DANISH BIKE TRIP

             A Note From My Diary

Discussion with a granddaughter the other day brought this Denmark adventure to mind. The gal who was going to go with me chickened out close to departure time when she informed me she thought Denmark would be hilly. I didn’t agree with her and off I went. So let me quote my diary from the moment:

 The ferry ride was the easy part of the day. We had  nothing but hills all day, most of which forced me and everyone else to walk the last 1/3 to reach the top. At the top there was always a wonderful downhill ride but then another big hill loomed right up in your face. The hills were so steep you had to break nearly all the way down to avoid going 50 miles an hour. Often there was a curve at the bottom of the hill and one never knows what loose rocks, grit or other hazard, might be waiting on the road for a careless biker.

I’ve never had such an aerobic workout, as I huffed and puffed all day often gasping for what would seem to be my last breath! And I thought Denmark would be flat. Wrong!

At one of the rest stops I was muttering about my discontent when I was asked, “Aren’t you having a good time?”

“No, I’m not. Sweat is running into my eyes, my head is dripping wet, I’m so wet my clothes are clinging to me and I sure don’t need this cardiac workout. I’ve been in first gear all day, in fact for most of the trip so far.”

To make matters worse that day, after the rest stop we picked up a headwind. I’m thinking ‘and I paid  good money to torture myself like this.’

We stopped at a lovely beach for lunch. The area was called the Great Bend as it separated the Baltic Sea from the North Sea. The water was cool and the beach crowded. We observed many topless sunbathers. By then I was about ready to pack it in and ride in the van. One gal did ride the van for a day and a half. She developed severe stomach cramps, probably from dehydration. One of the fellows simply packed up and went home.

I approached our guide, “Be honest with me, is the whole trip going to be like this? Don’t give me any rhetoric! Just tell me the truth because I’ve about had enough.”

He replied, “The worst is just about over. There’s not too much left today and tomorrow will be better. You’re really a much better biker than you think you are. I’d like to see you continue on as I really think you can make it.”

The van driver also encouraged me to continue. They were right and I did end up peddling all the way. I remembered the year before when my #10 was always last. Well, this year #3 started in the middle of the pack and ended up in the middle every day, so I guess that was an improvement. This group were good bikers but not as fanatical or fast and competitive as the group last year in Austria,

After lunch the hills flattened out some and I could at least get into 2nd gear. The wind tempered the heat and made it feel a little cooler, tolerable anyway. It wasn’t too long before we hit a dirt path through a forest. It was very scenic and the tree cover cooled us down a bit more.

Coming out of the woods we rode past a gorgeous large castle. Along the ocean bike path the ocean breeze was behind us offering welcoming relief. It was a treat to bike on level ground!

At the very end of the day two huge steep hills had us all dismounting half way up for a walk to the top, but at the top of the second hill we had a nice long gentle downhill coast through the forest. Suddenly we were in Svendborg. Our hotel was in the center of the square, but it turned out to be quiet. After our bikes were secured our guide said, “It’s been a long hard day so I’m going to treat you to some Svendborg bitters.”

After that day the terrain was much friendlier, the trip was interesting and I was really glad I’d stuck it out to the end.

SOMETIMES IT'S STRESSFUL

            Stress and a Great Drink

When biking along the Danube we had many interesting experiences. Ten kilometers out of Linz, Austria our guide stopped us   saying, “For the rest of the ride today you  must use extra caution. We are about to enter an elevated bike path. It is a concrete sidewalk about three feet above the street level. Traffic will be heavy and moving fast on your right and bikers going in the opposite direction will be passing on your left. Keeping your distance is very important. I caution you to be especially alert.”

It was a stressful six miles. I kept my eyes on the sidewalk and tried to ignore the vehicles whizzing by on the highway below. I would have been more comfortable if we were riding on the inside instead of the bikers going in the opposite direction. Fortunately we all made it safely with no mishaps.

