Mr Bean arrived exactly at the time he expected. He was excited – he had pored over all the options and this one was the best, by far: right area, excellent reviews, highly recommended restaurant and a reasonable price. He liked when plans worked ‘just so’.
Except the door to Reception was locked?
(more…)A long time ago, I stroked the UCD Senior 8 (no, that’s not an unexpected confession – it means I was in seat no 8 (in the stern, facing the Cox) and set the pace).
So you’ll understand my interest when I saw a crew on the Rhine:
When we trained at Islandbridge, the awful thing was you could only row for a mile and a quarter before you had to stop, turn the boat around and row back. And then stop, turn the board around – and so on. Which was also the best thing (think about getting a breather every mile and a quarter).
In contrast, the Rhine is well over 1,000k long . . . Poor crew – not much rest there?
But wait – have you spotted anything odd about the boat? look at the video again . . .
(more…)Well, Bonn and Cologne . . . ??
OK. OK.
An excellent tasting menu last night (mit wein, of course) may have dulled my senses somewhat this morning. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and I was on the road early.
Just as well.
I got distracted and took a wrong turn. And my Garmin reacted just a bit too quickly (spoiler: it saw I was headed in the wrong direction. Instead of beeping and saying take a U-turn immediately, it calculated the next junction where I could do that (so it looked like I was bang on course). . . aren’t these tech solutions so stupid sometimes?) (or is that just me?)
The thing is, you get used to tipping along on a good surface, right beside the river. You say to yourself “Alright Julia, let’s get into the groove” and you switch off.
Except, I was heading south, back towards the Alps, instead of North towards Rotterdam.
That bridge . . . fine architecture . . . striking . . . haven’t I seen it before? 🤔
Turn around Bob – 15k added to my route. Doh!
I should have remembered the shadow test . . . heading North, early in the morning, your shadow should be to your left (moving to right in front of you).
This mindfulness stuff is trickier that you think. (reminds me of corporate governance – but that’s for another day, another blog (not!))
Ludendorff bridge at Remagen (built 1916) was the only Rhine bridge captured intact by advancing Allied forces in March 1945. Attempts to demolish it by German sappers failed and four officers were subsequently court martialled and shot. However, the bridge had been weakened, and 10 days later it collapsed suddenly, killing 28 American army engineers. During this period a substantial bridgehead was established on the east bank and pontoons across the river enabled the Allied advance to continue despite the bridge’s collapse. Bridge towers remain on both banks, the one on the west bank containing a peace museum and memorial.
My hotel sported a dedicated garage for the cyclists’ bikes:
I like it!
The Rhine continues to make its own statement
Mountains on either side, castles staking territorial domination, stories unspoken – so much to take in
Kaiser Wilhelm 1
In Koblenz, I paused to find out a bit more about Kaiser Wilhelm.
Originally founded by the Romans, Koblenz (pop 112,500) was the seat of the archbishop and prince elector of Trier from 1018 until 1794. Fought over and occupied by the French on a number of occasions, the city became part of Prussia after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. The city was heavily fortified, centring on Ehrenbreitstein citadel overlooking the city from the east bank of the Rhine.
The city’s most famous monument, a 14m-high equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I, was erected at Deutsches Eck in 1897. Destroyed by US artillery in 1945, the pieces were kept and eventually recast, finally being reinstated to celebrate German reunification in 1993.
There is just too much to say about the Kaiser, Prussia, reunification and more. But it prompts an interesting question – what monument might we propose to celebrate reunification in Ireland (or will I live to see it in my lifetime?)
Black Tower Liebfraumilch was one of the culinary low points of that undistinguished decade of the 70s, alongside Spam, Smash and Alphabetti Spaghetti. I thought Black Tower was a distant memory – but I was wrong.
Black Tower may have stopped making Liebfraumilch in 1989, but it still flogs millions of bottles to 50+ countries, making it Germany’s best selling wine brand!! (Not something I’d be shouting about?)
Time Machine 1
Have you ever looked at the night sky and wondered what it really looks like?
I had that sense of wonder first in an unlikely place – Mawenzi, a sister peak to Kilimanjaro. Having woken up to an urgent call from nature, I got out of my 4-seasons sleeping bag, put on protective gear for the -15C outside the tent and went about my business. On the way back I paused and looked up at the moonless sky. Wow! With no light pollution anywhere near, and at 16,000 feet above sea level (no atmospheric pollution), I got the most amazing view of the cosmos.
Of course, it’s a Time Machine – by the time the light from some very far-distant star hits our eyes, that star may no longer exist (swallowed up in a black hole, gone supernova and collapsed, or otherwise).
Time Machine 2
The last 9 days’ cycling has been like travelling through another Time Machine:
– benefitting from the 12 million cubic tons of ice from the last Ice Age that gouged out a passage for the Rhine to travel
– the endless conflicts over the centuries redefining national boundaries, over and over
– the extraordinary engineering feats that tamed the river and facilitated extraordinary levels of commerce
– the monuments and museums that celebrate the achievements of individuals along the way. Like Margrave Karl Wilhelm II who founded Karlsruhe in 1715. At its centre is Schloss Karlsruhe palace from which 32 streets radiate, giving the city its nickname Fachterstadt (fan city). It is said that Karlsruhe’s layout provided inspiration for Washington DC. Nearby Marktplatz is home to a pyramid, the city’s emblem, covering Karl Wilhelm’s tomb.
It’s hard not to feel utterly insignificant in that grander scheme of things – and yet so lucky to be able to contemplate it
This is one big river (I’ve said it before, I know – but just look at it!)
An annual cycle 