NORWAY- Prague, Tallinn, Nordkapp, fiords, Oslo

7-1-2019 Kristiansand, Norway Hi5 Apartments $105 143 miles

It was a light rain this morning. Yesterday I was told they wouldn't have the 8-9 breakfast here in the morning. My $12 breakfast would be in the cafe at the trailhead-up the switchbacks. I had planned to go to Oslo today. I would have taken the 12 pm ferry through the fjord. But I decided I've been in Norway long enough. I'm going to Kristiansand instead. From there I'll catch a ferry to Denmark. And I'm glad I hiked yesterday. From the trailhead the rain and cloud cover made it impossible to see 100 yards away.

The riding today was 100% rain. I saw a McDonald's in Kristiansand and used their WiFi to book this room. I had been to the ferry terminal and couldn't board the 4 pm sailing. It was full. So I booked for 8 am instead. $92 for the 3 hour crossing. They allowed me to pay with my remaining Kroners and a credit card combination.

Yep...you would be hoarse after falling screaming for 15 seconds!

I think this is a link to YouTube with some of my videos. I assume this is allowed on Advrider.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwLSdv2lE8qReNFxDkytQFw

2019-07-02 Esbjerg,Denmark CoCo's B&B $75 204 miles

I had to carry all my luggage out the front door. Then I had to walk around the block to the rear garage entrance. The door to the hotel garage staircase was key locked, where I entered yesterday. And many of these hotels are self service now. So there isn't a live body to help with problems. They email a code to open a box where your room key is.

I lined up to board the ferry with about 100 other vehicles. They are very efficient loading. And at 8 am we were sailing to Hirtshals, Denmark. At 11:15 I was riding off of the ferry.

I stopped to look at these statues in Esbjerg.I don't know what the story is behind them. They are called "Men at Sea". It was created for the 100th anniversary of the community.




While I was there, a truck load of kids came in. They were hooting and hollering and singing. Then another truck load drives by doing the same.


I went to a hostel in town and decided not to stay there. It was next to what looked like a college. I found a B&B just out of town. It's very nice.




When I left my room later I saw 2 empty trucks, similar to the ones I saw earlier. The owner told me it's a tradition for the graduates to celebrate like this for a couple days. So far, it's been very quiet around here.

2019-07-03 Lubeck,Germany Hotel Stadt Lubeck $88 201 miles

I was on the road at 9 am. I was in Luebeck at 12:30. Again, the Old Town is mostly surrounded by water. And parking is difficult in Old Town. I found a hotel a quarter mile outside. I had ridden around looking for a hotel. But now I could walk everywhere and see everything. And it is a great place to see. First I went through the main gate, the Holsten Gate. It was built in 1464.


And other entrance type structures.


I think this is Saint Petris Church.


The old Town Hall was big and beautiful.






And out back.


This is the Gothic Basilica Saint Mary. Originally built around 1260. It's 2 spires are over 400 feet high. The church was heavily damaged in WWII. But it has been restored.






And a $2 donation gets you inside.

Tower bells destroyed in 1942.


And other pictures I took.

I walked through the town this evening looking for a hotel for tomorrow in the Old Town. All were booked. On the way back to my hotel I found a restaurant that only served peanuts and beer. I stayed for a while, even though they only had peanuts for supper. I planned to stay for 2 nights. But after 2 long walks through the town today, I think I'll move on. But it was a great city to visit.

I took 2 of the 3 routes he suggested. Good stuff I would have missed. I had the time, and wish I had taken the 3rd route he suggested.

July,4 2019 Wolfsburg, Germany Alter Wolf Hotel $88 151 miles

I rode to Wolfsburg Germany today.A few places I passed on the way.




The big Volkswagen plant is there. And they have many buildings with cars on display. As I parked, I talked with a man returning to his motorcycle. I asked how it was. He said so,so. And he gave me an unused ticket for the campus of different pavilions. I bought an $8 ticket to tour the manufacturing facility. First you take a 5 minute boat ride to a dock. Then you board a shuttle that tours through the plant. No pictures allowed. The only tours that were remaining for the day were German. That worked for me. I didn't want to use another day to tour. The plant was similar to the Toyota plant I toured. A thousand robots moving sheet metal in and out of stamping dies.

After that tour I visited the pavilions for VW, Audi, Porsche, Bugatti, and Lamborghini. I my opinion the whole facility is a mess. They have a good size building with 5 or 6 cars in it.





Bugatti had 1 car and 1 engine. But it was the only display I liked. The 1000 horsepower engine with 4 turbos.

This car isn't allowed on the European roads because of it's reflective color. It has a top speed of about 250 mph.




There is a sprinkling of English here and there on signs.

The only thing that saved the day for me, was leaving. When I left, I found the parking lot was very busy. The Peking to Paris rally stopped here. 102 cars left from Peking. And about half were still going. I talked with several of the drivers and they showed me the route they had taken.








When I left the parking lot, I was 2 miles from my hotel. It's a nice room and a good location.