Although stressed at the end of the day  I was surprised to find I was not as tired after this 40 mile day as I was on the first day to Passau. We arrived at our hotel about 5:00PM.

I was dying for a nice big glass of ice tea, something unheard of in most of Europe. After entering the hotel I went directly to the bar and asked  "May I have (buy) a cup of hot tea?”

“Yes.”

When I was handed the tea I asked, “Now, may I have the largest container you have full of ice?”

“Really?” the bar tender said as he gave me a strange look.

“Yes, please. And may I take this all up to my room? I will return everything to you when we come down to dinner.”

The bar tender was shaking his head as I walked  to the elevator.  In my room I grabbed a glass, filled it with ice and poured in the tea. Ay, the pleasure!  And that is how I got my one and only glass of ice tea on the entire trip.

I did return everything to the bar and thanked the bartender. I’m sure I was probably labeled, ‘a crazy American’ but I did not care. I was a happy biker!

BIKING ANNOYANCES

Wind and Flat Terrain

When biking, I never thought that I would think flat was boring. But leaving Krems, Austria that is what we encountered  and the day’s ride was really pretty bleak,  monotonous. and seemed to last forever !  I was glad it was the end of our bike trip and not the beginning—the bleakness that is.

On the way to Melk, Austria we ran into a head wind.  It was a very tough 35-mile day, because when biking into the wind you can never rest. If you stop peddling the bike comes almost to a stop. Everyone looked tired when we arrived, and I really think I prefer the rain to the wind, and I never thought I would say that either.

          When biking France’s Bordeaux country we stopped in Soulac for a picnic lunch at the beach. The wind was blowing hard enough that we had to keep everything covered to prevent sand from blowing into our food and drinks. When we left to continue on,  the tail wind was so strong that all we had to do was balance on the bike as the wind literally pushed us along! It was really strange. However, this day we did have time restraints as we needed to be in Verdan to catch the ferry across the Gironde River to Royan. We had a fair distance to cover and if this wind had been a head wind I’m certain we would have missed our ferry. We didn’t have to work very hard to clip along at a decent speed. What a nice change!   

DELIGHTFUL AUSTRIA

GREIN, AUSTRIA

Approaching Grein we biked over part of the old horse path where decades ago horses trod pulling barges up and down the river. That was a first.

Grein is a picturesque little village providing wonderful Kodak moments.

          Our 700-year old hotel had been in the same family since 1912 and was furnished with antiques. The hotel was small but completely modernized. Across the street from the hotel was a bike shop and I didn’t waste any time getting there to buy a sheepskin seat cover for my bike. I hoped it would provide some relief. Unbelievably this had seemed like a pretty easy 40-mile day. Maybe it was the strudel.

          The village of Grein, established in 1147, presently had a population of 3000. The town hall, built in 1563, is still in use. Over a century ago the townspeople elected to move the cemetery out of town, as they wanted a more traditional church plaza.

            At this point the Danube is narrow with many rock outcroppings. In years past it was not uncommon for ships to run aground here and of course there is a legend about a beautiful mermaid sitting on the rocks distracting the ship’s crew. (I’ve heard a similar story several times in different places, but---) By the 12^th and 13^th centuries shipping had increased so much that piloting of ships became a booming business. In addition to the rock outcroppings large swells and dangerous whirlpools added to the danger. In 1489 the piloting business was taken over by two brothers who were friends with Fredric II. Fredric gave the village permission to incorporate in 1491.In 1847 the first steamboat started a new era of shipping.

          In the 1950s the stone outcroppings in the S curve of the river were blown up to provide safer shipping. Locks and an electrical generating plant were built in 1958.

            Immediately after breakfast the next morning we took a walking field trip to the castle high on the hill; the view of the river and countryside from the top was spectacular. The castle is still occupied by the prince who owns it. In 1489, 500 volunteers who were indebted to the king spent five years building the castle. The present prince likes to bowl so he had a special building erected to house a bowling alley and entertainment room. If one did not know the history one could speculate for a long time on the purpose of such an odd shaped building.

