Travelling on German trains

Travelling on German trains

There are at least three categories of trains in Germany, most carry bicycles (for a small fee).  Th intercity we used to get from Minden to Rostock had two bicycle carrying carriages, each had numbered spaces for 16 bikes.  Plenty of room, but not easy to get in out of with s bike, and one is never always quite sure at.where bike carriages are going to be relative to the platform.
   Each of the Regional trains we used this year to get to Bremerhaven had two bike carriages.  Some were easy to get in and of, one was fairly difficult.  

 This train Regional Train was fairly empty on a Monday, but we have known there to be 40 or more waiting for a train at 9am on a Saturday.   Somehow with help from the guard, and other cyclists, they usually manage to get them all in.  

On this particular day we had to change in Wunstorf, there are seven platforms each connected by a subway.  Our bikes would not quite fit into the lifts, so we were obliged to use the stairs, with laden bikes, that is not easy.   Our train had been 40 minutes late, so we had missed our connection.       Facing a longish wait we discovered that there was no toilet on the station.

This lift was not at Wunstorf, and it was big enough (usually to take two bikes), but there may be several others waiting, not just with bikes but luggage too.   It is advisable to allow plenty of time.

Coping with the unexpected.

(Germany is not always perfect.)

We had been cycling along the excellent Weser Radweg cycleway's extension to Cuxhaven when we came upon a shut gate.  It was not locked and it was easy enough to open and carry on on our way.  However after about 2½ km we came to a herd of cows, which barred our way to another gate.  We were obliged to ease our way carefully through the closely packed animals to get to this gate, only to find that it was padlocked!   The side gate was padlocked too.

Having plugged away against a strong headwind all morning, we were not inclined to cycle all the way back, so we had to unpack our bags, hump them over the gate, and then lift the bikes over too, watched very closely all the time, by rather curious cows.  

and on our way (having shut the gate properly first).

Note this is the first time we have come across any obstacle on thousands of km of cycling on the Continent.

Have you been framed?

Have you been framed?

Now there was this bike (in Ashford), securely padlocked, but only the frame, was locked to the stand, and so they nicked everything that was nickable.

The thing about this particular case is that the bike was located in the Lower High-street, where,   if anybody cared, the bicycle was in clear view of everyone.  A case of a case of bare-faced thievery.

It would have taken a minute or two to remove all the missing items, and then the parts would (most likely) have to be whisked  away to a vehicle; probably waiting in a fairly nearby car-park.

If one looks carefully, one can see two padlocks, and the thief has also taken the brake mechanism (front and rear ~ the front wheel being of a disc type).

What a shame.

The Bottom Line.

The Bottom Line.

The weakest point of the human body when cycling must be the Posterior;  It pays to get some practice in before you set off, especially to harden up the ‘Bum’.  This becomes more important the older one gets.  In my younger days I had a bike with a Brooks all leather saddle, and I found that very comfortable.  On this last (July 2014) trip, in Germany I saw several saddles which, were padded out cushioned with portions of sheep fleeces; but I didn’t manage to get a picture.

However I did picture a few choice luxury saddles.

This one was on display in a shop window.

One wonders just haw comfortable that one is.   The inclination looks a bit steep.

A masterpiece of suspension technology, or perhaps:- “Vorsprung-durch-Technik”.

What price comfort?  I have come across similar ones before particularly in Holland.

It is not just Spring that has sprung.

Neglected Cycleway/footway.

Neglected Cycleway/footway.

Pictures taken 17th. July 2014.

The grass has been cut (roughly) and the residue just left.

It is the same story every year since this path [001.jpg] (Little Burton Farm Lane) has been opened (it has received Little or virtually no maintenance). They have just cut the grass, but they have left the skin-ripping, eye-tearing-out brambles, and bushes.

The pedestrian side is completely taken over by vegetation.

Foliage is down to face level, which gets worse when wet.

We do not have a lot of provision for cyclists, one would think that the powers that be could maintain what we have properly.

Only this week I have returned from a 350 km cycle ride in Germany 90% of which was on excellent traffic free cycleways, returning to Ashford is such a let down, especially with so much litter. Do we want to attract tourists or don't we?

Cycle tourism is VERY popular in Germany  

and no litter.

~ some of the thousands of touring cyclists who pass through the small town of Rheinsberg, in Germany], Holland, etc; the Summer season is upon us. We are not ready for an invasion of cycling tourists.

It is all so frustrating.

From a letter sent  to Highways, local authority, media, etc