20th Anniversary European Bike Adventure Day 7: Groningen to Leer to Bremen to Hamburg
Day 7 promised to be a really, really long day.
As I started to write this, I figured I would start with breakfast. But I had no photos of breakfast, and my first GoPro video was of us leaving town. Did we even eat breakfast in Groningen?! And if so, WHY DID I NOT PHOTOGRAPH IT?! It's like I don't even know myself anymore.
Matt reminded me we walked over to a little cafe attached to a boutique hotel, and we tried to both get waffles, but they only had enough ingredients for one set, so he got waffles and I got pancakes. Why I didn't photograph this is beyond me.
After breakfast we hit the road. Our first mission for the day: Leave the Netherlands.
Things started out quiet. The first few miles were through the outskirts of Groningen. Lots of industry and shipyards. Not particularly beautiful or naturey, but rather interesting to view from over on our nice fietspad.
Eventually we get out of the industrial part, through the 'burbs, and then into some rural space. We cross a bridge. We turn onto a somewhat gravelly path. And then we get on a path that winds under a highway. What follows is a story told in three videos:
Oh, this is a cute little path. So scenic. So narrow. Adventure!
Leading directly into.. our first (AND THANKFULLY ONLY) flat tire. This was not a fun time.
The plowed path was terrible. I was fishtailing all over the place, and there was no way to avoid the sharp rocks. We actually rode by the plow that was working on this road. Ironically the road is being made into a really nice bike path. But the process to get it there was not at all kind to bikes. And so suddenly the sound of air quickly vacating a tire, and a sad walk of shame to the end of that road. It wasn't any more fun to walk on than ride on, really.
The plowed path was terrible. I was fishtailing all over the place, and there was no way to avoid the sharp rocks. We actually rode by the plow that was working on this road. Ironically the road is being made into a really nice bike path. But the process to get it there was not at all kind to bikes. And so suddenly the sound of air quickly vacating a tire, and a sad walk of shame to the end of that road. It wasn't any more fun to walk on than ride on, really.
Rear tire, of course.
I had this fear that we would get to the gate where it APPEARED the dirt road ended, and.. it would just continue on dirt and terrible. But fortunately at the gate, the real road resumed. And Matt was able to change the tube in his tire successfully, and we got back on the road.
I had this fear that we would get to the gate where it APPEARED the dirt road ended, and.. it would just continue on dirt and terrible. But fortunately at the gate, the real road resumed. And Matt was able to change the tube in his tire successfully, and we got back on the road.
While Matt was changing his tire, a guy in a suit rides his bike by the other way. On that terrible road. Like it was just a normal paved road. Like he just commutes to work on this terrible, flat-causing road every day. In a suit. In the middle of nowhere.
We were both annoyed and frustrated by all of this, and so before we headed out I broke out some of our snacks for the first time. I'd stashed a few protein bars and some Clif Bloks in my handlebar bag, in case of emergencies. We were both getting hangry after this setback and delay, so we split some orange CliffBlocks as we got back on the road. There are few problems that food can't solve.
We were both annoyed and frustrated by all of this, and so before we headed out I broke out some of our snacks for the first time. I'd stashed a few protein bars and some Clif Bloks in my handlebar bag, in case of emergencies. We were both getting hangry after this setback and delay, so we split some orange CliffBlocks as we got back on the road. There are few problems that food can't solve.
Back on a real road!
The CliffBlocks didn't really stave off the hangry for very long, and the towns we were riding through seemed to be all residential, no food places, so we decided instead of riding ourselves into the ground and getting ever more annoyed with everything, we'd stop and have a little picnic on the side of the road, and take in some practical, necessary calories.
The CliffBlocks didn't really stave off the hangry for very long, and the towns we were riding through seemed to be all residential, no food places, so we decided instead of riding ourselves into the ground and getting ever more annoyed with everything, we'd stop and have a little picnic on the side of the road, and take in some practical, necessary calories.
Some days it's delicious items from the chef's menu. Some days it's a protein bar on the side of the road.
At this point we knew we were close to the Netherlands/Germany border. We just really had no idea exactly where it was. We.. may have had a couple false starts.
At this point we knew we were close to the Netherlands/Germany border. We just really had no idea exactly where it was. We.. may have had a couple false starts.
Ultimately there was no "you are entering Germany!" moment. But there was a bridge with a little informative sign about the local fauna. On one side was a sign in Dutch. On the other side of the bridge was a sign in German. We figured.. that bridge was probably the border. Or at least we decided it was.
Crossing into Germany! Probably!
And so we rode from one end of the Netherlands to the other! Across a country!
And so we rode from one end of the Netherlands to the other! Across a country!
Sorta kinda roughly that blue line!
We really had no idea if we had left the Netherlands, honestly, so when we rode by a guy walking his dog on the path, I boldly and confidently brandished my German minor from college, and yelled, "Sind wir jetzt in Deutschland?" (Which I was hoping meant "Are we in Germany now?" And it must have been close enough, because he yelled back, "Ja, ihr seid in Deutschland!" Confirmed!
