This year we were back in the Black Forest, but a little further south and closer to Switzerland. Too far to cycle in the time we had available to us, so we packed the Pino into the car and headed for Dover.
Our DFDS ferry for Dunkirk was at 10am but rather than risk the M25 and an early start, we stayed overnight in the Dover Marina Hotel, – it’s under new management, has been refurbished and is a little more upmarket since we stayed last time.
Our first stop on the way to the Black Forest was in Ghent, Belgium, where I had booked a couple of nights in an ex-monastery that is still used for retreats. It made for a nice, quiet atmosphere and was only a short walk into the old part of the town.
After settling into our room and resting for a while, we walked into the centre for a drink and some food, as there’s no restaurant in the hotel. There are several big churches in the old town and St Michael’s was on our route and open for a short while, so we took a look inside.
It was close to five pm and so we were soon ushered out to continue our walk.
We soon found an empty table outside an Irish pub just over the bridge, where we could sit and enjoy a drink and watch the world go by. Later, we moved inside for some food then resumed our walk alongside the waterway, but only as far as the next bridge, which we crossed and headed back, along the other bank.
The next day we decided to head back but on the Pino. We found a good spot to sit and sketch the Gravensteen…
The following day we drove further south, to the area around Schengen, to the small town of Mondorf-les-Baines, and to another ‘cloistered’ hotel. Luckily this one did have a restaurant and I think even Friar Tuck would have been satisfied with the portions!
A quick search on the RideWithGPS app on my phone came up with a 16 mile circuit to run beside the Mosel. I adapted the route to make a 20 mile circuit.
From Mondorf-les-Baines it was about 3.5 hours driving to arrive at the Hotel Sternen in Kirchen Hausen, just outside Geisingen. The Danube ‘flows’ between the two communities. The hotel was split between four buildings and there was an underground garage where we could leave the bikes overnight and charge up batteries. After getting sorted with our gear and the bike, we met up in the bar area for a meet and greet over a complimentary drink. Later we ate together and then Reiner briefed the group on the rides for the following day.
In Germany, Father’s Day (Vatertag) is uniquely celebrated on Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt), which always falls on the Thursday exactly 40 days after Easter Sunday. The day is famous for group outings, where groups of (mostly) men—fathers or not—spend the day outdoors hiking, cycling, or visiting beer gardens. Those on foot often pull along a trailer stacked with beer and often, a music system thumping out a beat.
In the evening, after dinner, one of the tandem teams gave a presentation of their ride around Europe. Lots of words, and lots of photos, it was split over two evenings.
Our second ride – we again chose the short route – took us first to Donaueschingen, to the source of the Danube, where two watercourses (the Brigach and the Breg) meet and the Danube starts.
The local Fürstenberg family, had this basin built in the 19th century, where the first drops of water are said to spring forth in the park of Donaueschingen Castle. This spot is often symbolically called the “source of the Danube” (Donauquelle in German).
Riding back the skies threatened a soaking but Reiner chose a strategic stop for coffee to allow the storm to pass through. It was a good move, as later we passed lots of hail at the track side. Without our stop, we probably would have been under it.
Shortly before the town of Tuttlingen the rain eventually found us with a brief but fairly heavy downpour mixed with hail. Fortunately we had sensed the imminence of it and stopped to done a second layer of waterproofs – there’s a first time for everything. I usually carry two sets, so it one gets soaked, which they eventually do, I can swap to a dry one, but it was so cold that I already had one on and doubled up ahead of the rain.
On reaching the town it had almost stopped, so we descended on an open cafe to drink coffee, eat cake and drip all over the floor.
Our return route followed the outward one. Back at the hotel I put the bike into the back of the car and then we enjoyed more social interaction in the bar and over dinner. Later, Reiner covered who was going to organise TT27. And just like that, it was all over for another year. At breakfast there were goodbyes and lots of hugs.
We were in no rush, but eventually we headed away for our first stopover at Saarbrücken. It being Sunday, the roads were relatively quiet with very few HGVs, as they are discouraged from driving on Sundays in Germany.
The hotel was a Holiday Inn Express, and had no restaurant but there were a few eateries nearby, including an Asian buffet and as Karon’s blood sugar was low, we decided to eat there, choosing from the menu rather than the buffet. It was good and after, just a short walk back to the hotel to while away the rest of the evening with a drink in the bar.
Namur was our next stopover, between three and four hours away – it’s what I aim for as longer in the car is no fun. As we headed out of Saarbrücken, I stopped off at a hypermarket so we could buy some wine and spirits.
The Chateau de Namur sits above the city and despite some ongoing works in the grounds, still looks impressive. I had pre-booked a table in the restaurant for 7.00pm so we chilled in the room (too wet and windy for a walk) then went to the bar at about 6.30pm. The meal was excellent and we had a very enjoyable, if expensive evening.
Next day we headed for the Dunkirk ferry and caught the 14.00 and were home by about 17.00.