Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Rottenburg am Neckar
Finally got myself together to sort out the pictures of Sundays ride.
For once I managed an early start:
Freiburg was nearly empty. This is partly because most of Germany shuts down on a Sunday. Main road into the city towards the Minster:
After some photos in the centre. I like trams, which is why I'm making you look at tram pictures.
Also because the driver posed the tram and waited for me to get the shot.
Mandatory pic before going through the Martinstor.
After a short detour to visit the ecological neighbourhood of Vauban, I followed the road out and twenty minutes later I was here:
Twenty minutes isn't very far at my speeds, especially uphill. Freiburg centre just visible in a gap in the hills.
After rolling down the other side, I followed a valley into the Black Forest to the village of Münstertal, and back via Staufen...
...which has a castle, and a very attractive old town which I will revisit when there's less tourists.
The locals in Staufen have a great deal of aesthetic taste and great discernment. I base this on the fact one gentleman admired my bike and asked a number of in depth questions about its design.
Then suddenly, I was out in the plains:
Blue hills in the far distance are France. Also in the far distance was the extinct volcano called the Kaiserstuhl. This was rather worrying because I was planning to ride around that.
But after slogging along for another hour or so, I managed to reach Breisach, on the bottom corner of the hills, then followed the Rhine north...
Incidentally am I the only person unnerved by the height of that levee?
Finally, the last turning point of Sasbach, which is rapidly becoming one of my favourite villages ever:
I will return to this with my camera and more energy. At this point I was exhausted and still had a fair bit to go, which is why the photos stop here: I could barely hold the bike up by the time I got back.
Still, finally managed a second metric century for this year, I'm not going to get the 13 for the Lunarcy challenge, but hey, it's a step...
For once I managed an early start:
Freiburg was nearly empty. This is partly because most of Germany shuts down on a Sunday. Main road into the city towards the Minster:
After some photos in the centre. I like trams, which is why I'm making you look at tram pictures.
Also because the driver posed the tram and waited for me to get the shot.
Mandatory pic before going through the Martinstor.
After a short detour to visit the ecological neighbourhood of Vauban, I followed the road out and twenty minutes later I was here:
Twenty minutes isn't very far at my speeds, especially uphill. Freiburg centre just visible in a gap in the hills.
After rolling down the other side, I followed a valley into the Black Forest to the village of Münstertal, and back via Staufen...
...which has a castle, and a very attractive old town which I will revisit when there's less tourists.
The locals in Staufen have a great deal of aesthetic taste and great discernment. I base this on the fact one gentleman admired my bike and asked a number of in depth questions about its design.
Then suddenly, I was out in the plains:
Blue hills in the far distance are France. Also in the far distance was the extinct volcano called the Kaiserstuhl. This was rather worrying because I was planning to ride around that.
But after slogging along for another hour or so, I managed to reach Breisach, on the bottom corner of the hills, then followed the Rhine north...
Incidentally am I the only person unnerved by the height of that levee?
Finally, the last turning point of Sasbach, which is rapidly becoming one of my favourite villages ever:
I will return to this with my camera and more energy. At this point I was exhausted and still had a fair bit to go, which is why the photos stop here: I could barely hold the bike up by the time I got back.
Still, finally managed a second metric century for this year, I'm not going to get the 13 for the Lunarcy challenge, but hey, it's a step...
In defiance of the wind I hunkered down gripping the knobbly bits of the hoods and forearms rested on the tops of the bars; a position I once found quite intimidating but have now grown to quite like when I don't need the security of having the brakes close at hand. I put in a good effort on the way back to the city but scored no PRs as it was all into the wind.
).
One couple that sticks in my mind was a seemingly enthusiastic and appropriately dressed woman leading a less-enthusiastic-looking or appropriately-dressed bloke; which makes a change!
However within a week I had bought a bike off another member (
