solo cycling travel – An Idiot Broad Abroad

Day 25: Luxembourg to Esch-sur-Sûre

Sûre I know where I am.

Actually, there was a moment today when I walked into a gas station and couldn’t remember where I was and what language to attempt to poorly communicate in.

Anyway, the map tells me I am in Esch-sur-Sûre, Luxembourg. Here is how I made it:

The dawn broke as it always does and I was to live another day. The first day of the rest of my life. What excitement!

Breakfast at my hotel in Luxembourg was lux. Stolen sandwiches, check. Packed and on the road before 10 am, check. Complete and utter breakdown when I realize my pannier rack was detached on one side, check and check.

I was already planning to head to the bike shop for 10 am when it opened. The issue now was getting there with a bum rack. I didn’t have far to go – maybe 2 km – so I tried to gingerly attach the panniers and ride. I didn’t get too far before I couldn’t handle the sound of metal on metal, pannier rack on chain ring.

I stopped and took the pannier off the affected side. First, I tried resting the pannier on top of the rack, knowing it wouldn’t work, but just to give it a whirl. Obviously, it fell off immediately.

Next, I tried slinging the bag over my shoulder like a purse. This ended perilously. The bag slung from it’s resting place on my back into the path of my pedalling right knee and I had to stop, try not to fall, and reassess.

I would have to sling the bag across my body like a messenger bag and secure it tightly. This led to slightly choking myself the remainder of the ride. I didn’t think it would be much of an issue, but as I was nearing the shop it really wasn’t pleasant to be mildly strangled – surprising as I have heard otherwise from some…

Anyways, that was the point when I went through a slow-motion fall on the side walk next to a busy road. The pannier that was still attached flew off going over a bump, I slowed to a stop, the pannier over my shoulder swung abruptly and the bike was going down, down, down – but it all happened in slow motion and was extremely awkward. The stopped traffic watching this all happen must have been entertained.

I walked the remaining 200 m to the shop and talked to an employee. And by talk, I mean gesticulate wildly and try to communicate the issue. He understood well enough and readied to insert a new bolt into the problematic hole. However, he enlightened me to the fact that the previous bolt was actually still inside the frame, but the head had been sheared off and what remained was stuck. No way to get it out. Now there was a mild panic. Surface level, I remained somewhat calm.

He suggested putting a different rack on that didn’t connect with the frame in the same place. That wouldn’t work because it could only support 20 lbs. My panniers, full of god knows what, are way heavier. Next, he brought out some zap straps. He seemed to be seriously considering how to attach them and then managed to say, the problem is, they are a bit flimsy – yea dude! Oh well, he was trying.

I thought maybe if I could take it to a hardware store they could use some power tools to get the bolt out. I told him and he suggested a different bike shop that was closer that might have the expertise. Phew. I asked if I could leave my bags there and rode over to the other store.

Luckily, the guy working at bike shop number two seemed to think he could either handle it or provide a different solution. Only issue – it wouldn’t be done until the end of the day. No matter, as long as the bike got sorted. I left it there and walked back to the first shop where my bags were.

I asked if they didn’t mind if I left my panniers there for the day because I didn’t want to schlep them around with me all afternoon. No problem! I was mildly questioning my trust in random shopkeepers, but at that point I didn’t really care anymore.

I took the bus, still wearing – and sweating in considerably – my full spandex cycling get-up, to the city centre. The only silver lining of the day is that I could go to the National History and Art Museum, which was closed yesterday. It was an overwhelming display. I had to take a lunch break halfway through my visit. And it was free for students! Yes, I am definitely milking my nearly expired student card. Thanks, UBC!

After the museum, the thought occurred to me that if my bike was ready in the late afternoon I could take the train most of the way to my destination. It had been a long and trying day already and I didn’t know if I could handle a big ride into the evening hours.

So, I went to the central station and asked about taking the train in Luxembourg with a bike. No reservations, no extra charge – great! Only issue – no trains, at all, going in my direction for the next two to three days. Temporarily replaced by bus. Hmm – okay, can I take my bike on the bus? Yes. Great! But only if there is space. Hmm, again. I left and made my way back to bike shop number one pondering my options.