The receptionist told me there was a place to eat right down the street a couple hundred meters. I walked down and was seated at a table. I asked the waitress what was the structure next to us. She said it is Wolfsburg Schloss. And we all know schloss means castle. It's not like the big fortification castles we're used to seeing. It was first mentioned in 1302. So it's old.
EDIT-I read schloss is more like a palace or cheateu. Not primarily as a fortification.






I did have a real meal there. Pork schnitzel and chips/fries. A schnitzel is meat, usually thinned by pounding with a meat tenderizer, that is fried in some kind of oil or fat. It was very good.

Really enjoying your RR.
Thanks for posting

July 5,2019 Wernigerode, Germany Erbpricezpalais Hotel $90 71 miles

It was about a half hour ride to Brunswick. They had a couple things I thought might be worth looking at. The Happy Rizzi House. A bizarre building by American pop artist James Rizzi.





There is a cobblestone area of town with many/mostly half timbered houses.




The oldest half timbered house in Brunswick and maybe Germany is here. One of the beams is inscribed with 1432AD. Well, not written like that.



The St. Blasii Cathedral was built around 1200AD.


While I was there I got my hair cut. About a month late. But it's the first I've seen that was open. And it was a women's salon. Then it was a another half hour to Wernigerode. I stopped at McDonald's to get WiFi and find a room. I think the Erbpricezpalais Hotel is the best I've had so far.




And the Wernigerode Castle is just up the hill from here. I plan to go there tomorrow.

I walked into town to see the Rathaus, (town hall) built in 1420. It was a busy area. Maybe because it was Friday night. Or because there were 5 different international groups singing at 730 pm. I sat at an outside restaurant and had, possibly deer meat, with kind of a salad on top of it. The beer was good too. When I finished eating I went across the street to watch some of the singers. The group from Latvia was excellent. I thought they were worth recording a video and putting on YouTube. And I would have if I knew the difference between start recording and stop. My video was mostly of the ground and my leg. If there is enough interest in that, I will post it.




And the entertainers.
The Latvians


The Chinese

July 6,2019 Duisburg, Germany Central Pension $43 270 miles

Not one of my better days. I rode up to the Wernigerode Castle. After a long wait with few customers, I paid my $8 for a ticket. I had trouble following the tour route. I don't know German. And once again they have very little English signage. Germany has been the worst for English eyes. At many of my hotels, I've tried doors to laundry rooms and storage areas, looking for stairwells. I'd be Doug Crispy if there were a fire on my floor. So I wondered aimlessly through the castle. You aren't allowed above the first several floors. I saw the dining and living areas. Rather boring. But it's probably what their life was like. And there was a wedding party there. The 3rd I've seen in the last 2 days.










I guess these are king size beds.






I planned to go to Cologne today. But decided at breakfast to go to Essen. Cologne has a big famous cathedral. But I'm churched out. I booked a room in Essen. I wanted to go to the tennis complex where I play in my Pickleball tournament July 12-14. I hoped there might be some pickleball players there. None there until Tuesday. So I went to my confirmed room. This is what I sent to my guest house:

"I got to your address and wasn't sure I was at the right place. You don't have a sign indicating anything. I don't have a phone that works in Europe. I found someone to call the number you had on my confirmation. There was no answer. I came back to your address and rang all 7 buttons at that address. A woman let me in. She said she thought they rented rooms on the 4th floor. Up there a woman said they had 3 rooms, but they are all full.

I have a confirmation for my room. Why am I now standing in the rain with no place to go. I want my money back. And I no longer trust Bookings.com."

I finally found a pension that had vacancy. It was a pharmacy a long time ago. The sign on my door says Laboratorium.




I will be going to stay with friends in The Netherlands for a few days. Yesterday they asked if I wanted to come Sunday. And what a coincidence. Tomorrow evening the USA women play The Netherlands for the soccer/football championship.

July 7, 2019 Meijel, Netherlands Hilde & Theo`s house 44 miles

I talked with the owner of the Central Pension for half an hour before leaving. My room in the former pharmacy was unique. And the reception area had old pharmacy equipment.





I had a 45 minute ride to Meijel, Netherlands where I was going to stay with friends Hilde and Theo. This was the third time I'd been to there home since 2013. Our connection was, Hilde's mother,Drina, met my father when she was 13. My father was a medic in Ospel, Netherlands during the war- 1944.

We visited for a while and then went to see Hilde's parents, Drina and Corr. Corr put on a hat that my brother sent him. It was my father's WWII hat.




Neither one speaks English. But it's always very nice talking to them through the translation from Hilde or Theo. A while later we returned home. It was time for the women's championship soccer game. USA vs Netherlands. How perfect could this timing be? A close game that USA won.

Earlier in the day I walked through the town. I saw 6 Jeeps on a side road. A woman on a bicycle told me they were for rent.


I'm guessing these Trabant's are for rent also.

July 8, 2019 Meijel Netherlands 15 miles-on bicycle

This morning Theo and Hilde took me on a bicycle tour of the area. So today wasn't a complete relax day.

In the evening, Drina and Corr came for dinner.



