22/10/24
We didn’t have to check out till 12, and though we were tempted to stay later it seemed more sensible to get some miles under our belt earlier rather than later. Another huge dose of caffeine and a little bit of packing faff later and we were tearing up the wet tarmac.
Today’s journey promised to be good on paper as we were to be visiting the Zonse Grind. This was a Naturschutzgebiet or a nature reserve. This would be a welcome change from the soul destroying industrial plants and towns that we had endured since Duisburg. We crossed a bridge that loomed out of the fog menacingly. Every crossing of the Rhein is clearly an important artery and despite having a clear and physically segregated cycle lane it was impossible not to feel vulnerable.
We cruised through villages and down cycle paths waiting for the Sun to deliver delicious rays of warmth that we had missed for a day too long. Soon we arrived at the turning for the Naturschutzgebiet. Though not entirely clear, there are signs for the nature reserves in many places but it’s never clear where they start or end. It’s far worse to be caught camping in the protected areas so it would be nice to know!
The Sun came out and blessed us with warmth. It was a glorious feeling especially when flying down empty roads towards the Zonse Grind. We saw buzzards and heard unfamiliar bird calls but sadly we didn’t see a stone owl which are their local treasure.
Once in the Zonse we stopped for breakfast with the quietest view we’d had so far. Most of the Rhein is heavily populated. Even still a couple of older ladies came past on their e-bikes, proclaiming the mud to be rather bad the way we were about to go.
That’s the thing on the Rhein, all the people are biking, a lot. They all love to cycle. It’s not just for commuting in the city. Or for MAMIL’s. It’s everyone. They all go for rides in their free time. To go get a coffee or a drink. Or just have a chat. It’s a deeply engrained part of their culture. We thought that after leaving the Netherlands and their flatlands of cycle heaven that Germany would be different. But it isn’t at all, it’s arguably better.
While there are more cycle lanes in the Netherlands, in Germany the drivers are kinder. They give way as though every roundabout is a Dutch roundabout. They apprehend your every move and give you huge amounts of clearance when they’re passing. And if they can’t: 99% just don’t pass, they wait funnily enough. The point is that everyone likes to argue you need infrastructure for people to start cycling or for cyclists to be safe. But it’s bollocks, you need to instil a culture of cycling, everyone cycles here so they all act as though it’s them or their child on the road.
We started down the soon to be muddy track and it did get muddy. More and more so. Nothing unmanageable, even with the black surly’s pitiful tyres. We had to walk a couple of sections but only because we were still learning our capabilities while fully laden.
Out the other side and we were back on glorious tarmac. Smooth and sunny rolling all the way into Köln. As we got close there was yet another “Umleitung”, a diversion, always where there is a big overpass you’re going under. We got chucked onto the street for a bit and accidentally crossed a bridge over the Rhein. We then had to cross back further up river. It was a bit stressful and hot in the sunshine even though the bridge had a perfect wide segregated cycle path.
Köln was magnificent. The cathedral rose out of the city and had this lovely hauptbahnhof right next to it. We couldn’t go in though, a downside of the bikes. There was even a balcony we were hankering to get the view from. We perused the streets for a while, even finding a semi-vegan Persian restaurant!
We were staying with a couple called Tim and Ulli this evening. They lived further out of the city but it was easy to find them due to the spider like construction of roads in Köln.
We arrived around 5 and Tim greeted us downstairs. They had a first floor flat and initially we were concerned about where to put the bikes, but there was a bike park in the basement. The whole building was very clean and tidy. Their house was large and equally clean. Well they had children, so there were some toys around but it was still very clean.
Tim and Ulli were kind enough to make a vegan meal for us for dinner, a vegetable curry in fact. We both put away two bowl fulls, it was very tasty. We discussed a wide variety of topics from their own biking adventures to how census data is collected. Their touring experience was vast and it was nice to hear about their journeys around the world if not a little daunting. They’d even taken their children (aged 2 & 6) to South America last year on a tour.
It was probably a little too late by the time we went to bed. Almost midnight. We knew it would hurt the next day but it felt worthwhile to meet such very different people and get a better understanding of how they saw the world.
Surly They Won't Make It 