 1348 km
24 June - Nordloh to Osterndorf (Gasthaus) - 1448 km
25 June - Osterndorf to Gotzberg (camp) - 1575 km (127 km)
26 June - Gotzberg to Lubeck (hotel) - 1611 km
28 June - Lubeck to Gossenbade (camp) - 1699 km
29 June - Gossenbade to Copenhagen DENMARK (Buller and Jette) - 1846 km (147 km - max in one day)
30 to 7 July - Copenhagen (Buller and Jette and Anders and Susan) - 70 km unrecorded
8 July - Copenhagen to Berlin via Hamburg by Train
8 to 11 July - Berlin - 20 km unrecorded
11 July - Berlin to Strasbourg via Halle, Darmstadt and Karlsruhe by Train.
11 July - Strasbourg FRANCE - 1846 km plus unrecorded
12 July - Strasbourg to Grendelbruch (hotel) - approximately 50 km
13 July - Grendelbruch to Baccarat (camp) - approximately 60 km
14 July - Baccarat to Nancy (Denis and Farida) - 2056 km plus unrecorded of more than 150 km
14 to 19 July - Nancy
19 July - Nancy to Avignon by car
19 to 25 July - Avignon - bike packed away
25 July - Avignon to Paris by TGV
25 to 28 July - Paris.
28 July - DEPART FOR MELBOURNE
29 July - ARRIVE HOME

Le tour en vélo est fin!

The last days ride from Baccarat to Heillecourt was an easy 70 km, mainly downhill ride to join the Maillets for lunch on Bastille Day. Later, we went into Nancy Central for the fireworks display by the River Merthe.

The end of the ride has come and I admit I am glad. For the moment at least, I have seen enough pretty French, Belgium, Dutch, German and Danish countryside, villages, towns, cities, cows, horses, sheep and crops and people. For the record, the barley is being harvested in Northern France and the wheat has a few more weeks to go.

Everything I planned to do has been done and within the predicted timeframe. This may be a total fluke but it is nevertheless the fact of the matter.

The bike's story is also good. It is running sweetly after more than 2,200 km, one flat tyre, one new chain and rear sprocket, one change of brake pads (thanks Nol), one brake cable reconnection, and one replacement of a broken spoke. Yes Jim, I did remember to give it some oil.

I have met many nice people and my hosts in Holland (Roy and Anke), Denmark (Buller and Jette and Anders and Susan) and France (Denis and Farida) have been more than fantastic, they have allowed myself and the bike to rest sufficiently to continue. Thank you all very very much.

Special thanks to Vincent, Tony and Sophie for tolerating my absence. Also, thanks to everyone who read the blog and commented. It has been fun and has helped manage the solitude of the trip.

No apologies for the agricultural bias and the inclination for bad jokes.

It is now time to pack up the bike and to have a beer.

Au revoir,

Bernie

Arrival in Nancy on Bastille Day

The Rock Concert by the River Merthe in Nancy on Bastille Day Evening

Bastille Day Evening Fireworks Display

More Bastille Day Fireworks

Still more Bastille Day fireworks
- digital camera overload (would Karsh have called it multiple critical moments?)

J'ai escaladé puis déscendu les Vosges

This last stage of the ride took me through the Vosge Mountains. I took two days to do this. The first stage was quite short from Strasbourg to a hotel near Grendelbruch in the foothills of the Vosges. I had intended camping but around 2.00 pm spotted this very nice 3 star hotel and 3 hat restaurant (Fischehutt Hotel) and succumbed. I felt tired perhaps from the previous days long train trip. The afternoon was spent dozing in front of the Tour de France commentary which is about as exciting in French as it is in English. In the evening I had a great meal with a nice Alsatian wine.

The Alsace people speak a German dialect and have traditions in terms of food, clothing etc in common with other Rhinelanders. However it would be wrong to classify them as German. They are French. During both WWs they suffered through forceable conscription into the German Army.

Alsace is very pretty and the villages are much more colourful than say a typical village in the adjoining South Lorraine just across the Vosge.

The following day I made the short crossing of the main Vosge range via Col du Donon at elevation 740 m. The Vosges are the left flank uplifted Rhine rift valley fault. They are geologically old and rise only up to around 1,000 m in maximum elevation. The descent was actually more challenging with a very steep initial slope where I nearly wore out my brakes. As Bill and Jim will testify, I am not the bravest when it comes to downhills.

In quick time, I was in Baccarat the home of the famous crystal of the same name. I had enough energy to camp and attend the Bastille evening party and fireworks display. It was good to witness how ordinary French people celebrate their most important festival.

The pretty Alsatian village of Breuschwickersheim

The blue line of the Vosges

Lunch with Mary at Mollkirch - chevre, tomate et pain

The Baccerat Bastille Day Fete (Party) Venue before it really kicked into gear

De Berlin à Strasbourg par le train - une longue journée

In Front of the Berlin Haupbahnhof, the starting point of the trip to Strasbourg

A very early start and three changes later I was in Stasbourg. It is interesting that in one day I traveled almost as far as I had in five weeks by bike. Why had I not thought of this before!

