Living in GK? Buy a bike.

Regardless of the gloomy weather, the GK area is the bicycle-friendliest places I’ve ever lived.  So, if you’re thinking of coming over here, bring your bicycle, and if you are here and don’t have one, start looking through the Sunday paper for some good deals (Real is a decent place to start looking).  Biking here is amazing.

I was told that you can bike all of Germany almost entirely on farm roads and really, after living there, I can believe it.  In the Netherlands, it’s so bike friendly, it’s almost dangerous to walk.  Really, watch your step or you’ll hear about it.  I’ve never heard Dutch spoken angrier than when stepping into a bike lane.

So, get your bike and head out.  The Teverner Heide is lovely, the farm roads are fantastic, and there’s so much beyond. 

To help plan your local outing, check out this site:  http://www.radroutenplaner.nrw.de/RRP_karte_02_en.html

Throw your bike in the back of the car and check these out!

1. Kinderdijk – go there with or without your bicycle, but you’ll see more with.  2 hours from GK.  http://livingingk.blogspot.com/2008/07/kinderdijk-nl-19-windmills.html
2. Salzburg like Frau Maria?  http://livingingk.blogspot.com/2009/05/bike-tours-salzburg.html
3. Tour 4 major cities by bike:  http://livingingk.blogspot.com/2009/05/bike-tours.html
4. Happy Mosel – a must do while you’re stationed in the Tri-Border.  http://livingingk.blogspot.com/2009/03/happy-mosel-bicycling-mosel-river.html

Happy Mosel: Bicycling the Mosel River

This year the festival will be held on 30 May. For details and maps see the website below. It’s in German, but with a bit of hit and miss, you can find everything you need.

Courtesy of the American Spouses of Brunssum Travel Information Guide

We experienced this day and it was a lot of fun. A couple of tips for kids bring water and snacks and sunscreen. If you have a young child that is not use to riding consider getting the attachment for your bike so you can tow them behind when they get tired. Our kids’ ages 9,8,7 did fine on their own bikes. Our 4 year old, though, it would have been nice to have the attachment. The food and festivities were a lot of fun. You can also consider roller-blading or walking if you don’t have bikes.

More information: http://www.happy-mosel.com/

Courtesy of www.tompgalvin.com/features/happymosel.htm

“Each year, the Mosel River Valley enjoys a late spring festival to celebrate the beginning of the new crop of grapes and the fine weather. On one Sunday in June, from mid-morning until early evening, a one hundred mile stretch of road from Cochem to Trier is closed to vehicle traffic, and restricted to cyclists and pedestrians.

This is known as the “Happy Mosel“, and is a wonderful way to enjoy the Mosel Valley. Essentially, the ‘Happy Mosel‘ is a day of town-hopping up and down the Mosel. Spread apart every three to six kilometers is a little (or big) town at a river bend, surrounded breathtakingly by tall cliffs with vineyards. The shot above of Ediger is just an example.

Each town has booths set up in its marketplace where one can sample the local wines for only a € apiece. The sample glasses (only .1 liter) are souvenir items, bearing the winery’s name and location. If one paces oneself, one can readily collect a stack of such glasses over the course of the full day. Of course, there is far more than just wine available. Bratwurst stands are everywhere, as are backerei and konditorei, coffee tents, and other eateries. Some towns have a local specialty that is offered very cheap (such as sautéed mushrooms with a garlic dill cream sauce — mmmmmmm!)

Also available are bike service stations in case you run into trouble and road side medics. This is an extremely well-organized event, which makes it that much more enjoyable! Because of the long distance, even with several thousand participants, the roads are not overly crowded. My group found that we could easily go at our own pace. Whole families were participating — from kids to senior citizens. It is one of the most enjoyable events around, and if you are in southwest Germany next June, give it a try!”

Kinderdijk, NL – 19 windmills

One must see location in Holland. There is no reason to miss this.  If your winter is cold enough to freeze this ice, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to skate this and many other canals in Holland.  This is the silver lining in overly cold winter.

Kinderdijk is a small town south of Amsterdam by about an hour, directly south of Gouda and near Rotterdam. It’s an easy stop on the way home from the North Holland area and a must stop before you leave this region.

With 19 beautifully preserved old windmills, many in use and lived in, and one that you can tour, the photo opportunities are endless. You can do the quick drive-by and snap a few photos, or you can stay all day. Rent a bicycle at Anmadis and bike all around the vast trails around the windmills and canals or take a canal ride. Bring a picnic. Or, in the winter if it’s iced over hard enough, bring ice skates.

The Kinderdijk windmill area itself with the windmills, wildlife, and trails is open 24/7 all year long in all seasons and is free. Parking will cost a nominal fee. Bike rentals are souvenirs are available.

Do keep in mind that only one windmill is open for tourists. People live and have families in these windmills, so be respectful of their space. They are used to tourists and the trails are for everyone, but don’t go walking up to the windmills and peeking in windows. Many are occupied. The great part of that is that if you are lucky, you may catch them either “turning on” or “turning off” the turning blades by climbing up the ladder-like structure and either putting on the “sail” or carefully rolling it up. It’s really neat to see.

http://kinderdijk.nl

The history, a map, and all the information that you need is provided on the website just above. We stopped here on the way back from Gouda (38 min North) one time and will definitely go back.

GPS folks: Don’t be surprised if you hear, “In 500 meters, board ferry.” Some routes require this. The ferry is not expensive.

GPS address (found on the Kinderdijk website):
Molenstraat 236
Kinderdijk, 2961, N

Anmadis (bike rental spot) — Molenstraat 236
Bike rental prices:
1 hour = 2.50E
2 hours = 4E
all day = 8E

Bike Tours

Reader Recommendation…

One reader enjoyed her bike tour of Versaille so much that she was kind enough to pass along her recommendation for Fat Tire Bike Tours! An American owned and run company with tours in English, these bike tours are available in Paris, London, Berlin, and Barcelona! What a great way to see a city!

Child friendly, Fat Tire Bike tours have child seats, child trailers, and helmets available at no extra charge and have a discounted youth rate for children big enough to ride on their own!

http://fattirebiketours.com
http://fattirebiketours.com/paris

http://fattirebiketours.com/barcelona
http://fattirebiketours.com/berlin
http://fattirebiketours.com/london