h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've been on holiday for the last week, with another week to go. We (that is and I) decided that we'd like to get out there and do a few bike trips.

We've exhausted the bike routes round here - we did two 50km rides last week, and did a much longer one alone on Friday - so somehow we got it into our heads that what we really ought to do is cycle from Cologne to Düsseldorf (or vice versa).

To do that we first had to cycle the 5kms to our local station, and wrestle our bikes onto the train to Düsseldorf. You can buy a day ticket for your bike for EUR 4 - which means you can take it on trains, trams and buses in this area as often as you like for the day. We have the double decker trains here, and there is always one carriage with spaces for bikes. Instead of the usual groups of 4 seats, they have the flip down seats arranged along the sides of the carriage. With the seats in the folded up position, you can lean your bike against them and use a special seatbelt thing to hold your bike more or less in place when the train is moving.

It was my first time taking a bike on the train but it worked really well and before I knew it we were at Düsseldorf main station. The platforms are on level one which meant that we had to take the bikes down in the lift. Which isn't actually long enough for the average bike (and didn't appear wide enough for anything other than a very basic wheelchair) so manhandled his down the stars while I wrestled with mine in a glass box.

Düsseldorf, like most other German cities, is very easy to cycle around, and soon enough we were down at the Rhine and heading off towards Neuss, the first town on the way. Although the description of the route seemed pretty straightforward (the NordrheinWestfalen tourist board website) and was advertised as "being so well signposted you won't need a map" we found it difficult to get going - although we wanted mostly to be close to the river the signs we did see took us in a completely different direction which meant that the first part of the trip was frustrating and a little boring.

But soon enough we got back to the river just before Dormagen and the route was fabulous. It's cycle paths all the way anyway, and this part takes you along the Rhine along the tops of dikes built to keep the floodwater at bay.

Just before Leverkusen, feeling peckish, we stopped at a restaurant (next to the little car ferry) for food and Kölsch (the local beer in Cologne) before peddaling off again. There is a short diversion away from the river as you go through Leverkusen (the Bayer chemical work goes right down to the river as they transport a lot of stuff by barge.

Soon enough we were in sight of the cathedral and the train station. We parked our bikes and went off to the English shop for some Wensleydale and Branston pickle followed by more Kölsch in a great little pub.

Then it was back on another of the fabulous double-decker trains and home.

Apparently on Wednesday we're cycling to Düsseldorf, having dinner and - using 's magic season ticket (after 7pm and on holidays and weekends he can take one other adult and up to 3 children with him for no extra charge - we only have to pay for the bikes) - coming home again on the train. We'll see how my old knees are doing (and if my posterior is still sore)

Düsseldorf... fresh altbier
Cologne - fresh Kölsch

Well done

"Lieber Dormagen als Saumagen!"

It sounds like a cool way to spend a day!

Hey - I live in Saumagen-Land. I'll not hear a word said against it.

Well done Sho and Making good use of time off, I call that.

What an inspirational story. Well done.
As I've never been able to balance on two wheels (there are miles of tandems and tricycles in my past), I really envy you. I am especially jealous of the magic railway ticket.

Saumagen is Helmuth Kohl's favourite. Enough said?

Or should i add: Man ist was man isst?

http://1jux.net/scale_images/30552_b.jpg

Saumagen?

We were in one of those lovely tiny traditional Kölsch breweries yesterday (having sat outside a different pub and tried in vain to get someone to bring us beer for 10 minutes). Within seconds of walking in the guy was over with his tray of Kölsch, plonked two down in front of us with the greeting "Zwei frischen?"

I love altbier (which will be tomorrow's treat) but for a refreshing drink after a day's cycling Kölsch is definitely the way to go.

Now that's what I call service!

Well done for all that cycling, Sho. I envy you for your ability and for having somewhere nice to cycle. Bikes and I do not go well together - I've no sense of balance and I'm not fit enough. (The latter is something that's only partly beyond my control. )

Keep up the good work - but only as long as it's fun!

Cycling is such a way of life here. We have the advantage that it is flat as a pancake (here in the borderland - it's pretty much as you imagine The Netherlands to be) and it's very common to see quite tiny children out on their bikes (no stabilisers) or parents with very small children in bike seats or trailers. But not only young ones, really quite elderly people too.

We see a lot of groups of pensioners out for a day trip on their bikes too which is good. But that is mostly because it's flat and we have the cycling infrastructure here. So, may as well take advantage of it as long as I can

Rant alert!

As you may know there has for a long time now been a dispute between the Dutch and the Danish about which country is the most bicycling nation. As if anybody really cares

These days Chinas is of course the leading bicycle nation, but a lot of other countries - Germany included - has caught on to the idea, which is great for many reasons

In both countries children learn to ride a bike as soon as they can walk. I don't know any Danes who are unable to ride a bicycle.

Here is young Victor proving that he masters the art at a very tender age:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdjPw0IVo6c


(who not only owns a lot of towels but also five bicycles )

Altbier's one of my favourite beer styles, and there's a brewery in Austin that makes a tasty one year-round, as well as a few others that make one occasionally. I'd love to taste a genuine German altbier in Düsseldorf though, maybe at Uerige

if you make it as far as Düsseldorf I'll take you to Uerige, Schumacher and the Schiffchen and we'll compare their beers.

And I will treat you to the finest saumagen.

Ho yus! German ingenuity with pigs! Vorsprung durch Porknik!

Sho's may tell you, that Saumagen is not (very) different from haggis, I imagine

I know...it only dawned on me afterwards that my last post might be read sarcastically. But I genuinely do have a deep affection for German ingenuity with pigs. It's long been on my mind to write a Hiberno-deutsch recipe book called "1,001 Ways To Use A Pig".

Not sure we want to know the 1001.st

If the Danish don't, nobody does.

Except maybe 2legs.

I do believe there is a lot of Viking DNA in 2legs