I picked up my panniers and then took the bus to bike shop number two. I hadn’t received a call from the guy at the shop yet, but I also had literally nothing else to do, so I alternated between sitting in the entry area and loitering around the store. I received a phone call from him at about 4:45 pm telling me the bike was fixed and that he would see me soon! He had no idea how soon.

I dawdled a little and used their bathroom before heading over to the service area approximately four minutes later. I was super close when you called, I said. Anyways, the bike was fixed! After some lost in translation dealings over tire pressure and my lock, I was on my way. I don’t know what happened with my lock today but I must have left it somewhere, so I had to buy a new one. Cool.

I decided to give the bus a shot and rode my mended bike, beautifully, to the main station. I got on a bus within 5 minutes and the bus employees were handing out bottles of water because of the heat.

The bus ride was pretty brutal due to rush hour traffic, but we made it eventually to Ettelbruck. The ride from there to my final destination was 18 km and 1 hour and 24 minutes according to Google maps. The terrain looked rather hilly. It was. Joy.

I won’t go into vivid detail about it, but I really was not surprised that the remaining ride would be hellish after the day I had.

When I reached Esch-sur-Sûre there was one final climb up to my hotel. The surroundings were glorious though. The town is deep inside a small green pocket of dense forest with a river encircling it. I arrived near 8 pm when the sun was casting a soft evening glow.

The hotel is called Gourmet and Relax Hotel… so I thought this was it, I would finally be able to relax after a hectic day. Little did I know I was walking into a modern day Fawlty Towers. The evening has been too comical to even be properly angry about.

The matron who checked me in was beside herself because it was clearly the evening dinner rush. She did her best to kindly check me in, while curtly ordering around the bellboy. He appeared to have no idea where my room actually was when he was trying to lead me to it. Once we had doubled back once or twice he found the correct hall and proceeded to try to unlock the door to room 1. I was staying in room 2.

Next, dinner: Since it was already quite late and a town this small surely didn’t have many options, I opted to dine at the hotel. Further Fawlty Towers moments ensued.

The bellboy made a reappearance during this scene in his main role as bread basket deliverer. There were only two waiters plus him and there was a clear hierarchy. The top dog took the orders and then relayed table setting and delivery instructions to the middle man. The middle man then pointed out to bellboy where to take bread. The whole operation was utterly inefficient and hilarious. I was so hungry it was almost hard to appreciate, but nonetheless amazing.

The icing on the cake is that I need to vacate my room by 8:30 tomorrow morning or I will be charged for tomorrow night as well. I guess I should set my alarm for 4 am to make sure I am through the breakfast service in time for check-out and to hit the road – direction: St. Vith, Belgium!

COTD: Cow of the day

Day 20: Colmar to Strasbourg

I slept in a little and had a petit dejeuner in Colmar before heading out (because my apartment did not include breakfast). I had to search quite a bit to find an adequate breakfast spot, which was surprising. I thought the French were famous for pastries for god sake?!

Today’s ride was glorious. I was riding next to a canal for about 98% of the time. Mostly on the Eurovelo route 15 again. This follows the Canal du Rhône au Rhin, which I just learned (when Googling how to spell it) is one of the most important watershed canals of the French waterways, connecting the Rhine to the Saône and the Rhône and thereby the North Sea and the Mediterranean. Most of the route was dedicated and paved bike path! Lovely.

There were plenty of other cyclists on the route. My face was pressed into a permanent smile – both from enjoyment of the route and smiling and nodding at other cyclists!

The only, slight, downside with the canal side ride is that it didn’t pass through any towns. I didn’t have any lunch packed so I had to try my luck going into a nearby town slightly out of the way. A quick phone check showed that there was a restaurant about 11 km away from where I was and, miraculously, it said it was open. The time was nearing 2 pm which is basically the cut off time for feeding in France. If you don’t find yourself near a restaurant between 12 and 2 pm, you will likely go without food until they reopen for dinner around 7.

I was legging it to the town with the restaurant and, surprise surprise, when I arrive it is “closed.” I say this with quotes because there were locals sitting in the outdoor area drinking beers when I got there, but a server came out and explained that they were indeed closed – even though it was a full half hour before their website said they closed at 2 pm.