            During WW II the city was over-run by Russians who occupied the castle. They destroyed many of the furnishings and removed even more. The castle has been only partially restored.

            In 1642 a fire destroyed 73 of the 83 homes in Grein plus the church tower. The owner of the restaurant was found responsible for the fire and had to pay all damages.

             The most recent flood, in 1991, flooded all the waterfront homes where water reached ceiling level. All had been restored. It’s a charming small Austrian village.

BIKING IN EUROPE

European Biking for Americans--II

“My idea of a vacation certainly isn’t sitting on a bicycle all day and peddling miles and miles!” my sister said to me over the phone one day.

            “Well it sure sounds like fun to me. What better way to see a country,” I argued.

While in Belize my roommates and I were talking about some of the trips each of us had taken. One talked about a European bike trip she had taken the previous year. That sure sounded like fun to me, so when I got home I immediately pulled the catalog to see where I could go.

To bike from Munich to Vienna along the Danube River in Germany and Austria sparked my imagination. Over 200,000 people bike from Passau, on the German side of the German-Austria border, to Vienna every year. That is a lot of bikers so I reasoned that the bike trails must be in good condition. Then again 35-40 miles a day on a bike made me hesitate—just a little bit.

            However,  my logical mind reasoned that I walked four miles an hour, surely I could bike twice that fast. Eight miles times five hours equals forty miles. That shouldn’t be too hard—and it wouldn’t even take all day. So much for logical reasoning! Little did I know we’d be stopping for pastries and coffee, to see a church or to visit some other point of interest.

I liked the idea that the bicycles were already in Europe. Three speeds was manageable. Although I had never ridden anything but a single speed bike, I was game. The thought of someone else taking care of any bike problems was a great comfort. No worries about flat tires or broken chains, someone else could fix them.

After moving to the country in Texas 15 years earlier I’d parked my bike under a tree for about two years before giving it away. Our dirt road and then the narrow country road was a hazard to walk and suicide to bike. Years later,during the six weeks home between trips I sold a house and moved from a small town to a larger, but small, city. I did buy a bike with good intentions of getting in shape, but in reality I managed to get about ten miles on the bike before it was time for me to pack and take off. My children thought I had absolutely gone over the edge, but nothing could dampen my excitement. Even the rainy weather most of the time in Europe couldn’t lessen my enthusiasm.

Talk about being innocent and naive! Being strictly a recreational biker, I knew nothing about biking equipment. And to top it all off I was in a group of avid serious bikers. But all turned out well. They were most helpful in educating me on gear as well as sharing a lot of other information. Since I was always the last person in, which meant that I got no rest period, no one ever complained about having to wait for me. I took my time, although steady as she goes, stopped to take pictures and to enjoy the wonderful scenery and quaint villages.

The next year I was much more knowledgeable and better prepared. That year, and the one after, I started off and ended in the middle of the pack.  I had improved with age!

FIRST REAL DAY ON THE BIKE

A NEW ADVENTURE

             I thought   biking from Munich to Vienna  would be so much fun that I could hardly wait for that first European bike trip. I was 63 at the time, and it had been a few years since I’d been on a bike. In addition I had never done any serious biking. My children thought I had absolutely lost it, but nothing could dampen my enthusiasm.

            Before leaving the U.S.I bought the required bike helmet and I was ready to go! I had been to South America a couple of times and to Africa but this was to be only my second trip to Europe.

I was fitted to bike #10, learned the traffic differences, and learned the rules of biking. After the day of bike trials and a short ten-mile trip and back I was ready for the first 43-mile day that lay ahead.

The Germans call the Danube Donau, and it really isn’t blue like the famous music. The river is muddy with a pretty swift current. The river has many locks as 25% of the country’s electricity is generated from the river. It had been a very rainy year so several ferry landings were flooded and the bike path in many areas was under water necessitating us to use the road.