(Couple notes here: I have never done anything boldly and confidently in a foreign language, despite being a Russian major, German minor. That was a lie. I basically spent the time from the bridge crossing until we came across that guy crafting that sentence in my head, analyzing it, repeating it over and over, and then cringing as I yelled it out to the guy. Also I was super excited that the guy used the plural 'you', because I feel like I never get to use that in other languages. It's like the German "y'all". Anyway, I digress.)
Yay, we made it to Germany! We celebrated by stopping at the first town we came to and getting some pastries in a German bakery.
And some coffee. Several coffees. I don't drink coffee, but our first real interaction with a German citizen proved that English wasn't quite as prolific in rural Germany as it was in urban Netherlands, and there may have been some miscommunication when we ordered.
We really had no idea if we had left the Netherlands, honestly, so when we rode by a guy walking his dog on the path, I boldly and confidently brandished my German minor from college, and yelled, "Sind wir jetzt in Deutschland?" (Which I was hoping meant "Are we in Germany now?" And it must have been close enough, because he yelled back, "Ja, ihr seid in Deutschland!" Confirmed!
(Couple notes here: I have never done anything boldly and confidently in a foreign language, despite being a Russian major, German minor. That was a lie. I basically spent the time from the bridge crossing until we came across that guy crafting that sentence in my head, analyzing it, repeating it over and over, and then cringing as I yelled it out to the guy. Also I was super excited that the guy used the plural 'you', because I feel like I never get to use that in other languages. It's like the German "y'all". Anyway, I digress.)
Yay, we made it to Germany! We celebrated by stopping at the first town we came to and getting some pastries in a German bakery.
And some coffee. Several coffees. I don't drink coffee, but our first real interaction with a German citizen proved that English wasn't quite as prolific in rural Germany as it was in urban Netherlands, and there may have been some miscommunication when we ordered.
Mmm. Gross.
And hell, I needed caffeine anyway, so I drank maybe half of mine, then made Matt drink the rest. ("Made." Nobody has ever had to force coffee on Matt.)
Back on the road, and if I recall correctly (doubtful), this may be where we actually experienced our first Wind. I mean, there had been wind this whole time, but it had been blessedly and wonderfully at our backs pretty much the entire time, giving us a little shove along. As we rode toward Leer, we got our first strong cross and head winds, which I did NOT welcome. I do not like wind. No sir. I'll take hills over wind any day.
But we also got to enjoy this giant bicycle sculpture! I don't know why it was there. I'm sure those signs next to me explain why. I didn't care. I just wanted to enjoy a giant bicycle.
Another side note: As we were riding up to the giant bicycle, a big bike tour was leaving. This was the only bike tour we saw, that I can recall, and we knew it was a tour because they were all wearing identical, branded, high-vis vests. I'm sure they were having fun, and I'm sure they were happy that if they got tired, they could just summon up their van and jump in to be driven to the next checkpoint. But it made me really happy that we were on our own, doing whatever we wanted on our own schedule, wearing whatever we wanted. Which.. yes, just happened to be a high-vis vest, sure, but still.
From there, we rode through a series of little picturesque German towns until we got to our destination: Leer.
And hell, I needed caffeine anyway, so I drank maybe half of mine, then made Matt drink the rest. ("Made." Nobody has ever had to force coffee on Matt.)
Back on the road, and if I recall correctly (doubtful), this may be where we actually experienced our first Wind. I mean, there had been wind this whole time, but it had been blessedly and wonderfully at our backs pretty much the entire time, giving us a little shove along. As we rode toward Leer, we got our first strong cross and head winds, which I did NOT welcome. I do not like wind. No sir. I'll take hills over wind any day.
But we also got to enjoy this giant bicycle sculpture! I don't know why it was there. I'm sure those signs next to me explain why. I didn't care. I just wanted to enjoy a giant bicycle.
Another side note: As we were riding up to the giant bicycle, a big bike tour was leaving. This was the only bike tour we saw, that I can recall, and we knew it was a tour because they were all wearing identical, branded, high-vis vests. I'm sure they were having fun, and I'm sure they were happy that if they got tired, they could just summon up their van and jump in to be driven to the next checkpoint. But it made me really happy that we were on our own, doing whatever we wanted on our own schedule, wearing whatever we wanted. Which.. yes, just happened to be a high-vis vest, sure, but still.
From there, we rode through a series of little picturesque German towns until we got to our destination: Leer.
All these little towns looked like movie sets. And were full of little old German couples riding their touring bikes with their panniers all loaded up down the cobblestone streets, like perfect little movie extras.
And then we were in Leer, Germany! The endpoint for our day 7 ride!
At this point it is 3pm and we have ridden 47 miles, including a very frustrating flat tire. We haven't had a real meal since 9am.
Have you ever watched Amazing Race? I feel like it was the end of a leg, we finally got to the finish line, we ran up to Phil standing on the mat, but instead of being told we won the leg.. he tells us that we're still racing. One of those sneaky two-part legs, when you're already exhausted and used it all to get to what you thought was the finish line.
Except we'd known better. But just like Amazing Race, our next step involved a lot of sketchy travel.
Our first mission was to find the train station and pick up our tickets for the next few legs of our journey.