Ah well, luckily I had noticed a patisserie not far back. I made my way there and then tried to decipher the sandwich options. The woman working there was kind enough to explain to me what each and every sandwich contained. When she had trouble translating, she was so helpful as to actually open each sandwich wrapping, open the sandwich itself, and then poke through the ingredients with her fingers. Exceptional customer service, if a might concerning in terms of hygiene in a food dispensing business. After her explanations I felt I had about the same level of knowledge of what was in the sandwiches as before, so I just picked one at random. It was good.

Finally, I made it to Strasbourg and to my hotel. This hotel is run by a company called “Happy People.” I was a little concerned when I recieved their welcome email yesterday:

“We are happy and impatient to welcome you to this hybrid place where a unifying spirit reigns for the great tribes, the travellers but also the residents”

I considered cancelling but I had already paid a non-refundable deposit. When I arrived I was pleased to find it was actually quite normal and comfortable. However, there was an issue of where to store my bike overnight and the hotel deskman was anything but happy to make the exceptional allowance to keep my bike inside the hotel. I guess he forgot to drink his happy Kool-aid this morning.

I stashed my stuff, showered, and then hit the town. I visited the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. I did a little meander through the important sights in town. The Cathedral is highly ornate and stunning. I bought a chocolate milk. It was a nice afternoon.

Rodin (but not the original, at least I don’t THINK so)

This evening I will try to find something for dinner other than bread, cheese, and meat (which all I have been eating for what seems like two weeks straight) and I believe there is a free musical concert in the main square.

I am very excited to report that tomorrow I will be riding to a place called Bitche.

DOTD

Day 19: Basel to Colmar

I wish I had a better excuse for missing yesterday’s post, but unfortunately it just comes down to admission of laziness. I was pretty tired after the 100+ km ride to Basel the day before and then simply couldn’t bring myself to ‘brain’ last night once I arrived in Colmar.

France / Germany / Switzerland triple point!

I left Basel around 9 am and found my way easily enough to the Eurovelo route 15 (The Rhine Cycle Route). Most of the route was nicely paved, with an unoffencive gravel path along the canal. I am no longer having issues with my panniers flying off my bike at every slight bump! The secret: industrial garden hose tape. I purchased some sort of waterproof tape in Marseille and fixed it to the rear rack. Now the panniers fit perfectly! In fact, it is becoming a bit of an issue trying to get the things on now because it is such a good fit.

A cool moment of the day was when I passed over a bridge that marked the triple point between the borders of France, Germany, and Switzerland. I honestly wasn’t even sure which country I was in on the other side of the bridge. It wasn’t until I stopped to use a bathroom a little further along and heard the woman say, “bonjour” to me – okay, I am in France!

It was a minor travesty not to have a croissant with breakfast as I have become so accustomed to. How dare the hostel serve thirteen different bread varietals but no croissants? To make up for this I had a Swiss roll (pastry thing with chocolate chips and flan) when I stopped in Hombourg. It was delicious.

Most of the ride was weaving in and out of small French villages and admiring the old churches. I really liked one – somewhere I can’t remember – that was bright yellow. It was a pretty warm day and there were plenty of massive flying creatures to dodge. One almost entered my ear.

The final 15 km or so was along the road, which was fine. In some places there was a large shoulder – others, not so much. Generally the drivers here are pretty respectful. I arrived in Colmar around 2 pm and was shown into the apartment I was staying in. It was gorgeous! I put on the Tour de France and didn’t leave the horizontal position in my room for quite a while.

I ventured out with plans to do a self-guided walking tour only to find that I had left the guide map in my room. Luckily, Colmar is small and I just wandered aimlessly with nearly the same effect. As soon as I stepped outside I felt like I was on fire. It was bloody hot out. A block or two later I saw a sign telling me it was 30 degrees – at about 6 pm.

I tasted some local crémant d’Alsace at a cute wine tasting market. I wandered a little more and pondered further sustenance. I couldn’t really get my mind off the cool comfort of my apartment room so I ended up buying a few things at the supermarket and dining in.

I spent the evening lounging and neglecting my blog. Tomorrow’s ride was to take me to Strasbourg.

DOTD

Many dogs today!

The girl knew I was leering at her dogs…

Day 18: Zürich to Basel

With the alarm set for 7 am, it was no surprise that I stayed in bed snoozing until 8 am. Still, an 8 am wakeup and 9:30 departure isn’t too bad for my first day back on the bike in a week. I set off from Jackson’s place in Zürich with a long ride ahead of me to Basel.

