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Jun. 2nd, 2006 07:51 pmToday we got up very early, around 5am, because our reservation for the Channel Tunnel was at 7am. I was sluggish as is usual for me in the morning and I delayed the start by ten minutes or so, unfortunately. But we hauled ass to the Chunnel and would have been on time, except that there was a long line to get in, and then the bike wouldn't start after I finished talking to the Customs people. We bump started it and I kept it running while we waited to load, and revved it as much as a dared in hopes that it would charge. To no avail. We had to bump start it again after getting off the train. S called ahead and arranged to have a battery waiting in Germany.
Train? What train? Well, it turns out that the Channel Tunnel uses a train to move everything under the channel. Instead of driving through the tunnel, you load your vehicle into what is basically an oversized subway train. There were four bikes in our car, the three of us and a BMW rider who was doing a shakedown ride in preparation for a world tour. The train ride is only about twenty minutes long, so there was barely time to chat with the BMW guy before it was time to unload.
From there we hopped on the slab and rode for a half hour or so, and eventually stopped for breakfast in the village of Gravelines, France, where it turned out to be market day. We went into what we thought was a restaurant but I think it was more of a bar. They didn't have any food, but the guys had coffee and I had a diet coke. Then we wandered the outdoor market for a little while, and got some pastries at a little bakery. We ate them next to the bikes, then continued on our way.
Out on the slab, the European drivers are much more careful about keeping right except to pass. Probably because even when there are speed limits, there are still cars driving at 120+ mph in the left lane, and they close with a frighteningly high rate of speed. We were not the fastest thing on the road, but we were going much faster than I am used to going in the USA, frequently exceeding 100 mph. This is kind of tiring, actually. I think if I really wanted to cover ground in that environment, over a long period, I'd pace myself by choosing a slightly lower speed, one that I could maintain all day without getting worn out.
We crossed into Belgium, which is very flat. The slab was just starting to get dull when suddenly the traffic ground to a halt. We split lanes for miles, until we got to the front of the traffic jam, which turned out to be caused by the fact that the freeway was closed and everyone was being diverted down an exit onto another freeway that led in the wrong direction. We exited a few miles down and tried to find our way over the local roads. This offered a nice tour of several Belgian villages, which are neat and tightly packed, with lots of bicyclists. I noted that there are bus stops everywhere, even in the country, and they are served by enough busses that the public transit is probably useful, unlike ours. Which is good because if, like the USA, pretty much every adult had a car, they wouldn't be able to park them all; things are too close together.
Eventually we got back to the correct highway, and into Germany. S had a GPS and had put in the coordinates of where we were going. He tried to lead us off the autobahn at the correct exit, but Robert didn't notice so he blew past and kept going. I decided it was better to follow Robert even though it was the wrong way, so we wouldn't get separated. In the process of dealing with this, S almost ran headlong into a slow moving trailer full of bricks. But somehow, catastrophe was avoided, and eventually we caught Robert and brought him back to the exit.
Once we left the autobahn, the roads were beautiful, winding through the forest, then a village with steep, narrow streets, then more forest, and finally we arrived at the hotel, where we met Irena and Trond, the couple from Norway. The guy arranging the trip, Igor, joined us a short while later, and Zeljko arrived a little after that. Igor and Zeljko are both Croatians living in Germany.
The hotel is a lovely old place tucked into the forested hillside. There's an observation tower at the top of the hill, and you can see downtown Frankfurt from it. My room was small and white and clean, with a single twin bed and a private bath. Through the lace curtains I could see big trees and a pretty old frame house across the street, with lots of gables and fancy woodwork. Lovely! The bedding was different than I am used to - there was no top sheet, instead it had a small duvet with a removable cover.
After our walk up the hill to look out from the tower, we returned to the hotel and had a meeting to discuss riding together. After some discussion a compromise travel speed of 130kph was chosen for the autobahns. Irena and Trond thought it was still too fast and the others thought it was too slow. My comfort zone was in the middle, so the compromise suited me just fine. Igor said we had a lot of ground to cover, so we would start early and there would be no lunch.
Train? What train? Well, it turns out that the Channel Tunnel uses a train to move everything under the channel. Instead of driving through the tunnel, you load your vehicle into what is basically an oversized subway train. There were four bikes in our car, the three of us and a BMW rider who was doing a shakedown ride in preparation for a world tour. The train ride is only about twenty minutes long, so there was barely time to chat with the BMW guy before it was time to unload.
From there we hopped on the slab and rode for a half hour or so, and eventually stopped for breakfast in the village of Gravelines, France, where it turned out to be market day. We went into what we thought was a restaurant but I think it was more of a bar. They didn't have any food, but the guys had coffee and I had a diet coke. Then we wandered the outdoor market for a little while, and got some pastries at a little bakery. We ate them next to the bikes, then continued on our way.
Out on the slab, the European drivers are much more careful about keeping right except to pass. Probably because even when there are speed limits, there are still cars driving at 120+ mph in the left lane, and they close with a frighteningly high rate of speed. We were not the fastest thing on the road, but we were going much faster than I am used to going in the USA, frequently exceeding 100 mph. This is kind of tiring, actually. I think if I really wanted to cover ground in that environment, over a long period, I'd pace myself by choosing a slightly lower speed, one that I could maintain all day without getting worn out.
We crossed into Belgium, which is very flat. The slab was just starting to get dull when suddenly the traffic ground to a halt. We split lanes for miles, until we got to the front of the traffic jam, which turned out to be caused by the fact that the freeway was closed and everyone was being diverted down an exit onto another freeway that led in the wrong direction. We exited a few miles down and tried to find our way over the local roads. This offered a nice tour of several Belgian villages, which are neat and tightly packed, with lots of bicyclists. I noted that there are bus stops everywhere, even in the country, and they are served by enough busses that the public transit is probably useful, unlike ours. Which is good because if, like the USA, pretty much every adult had a car, they wouldn't be able to park them all; things are too close together.
Eventually we got back to the correct highway, and into Germany. S had a GPS and had put in the coordinates of where we were going. He tried to lead us off the autobahn at the correct exit, but Robert didn't notice so he blew past and kept going. I decided it was better to follow Robert even though it was the wrong way, so we wouldn't get separated. In the process of dealing with this, S almost ran headlong into a slow moving trailer full of bricks. But somehow, catastrophe was avoided, and eventually we caught Robert and brought him back to the exit.
Once we left the autobahn, the roads were beautiful, winding through the forest, then a village with steep, narrow streets, then more forest, and finally we arrived at the hotel, where we met Irena and Trond, the couple from Norway. The guy arranging the trip, Igor, joined us a short while later, and Zeljko arrived a little after that. Igor and Zeljko are both Croatians living in Germany.
The hotel is a lovely old place tucked into the forested hillside. There's an observation tower at the top of the hill, and you can see downtown Frankfurt from it. My room was small and white and clean, with a single twin bed and a private bath. Through the lace curtains I could see big trees and a pretty old frame house across the street, with lots of gables and fancy woodwork. Lovely! The bedding was different than I am used to - there was no top sheet, instead it had a small duvet with a removable cover.
After our walk up the hill to look out from the tower, we returned to the hotel and had a meeting to discuss riding together. After some discussion a compromise travel speed of 130kph was chosen for the autobahns. Irena and Trond thought it was still too fast and the others thought it was too slow. My comfort zone was in the middle, so the compromise suited me just fine. Igor said we had a lot of ground to cover, so we would start early and there would be no lunch.
