so i just got back from my holiday in germany and i can't wait to go back . . . to live .
i took my old brodie equipped with 1.25" slicks , fenders , lights , bell , rear rack and panniers . great choice as i encountered a lot of different surfaces from butter smooth pavement to gravel roads to easy forest path single track and lots of cobblestones of varying smoothness .
my riding varied from one 160 km day along the eurovelo rhine route from cologne to mainz , urban riding in freiburg , and day tours around a small german town ( bergneustad ) .
i was so impressed with the acceptance of cycling as a legitimate means of transport . . . i wasn't used to being respected as a person on a bike the way i was there . drivers would back out of your way when obstructing a bike path or automatically give you the right of way when entering a round about . if you did have cars behind you , they would wait patiently until an opportunity to pass presented itself , and then would go by at a reasonable speed and space . . . no bad vibes whatsoever .
it appeared that for nearly every route a car could take , there was a recognized route for a bike as well . that might have been a well painted and marked route on the road itself , or if the road width did not permit that , then you would be directed to share the sidewalk , again marked and signed . beyond that , there was often a completely separate route for pedestrians and cyclists . on these routes , i encountered automatic traffic signals which worked in the cyclists favor .
one other thing . . . people there are friendly , everywhere i went people would respond to a nod , a greeting , a wave . at one point , i became the guest of honor at a 50th wedding anniversary when i stopped to confirm directions on a route i was doing . they set me up with beers and black forest cake , placed me in the prominent spot for family pictures and then kept me drinking for free til midnight when i stopped in on my return trip .
deutscheland : ich liebe dich !