Cloudy skies and often rain followed us the entire two weeks. There were days we were in and out of rain gear several times.  The scenery was spectacular and the villages and cites quaint and picturesque. As flooding forced us to use the narrow roads we were told how important it was to keep a good distance between bikers. Vehicles could pass one or two bikers at a time but a string of 23 bikers made it difficult for  drivers. I had visions of being very muddy from car-splash, but drivers were very considerate and my visions never became reality!  Then again everyone there rides a bike and we Americans were easy to spot as we were the only ones wearing helmets.

            I was always the last person in, but that didn’t bother me. I stopped whenever I wanted to take pictures, all of which show the cloudy skies. The only problem of being last was the lack of a break. But like the Energizer bunny, I just kept peddling and was having the time of my life. By noon of that first day I felt like I had a knife between my shoulder blades. I never could figure out why, but my best guess is that my handlebars were too far away so I hunched over them. The problem continued to plague me and only lessened a little, when I made a conscious effort to drop my shoulders After 43 miles and all day in the saddle I really felt it. I thought I was going to die.

I learned a lot about biking gear. A couple of experienced gals shared lots of information. I left home with NO biking gear or wardrobe. I was really an innocent babe in the woods, but I soon remedied that situation.

            This turned out to be the first of three European bike trips, and I wouldn’t trade that first great trip for anything in the world. I had a fantastic time, learned a lot about biking,  the country and its people and had a  marvelous knowledgeable guide.

DONAUSCHLINGE AT SCHLOGEN

 A Mouth Full

            After I learned how to pronounce it, I thought it rather lyrical. Broken down Donau is German for Danube, schlinge means turn and Schlogen is the name of the village. The river takes a 180-degree turn at the village located at the tip of a peninsular jutting out into the river.

            On this day we woke to rain so delayed our departure from Passau about an hour. It wasn’t long before we were at the border where we stopped to have our passports stamped. Late morning we crossed the Danube by ferry to the German side. The rain remained relentless all day. The restaurant earmarked for lunch was closed because of the weather so we continued to bike on to some locks.

            Later in the day we crossed the Austrian border again at a place that led us directly to a nice rest stop/café where we enjoyed a hot drink. In spite of the rain it was a very scenic day. We biked through dense forest, mountain foothills, and peddled through many small picturesque villages.

            At the end of the day another ferry marked Donauschlinge at Schlogen took us across the river to our hotel. By the end of the day everyone was soaking wet, no matter how expensive or what kind of rain gear they were wearing. The new modern hotel had a hair dryer in each room that came in handy for drying shoes and   other gear.

While my roommate was in the shower, I opened the fridge in the room and retrieved a small bottle of wine and  was drinking it when she emerged from the bathroom.

“Where did you find the wine?” she asked.

“In the refrigerator.”

“Do you know how much the stuff cost out of room refrigerators?”

“Yes, but right now, I really don’t care.”

After drying out and a good dinner I was ready to retire early. I slept well and woke the next day to cloudy skies but no rain. Another forty-mile day of biking lay ahead of us.

ANIMAL TALK

A DELIGHTFUL SERENADE

Biking through  France's Bordeaux countryside was my third European bike trip.The trip started with three days biking on   narrow paved roads through a huge  pine forest.  We were frequently serenaded by frogs croaking in the drainage ditches along the side of the road. Cuckoos perched high up in the tree tops joined the serenade on many occasions. Otherwise there was little to disturb our quiet and solitude of those peaceful days.

            Sand often covered part of the road and bike paths. If one wandered off the pavement the sand bogged you down. A small mesquite-like low shrub grew along the edge of some of the paths and their nasty little thorns were the cause of most of our flat tires. At times the shadows of the sun filtering through the trees made it hard to see any dips or bumps ahead.

            It was nice to have sunshine and not rain. This part of the trip was mostly over flat terrain. But after three days it was good to add a bit of variety and challenge to the landscape. However, the frog and cuckoo serenades were a delight and are a fond memory.