And then we were in Leer, Germany! The endpoint for our day 7 ride!
At this point it is 3pm and we have ridden 47 miles, including a very frustrating flat tire. We haven't had a real meal since 9am.
Have you ever watched Amazing Race? I feel like it was the end of a leg, we finally got to the finish line, we ran up to Phil standing on the mat, but instead of being told we won the leg.. he tells us that we're still racing. One of those sneaky two-part legs, when you're already exhausted and used it all to get to what you thought was the finish line.
Except we'd known better. But just like Amazing Race, our next step involved a lot of sketchy travel.
Our first mission was to find the train station and pick up our tickets for the next few legs of our journey.
Mission Accomplished!
Now we had 4.5 hours to kill, while we waited for our 8:41pm train from Leer to Bremen.
Next order of business: DINNER. So hungry.
Now we had 4.5 hours to kill, while we waited for our 8:41pm train from Leer to Bremen.
Next order of business: DINNER. So hungry.
Another encounter with some folks who spoke no English! This time young folks, working in the restaurant. I remembered how to say "menu" and "outside" in German. I was both excited that I could use my German, and excited to be leaving Germany soon so that I wouldn't be so plagued by language-production anxiety.
We lingered on their patio for a long time, killing time, drinking caffeine, and finally uploading photos from the day, since this was the first wifi we'd had since we left our airbnb. (Maybe that's why I didn't take pictures of breakfast? There was no wifi there, and no wifi at the German bakery. Perhaps even more tragic than our flat tire.)
Eventually we wandered over to the train station to kill time there.
We lingered on their patio for a long time, killing time, drinking caffeine, and finally uploading photos from the day, since this was the first wifi we'd had since we left our airbnb. (Maybe that's why I didn't take pictures of breakfast? There was no wifi there, and no wifi at the German bakery. Perhaps even more tragic than our flat tire.)
Eventually we wandered over to the train station to kill time there.
Matt knows how to kill time efficiently and locally.
Finally the train arrived, and it was time to stress out about bikes on public transportation again! Except.. this public transportation actually had space specifically for bikes. It was amazing, after our earlier experiences cramming ourselves into corners.
Finally the train arrived, and it was time to stress out about bikes on public transportation again! Except.. this public transportation actually had space specifically for bikes. It was amazing, after our earlier experiences cramming ourselves into corners.
Our bikes were secure and safe! We could sit!
The train from Leer to Bremen was about 90 minutes, and went quicker because we met THIS fellow.
This guy was 85 years old, and regularly terrifies his family by going out on solo tours in various countries. His stories were fun and amazing, and we totally want to be him when we grow up. Other than the part where he started bike touring when his wife died 20 years ago. I'd like to skip that part.
When we got to Bremen, we were supposed to have ~15 minutes before our train left for Hamburg. We were a little stressed about having to figure out where to catch the Hamburg train in only 15 minutes (everything takes longer with loaded down bikes, especially getting onto and off of trains, and navigating train stations and elevators), so we weren't too upset when the Bremen train told us that the Hamburg train was a little delayed.
Fortunately we managed to switch to the Hamburg train with no problems, although our bike lodging was a bit downgraded on this train.
The train from Leer to Bremen was about 90 minutes, and went quicker because we met THIS fellow.
This guy was 85 years old, and regularly terrifies his family by going out on solo tours in various countries. His stories were fun and amazing, and we totally want to be him when we grow up. Other than the part where he started bike touring when his wife died 20 years ago. I'd like to skip that part.
When we got to Bremen, we were supposed to have ~15 minutes before our train left for Hamburg. We were a little stressed about having to figure out where to catch the Hamburg train in only 15 minutes (everything takes longer with loaded down bikes, especially getting onto and off of trains, and navigating train stations and elevators), so we weren't too upset when the Bremen train told us that the Hamburg train was a little delayed.
Fortunately we managed to switch to the Hamburg train with no problems, although our bike lodging was a bit downgraded on this train.
We probably SHOULD have taken off our bags, but both bikes JUST barely fit in there, with a not-insignificant amount of shoving.
From Bremen to Hamburg was just shy of an hour, and we were both pretty done at that point. Tired. The sun had gone down, so we couldn't look out the windows anymore. We didn't have wifi on this train. We just wanted to sleep. But we still hadn't reached the finish line.
Little bike in a very big train station.
We arrived at the Hamburg Station around 11:30pm. Exhausted. But still not done.
Next we had to get on a bus that would take us on a 5 hour drive to Copenhagen. But first we had to find the bus station.
And that basically takes us to midnight, which is the end of day 7, so.. to be continued on day 8!
Total miles for day 7: 46.82 miles of riding from Groningen, Netherlands to Leer, Germany (plus lots more train miles from Leer to Hamburg)
We arrived at the Hamburg Station around 11:30pm. Exhausted. But still not done.
Next we had to get on a bus that would take us on a 5 hour drive to Copenhagen. But first we had to find the bus station.
And that basically takes us to midnight, which is the end of day 7, so.. to be continued on day 8!
Total miles for day 7: 46.82 miles of riding from Groningen, Netherlands to Leer, Germany (plus lots more train miles from Leer to Hamburg)
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