I couldn't convince Drina to take a ride with me.


Later we stopped to see Neik, who I met 6 years ago. He has a large collection of WWII items related to the American Army fighting in the Ospel area. He said he had added some things since I was there last.



It took me a while to notice it. But he had 2 pictures of my father in a display.


Niek has this flag that some women made from materials they could find. It was made during the Battle of the Bulge to show appreciation of local people.


As Theo and I drove home, I asked if we could stop so I could take a picture of this windmill.

July 9, 2019 Meijel, Netherlands 122 miles

This morning I rode back to Essen, Germany. As I rode through town there was music playing loudly. It was part of the bicycle ride event. I stopped to take pictures of the music machine. Instead of a paper roll triggering the musical notes, it had wood sheets with slots and holes drilled into it.

This machine has an electric motor replacing the hand crank.




I'm staying with my friends in Meijel again tonight. But the next 3 nights I'll stay in Essen. Sunday night I'll be somewhere between Essen, Germany and Wroclaw, Poland.

When I left Meijel I rode an hour to Essen. I was hoping I could get some pickleball practice before the tournament begins on Friday. They were just starting to put lines on the tennis courts. But I did meet one of my partners for the first time. And I got a surprise about court surfaces. 8 courts are painted concrete. But all the others are covered with some type of carpet.


I know this isn't motorcycle related. But neither are churches and mountains. These pictures are for my pickleball followers.

July 10, 2019 Essen,Germany RhePi Apartments $237 for 4 nights 58 miles

I left Hilde and Theo's house about 1030 this morning. I spent a lot of time with them and learned about life in The Netherlands and Europe. It was a great visit. And seeing Hilde's parents, Drina and Corr, is always icing on the cake.
Drina's concern about how the war affected my father is what brought us together.

Last night we walked through the town of Meijel and stopped at monument for the USA Army 7th Armoured Division.




Every year on May 4th the town remembers the soldiers that died for their freedom. And May 5th is a big celebration. It's their 4th of July. The day they were liberated. Theo said American veterans would come. But there aren't many still living that can travel. 75 years later and the war is still dearly remembered in Europe.


I arrived in Essen around 1130 and went straight to the TVN Tennis facility. There were probably 50 pickleball players there practicing. I played 3 hours until I was exhausted.
My partner Skip, for the German Open Pickleball Championship


I was going to leave and go find my apartment that I will stay in the next 4 nights. But I stayed another hour and participated in a clinic they had. It wore me down even more. I'll have leg cramps tonight.

When I finally left it was 2 miles to my apartment. No sign again. And nobody there. I went to a small seamstress/store next door for help. The lone woman in the store called numbers and searched online to find help. We finally talked to the agent. They would be here within a half hour. The woman goes in the other room and brings me a large bottle of lemonade and 2 bananas. I said I just bought a drink and had it in my hand. She didn't care. She picked up her bottle and opened it up and handed it to me. So this woman and I talked until my room key arrived. She was from Beirut-40 years ago.

When the man arrived with my key, I asked the woman if I could take her picture. She told him to take a picture of both of us. As we left, the woman got a plastic bag and put the drink, bananas and a big handful of candy in it. Then she handed it to me. It amazes me how many good helpful giving people I meet. It's just a perfect way to end the day.




The man walked me to my room. This is the best room I've had on this trip.



I didn't eat anything since breakfast. And I was too tired to go out after taking a shower. So I put a pot on the stove and cooked some of my soup in a bag. Damn, I'm a great cook.

2019-07-11 Essen Germany RhePi Apartments 4 miles

I'm not sure exactly how far the moderators of this forum will let me stray. It's a motorcycle forum and I am writing about some things that really aren't related to motorcycles. It's possible some of my posts may be deleted. Just a heads up.

I slept till 830 and got up an hour later. My back, shoulders, and right arm are sore. Over did it yesterday. My right knee is iffy. I went to the courts and decided to play with lower level people. But players from yesterday asked me to play. I can't help myself. I played tough games. My body aches badly. But if there is a ball near me, I fell no pain going for it. I played 6 games and had to stop. My upper chest has two protruding areas that get rubbed raw. Great for jokes, but pain stopping play. I changed to a dry shirt and didn't play any more. Well, until my female partner got there. I played 1 game with her.

At 5 pm they were going to have the opening ceremony for the Bainbridge Cup. It was going to be outside. But with heavy rain and thunder they were forced inside. Flag toting people from all the countries. It was fun.


My all American partner at the ceremony.

My opponent brothers from England. Great fun with these two.


Showing and announcing next year's Bainbridge Cup location.


And more flag waving and patriotic out decibelling of each other.


I came back to my apartment and showered. Then I went looking for a pharmacy. All closed at that time of night. I passed a bar on the way back to my room and thought why not. I had some good conversations with curious people. I would have stayed for a second beer, but I had beer in my freezer at the apartment. Frozen beer takes longer to drink. So I went and saved them from the horrible experience of being frozen. It was a humanitarian thing.

Great trip you're having! We're still in Alaska. Talk to ya soon