The train took me west through the old East Germany to Kassel in Central Germany and then south through Frankfurt to Karlsruhe on the Rhine and still further south to the change point for SNCF and the very short crossing of the Rhine to Strasbourg.

The train was late on the last but one leg, which meant a wait of an hour for the next train. Experiencing a late German train dispelled an image long held! However this was not late enough to prevent me getting to Strasbourg that night and more importantly finding a hotel bed.

The only real difficulty in all of this was getting the fully loaded bike off a very crowded Friday afternoon train. Never travel in Europe on Friday afternoon was what I learnt from this.

Berlin - Le touriste travaille dur

I write this in a train speeding across Central Germany away from Berlin.

Berlin is a great city and may become the greatest in Europe. It is still a bit new and raw from the continuing reconstruction after reunification but the right path has been set.

Berlin now has a population of around 4.5 million and because it has many “centres of activity” rather than one or two, having a bike to get around has really helped. Despite this, two and a half days is really only a glimpse but still a good glimpse and enough for a desire to return.

As I see it, much of the architectural and planning challenges of reunification have related to integration of the divided city within this historical matrix of multiple centres. There were and are decisions on what to rehabilitate and what and how to renew, particularly in East Berlin. Also, on both sides of the wall, some of the rebuilding of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s was in haste and ultimately will need to be redone.

An example of the challenges is Wilhelmstrasse. This street and surrounding area was the old centre of both the Federal and Prussian State bureaucracy. Because most of this area and the adjoining Unter den Linden commercial area were in the old East Berlin there was very little renewal until after reunification. Also, because Wilhelmstrasse was close to the Wall, considerable security clearing was done in the East.

During the Nazi era, Wilhelmstrasse was where a lot of the planning for mass extermination occurred. At the only remaining remnant of the Wall, which is just off Wilhelmstrasse, there is an open air photo exhibition of this period. This exhibition, which is called “The Topography of Terror” sets out the challenge of how to renew and rebuild in a good functional sense and yet retain a permanent reminder of this terrible period. The Germans have never wanted to brush anything under the carpet but the immediate post-war period needed more effort on recovery than reflection. It will be interesting to see how this is resolved.

Whilst there are still plenty of cleared spaces, much rebuilding has occurred particularly in the East along Unter den Linden and Alexanderstrasse. So much so that it is the “now” location for Berliners leaving the commercial areas of the old West Berlin a little under patronised, particularly by the young. Totti, Jacqui’s Berlin friend said he doesn’t like everything that is being done but he likes the general direction and the sense of exploration of the renewal. A good attitude, I think.

Since reunification, Berlin has experienced high levels of immigration. Included in this immigration are more than 100,000 Jews from Russia and other Eastern European countries. These people are reinvigorating Jewish life in Berlin.

The list of what I saw is as follows:

-The Brandenburg Gate

-Unter den Linden (principle shopping area pre-war and post-reunification)

-Wilhelmstrasse

-Berlin Wall remnant and “Topography of Terror” exhibition.

-Reichstag (a very important symbol of a healthy German democracy – apparently Hitler never set foot in it and ordered it’s burning in 1933.

-Broken church on Budapeststrasser

-Holocaust memorial

-Jewish Museum (spent 4 hours here and could have been much more)

-Berlinische Galerie (excellent modern art museum)

-Tiergarten (immense and great to ride through for a good breakfast appetite)

-Berlin Zoo (very nice but a zoo is a zoo)

-Alexanderstrasse (scene of much recent rebuilding)

-Checkpoint Charlie (very good example of erzarch tourism at work)

-Hotel Altberlin and Potsdamerstrasse (where I stayed – great hotel)

-The new Haupbahnhof (built for the soccer world cup)

Much more to see but the traveller is compelled to move on.

Inside the Reichstag Dome

(designed by Norman Foster)

The Reichstag

The Holocaust Monument

The Berlin Wall Remnant and the Topography of Terror Display

The Tiergarten

The Brandenburg Gate

Hotel Altberlin in Potsdamerstrasse

Je suis arrivé à Berlin il y a un jour

Jacqui meets my train from Copenhagen
(a feat in itself as the last leg came from Hamburg)

I have just said goodbye to Jacqui who has come all the way from France to meet me before leaving Paris to go back to the Congo where she works. Jacqui is my very intrepid neice for those who don't know her. She has been doing an intensive French language course.

It was great fun to laugh and chat about all manner of things.

She was concerned that we didn't do anything "iconic". However we decided that her meeting my train when she didn´t know anything except the arrival time was iconic. So also was a drive around the new East Berlin, Brandenburg Gate and Check Point Charlie and dinner on Unter den Linden, metting Totti and this morning visiting the Reichstag, coffee at the River Spree "beach" and getting my ticket to Strasbourg at the new Haupbahnhof .

She is now driving back to Paris to catch her flight back to Africa. I am about to get on my bike and visit more icons.

I leave on Friday.

Copenhagen encore!