I honestly didn’t have too much of a plan for the ride today. I had consulted with Jackson, checked out the Eurovelo routes, and also downloaded the Swiss Mobility App. It was already looking like the journey was going to be over 90 km if I took a direct line to Basel. I had to decide how far I wanted to tangent off course to make my way to the Rhine. I played it by ear as I went and aimed mainly northwest following the Swiss national and regional cycling routes. Their routes are well signed and I felt that I would have to try very hard to get lost.

The first issue of the day become imminent quite quickly. The first time I went to brake, my bike emitted the sound of a robot giving birth. It was an unbelievably high pitched metallic scream. I realized there was some rusty build up on my rear disc break from the beer spill and subsequent wash I had given it a few days earlier. I admit – I forgot to dry off the disc brake before leaving it in Jackson’s bike storage room for three days (I can picture the cringe on my father’s face).

The screeching carried on for about 5 to 10 km whenever I had a hard brake. I tried to favour the front brake to avoid scaring anyone I was coming up behind from soiling their pants. Then I got a bit worried if I had to keep doing this for 100 km I would do something very bad to the front brake. In the end, I was glad that the noise subsided.

It was a little challenging for me to navigate out of Zürich and get heading on the right bike path toward Basel. I found myself on the Swiss Mobility route 5, which included nicely paved smaller side roads. Later I was on route 56 and then route 2 (also Eurovelo route 6).

I stopped for coffee around 35 km into the ride in Baden. I had another wee break in Brugg, which was not far from Baden. I decided the next break milestone would be a town called Frick. I kept muttering to myself, “where the frick is Frick?!”

I don’t know why but I expected the ride to be flatter than it was. I am in Switzerland, the land of the Alps, after all. But it was still a bit of a shock when I would come to an abrupt, and violently steep, ascent. They never appeared to be as bad as they really were. I don’t know how steep they were, but I don’t think the Swiss followed any sort of reasonable transportation design guidelines when they decided that human beings could ride up these slopes. I saw a lot of electric bikes ridden by locals…

When I left Frick and made my way toward the Rhine I found most of the ride was on gravel path. It was fine, but my back tire was looking a little low and I felt a bit of a weight pulling at me. I figured it would be okay, but prepared myself mentally for the worst. Thinking through this, I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen my hand pump.

When I arrived at a cute little German style Swiss town called Rheinfelden I saw a bike shop and thanked my lucky stars. I went in and had my tires checked / filled. Even better was when I spotted the definite dog of the day outside the shop. See below!

The portion of the ride along the Rhine today was really neat because it was right along the border between Switzerland and Germany. In a couple of areas it would have been easy enough to cross a bridge or swim across and I’d be there! Gotta love that about Europe. Everything is so close compared to Canada!

Finally, I arrived in Basel and had a beer close to my hostel and a riverside bar. People there were sun tanning and swimming as well. It was a hot day.

After I checked into my hostel and took a shower I wandered around the small but beautiful city of Basel. There are many museums and galleries I would have been interested in, however, because of my late arrival nothing was really open. I saw the Basler Münster (some old church), the Rathaus (actually not a house for rats as I had assumed), and many a water fountain.

People flocked to the Rhine tonight because of the fab weather. I noticed people floating down the river with water proof / buoyant (?) bags strapped to themselves. It looked very refreshing and fun! Once the float down the Rhine was done there was plenty of space to have a picnic by the water and people watch. Many people brought food and drink, but there were also a few bars and restaurants along the way where one could purchase such things. I bought a beer and ate my leftover sandwich for dinner. No complaints!

I wandered home in a sun dazed trance and simply admired the architecture and the way the sun was reflecting off various surfaces and casting shadows on others. It is indeed a nice feeling not to have to think about much else.

Tomorrow the hostel begins serving breakfast at 6 am… motivation to get up early and get going before it is too hot? Hmm – not sure. Either way, I will head up the Rhine and then slightly west toward my destination of Colmar, France, tomorrow – about 60 km away I think.

DOTD

Switzerland is awesome because you can drink out of any of the water fountains – they spew potable water!

Also, dogs sometimes find themselves inside of them.