Hamburg-Germany 18,
July 23, 2023,
Hi Everyone,
‘Sitting in a railroad station, got a ticket for my destination. Homeward bound, that’s where I’ll be. Home to the….’
I visited an even older section of Bremen this morning. I find it amazing that everyone loves old sections of town, with cobblestone, narrow streets, no cars and low 2 story buildings. Instead, more so in America than in Europe, we build more and more cities that are car friendly, wide multilane streets that are jammed with traffic, tar and 30-40 story building that are way to close together. Go figure.
I left Bremen for Hamburg in the pouring rain and it continued to rain uninterupted until I reached Hamburg when the rain miraculously stopped just to greet me. I looked like I had just fallen into a lake with all my clothes on. My hands are black as the dye in my leather clothes ran and coloured my hands. I had to go to an ‘apothecary’ to buy acetone to remove the stain as it would not wash off with soap and water.
There are 3 parts to every trip: the planning, the trip itself and the memories. The best part of a trip is of course the memories. They go on forever. The second best part is the planning which often takes weeks and builds the excitement as the days go by. The worst part is the trip itself. You must get through it as quickly and as safely as humanly possible.
My trip is no different. I spent weeks planning the trip. I also spent 3 months training for the triathlon in the end up to 2.5 hours a day. Several times a week I did a triathlon broken up during the day. For example, I would run for 5 k in the morning, swim 30 laps (750 m) in the afternoon and ride my bicycle for 50min (20k) in the evening. On the days that I did not train, I either played hockey or raced my sailboat. I also did a practice triathlon in Gatineau 1 week before leaving for Germany just to test things out. I won a silver medal which might be good enough to get me into the worlds next year in Malaga. I planned out my route completely on my Tom-Tom Rider 550 GPS made especially for motorcycles. It can be set to follow windy, hilly roads in the country or secondary roads. I also reserved all my hotels in advance.
The trip itself can also be divided into 3 parts.
The Triathlon: I stayed in Hamburg for 1 week in an Ibis hotel reserved for the 150 Canadians although some stayed in nearby hotels. It was great fun to meet and share the triathlon with my fellow compatriots. We were probably the biggest team among the 36 countries represented and there were about 4000 athletes in about 10 different categories. Canada won 1 silver medal in the age group category. It went to our 80 year old competitor. In spite of this showing, we all had a great time. Anyway, what do you want? Hockey is our game!
The Itinerary: I visited several villages, towns and cities as well as the countryside which I have described in detail in past posts.
The Motorcycle: My GPS lady was perfect. The GPS seems to perform much better in Germany than at home. The BMW 700 is a great road bike. It is very stable on the highway. It is however, heavy for the city. My 1973 Triumph 750 Tiger is a much lighter and more nimble bike for city use. That is probably why you see scooters in the city which are more adapted to narrow, twisted streets.
I am staying at a downtown 4* hotel not far from my 2* Ibis where I stayed for the triathlon. The price is also much cheaper as they really jacked up the hotel prices for the World Championship. I drop off the bike tomorrow morning and fly home tomorrow.
Love, Brian
gobriantravel 