The following is a selection of photes in and around Copenhagen.

Nyhavn in Cph - a popular restaurant spot for tourists

Jette and Buller in Frederiks Square - houses of the Royal Family

Five story walk up (no lift) flats in Borups Alle inner Copenhagen

Rådhuse (City Hall) in Cph

Auguste Rodin´s The Thinker in the Glyptotek

The Glyptotek - established by Carl Jacobsen of Carlsberg

Roskilde Cathedral - crypt of a king

Roskilde Viking Museum - Viking Ship

Fredensborg Castle - residence of the Queen

Kronborg Castle, Helsingor

Copenhagen - c´est belle, c´est tres belle

The barbeque on the rooftop garden of Britt and Jan´s apartment in Copenhagen - time: around 9.30 pm!

The proud grandfather and Andreas

Frederikbørg Castle at Hillerød

Commencing Buller´s Copenhagen tour

Lunch a little later during Buller´s Copenhagen tour

The very busy Kongens Nytorv (Kings Square)

The French Embassy also in Kongens Nytorv

Skt Jørgens Sø - the view from Jette´s office

Buller met me off the train at Hillerød. Before coming back to Copenhagen we had a walk in the grounds of Fredriksbørg Castle. The photo can speak for itself.

On Thursday, Jette, Buller and I did a city walking tour with excellent guiding by Buller. It was quite exhausting as there is so much to see. However, as you can see from the photos, we were well fuelled.

The photos show only a small part of what we have seen. However, as the song says it really is wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen. This city has had a great amount of public building that has not been damaged by either of the two major 20th century wars and it is today a magnificent asset to this livable city.

This public building was driven by the Royal Family. I understand that Christian 4th did a lot of this building including the pictured Frederiksborg Castle. In the late 18th Century, the Danish Kings (Christian 7th I think) became more progressive and emancipated the landless peasants and thus ensured their own survival and continued building program.

At the end of the day we caught a commuter water taxi back to the car and witnessed a dispute about who was first in the queue of bicycles for the taxi. For once, I was glad I was not on a bicycle.

There are now many tourists around and I am hearing a lot of English, particularly American English spoken. In May in France, there were hardly any tourists. Also, the weather has been outstanding with very bright sunshine since I arrived last Sunday.

In the evening, we went to a barbeque at Britt and Jan´s place. They live on the fifth and top floor of an old Copenhagen apartment. They have just done a fantastic renovation of their flat and have patio above the flat where you can see the sea and some of Copenhagen skyline as the sun set finally around 10.30 pm.

I enjoyed talking to everyone. It is always humbling and amazing to sit with a group of Europeans speaking seemingly without effort in flawless English just for my benefit. It is impressive because it is not without effort. We English speakers need to appreciate this effort and lift our language skills.

I talked to Jan about his emerging business in carbon accounting. My prediction is that he will be very busy in the coming years.

Buller and Jette doted on their six month old grandson, Andreas. He is very cute. It is suggested that Buller stands beside the cot waiting for Andreas to wake up and possibly even assists this process. It is not for me to say whether this is true or not.

We arrived home tired but satisfied with our days efforts. On Friday I will ride to Copenhagen to visit a few museums on my own. Whilst it is only a few days since last Sunday, I feel I am being a bit lazy not riding since.

Before our city walk, I booked the train ride to Berlin which, because of the bike, has to go via Jutland and Hamburg and takes 8 hours. I don´t mind as I like train rides and the views that comes with them. It was a bit weird being in the central train station surrounded by people starting out on their summer holidays. This is because most of the journey has been in such solitude and decisions on where to go and when, entirely mine.

Copenhagen et Zealand - Je visite mes amies et mange les poissons

The Odgaard summer house

Lunch with the Odgaards - herring anyone?

A Danish windmill, Susan and I

Oddenhavn fishing port

Oddenhavn fish market - it might be fishy but there is nothing odd about this

A Danish wetland - there are snipe here you just have to look harder

Deadlines to meet and places to go

After my long trip into Copenhagen I did practically nothing the following day. Baun and Jette were at work so I relaxed doing only a small tour of the neighbourhood. Buller and Jette live about 20 km outside the centre of Copenhagen in a semi-rural called Væløse.

I did clean my bike (Jim take note), dry the tent out and I won´t mention laundry. The bike has a broken spoke so I need to get this fixed.

The next day I went up to North Zealand to stay a night with my other friends, Anders and Susan at their family summer (beach) house. It is on a penisular called Trundholm and located in a forested area. We did some wandering around of the local area including several beaches and some other tourist spots including a very old church, a windmill, a meeting place for Vikings before heading off on their marauding and a monument to some brave Danish sailors who stood up to the English attempting two steal naval vessels to fight Napoleon. Those dreadful English, that is the message I got from this. On the 2nd day we had a swim in the Baltic (well not strictly the Baltic but lets not make this too technical). We also visited a managed wetland (Mokoanites please note) and ate more fish with Carlsberg beer. It is such a hard life and added to this it was two days of glorious weather.