Hamburg-Germany 16,

July 22, 2023,

Hi Everyone,

‘Country roads, take me home, to the place, I belong, West Germania’ (thanks John Denver). I left Hanover and took the secondary roads to Bremen. It was only 125 km and the GPS allowed me 2.5 hours. The small villages are very protected in Germany. The secondary and tertiary roads do not cross through the villages. As I had time, you should never be in a hurray when travelling as you will probably never return to the same place, I elected to take several turn offs and drive the extra km to get into the centre of the villages. I was not disappointed.

The houses are made of brick and are 2 stories high with peaked roofs. The dwellings appear to be at least 100-200 years old. They have all had the brick work repointed to maintain the original architecture. The style is always the same but each house is individually different. There are no 2 houses that look the same. The roofs are made of clay tile and seem to be 30-50 years old. They are all well kept. People take pride in making the property look presentable. Some of the houses are very big and look quite comfortable. The streets are by and large made up of cobblestone.

The only problem here is occasionally they block off a street for repairs but there is no detour route. You are left on your own to find another route. The GPS lady keeps saying to ‘make a u-turn’ until she finally figures out that you are headed to the same place via a different route. What is also interesting about German cities is that when the city ends the countryside begins. 3 km from the city, I was still in the country. There is no such thing as ‘bungalow land forever’ as we have developed in America with 6 lane highways filled with traffic that does not move. My 2 lane highway lead me straight to the centre of town. While driving a motorcycle, when meeting a motorcycle in the opposite direction, there is the international sign of recognition of dropping the left hand and waving.

Love, Brian

Hamburg-Germany 15,

July 21, 2023

Hi Everyone,

I had a quick breakfast and hit the road for Hamburg. I spent 2 hours last evening trying to bluetooth my i-pad to my Tom-Tom Rider GPS with no success. I then read a forum that stated that you can not bluetooth the 2 devices yet as the soft ware has not been written and you must past through an i-phone. Eventually, I just re-adjusted my Tom-Tom for secondary roads. My GPS lady had already forgiven me for the trouble that I caused her yesterday and gave me excellent instructions today.

I stayed on secondary roads today which were still 2 lane roads passing through the country side but each lane was much wider and safer. I still didn’t find a single cafe to stop in to have a coffee in 3 hours. I was later explained that there are grocery stores in the villages if I had looked for them. However, most of the retail stores have closed due to internet purchasing by consumers. People will also go to the big city to shop for clothes. I was sunny for while but then rained for 1 hour. I don’t like riding in the rain but I had no choice as I had no idea how long it would last. I used the ‘rain’ mode which probably changes the gear ratio to prevent the tires from spinning out.

I am staying in the centre of Hanover in a 4* old fashioned hotel. I walked for 4 hours around Hanover. The city has 500,000 residents which is considered big in Germany. Most of the city was destroyed by allied bombing during WW2. The old section was rebuilt exactly how it was before the war but the streets were turned into pedestrian walkways. The newer section of the downtown was built up with 1950-1960s architecture and has little character. However, there are pedestrian walkways everywhere. Bars, cafes and restaurants line the walkways. There in no traffic at all. The subway leads right to the centre of town. The cafes are all full. People seem to take the time to live properly.

There are clothing stores everywhere, some original and some chains similar to the ones we have in Canada. The prices are the same. When I packed my motorcycle stuff, I somehow forgot to include a change of underwear. I purchased 4 pairs of high quality German underwear, blue, grey and black with very good ‘support’. I had to break Rule 3 (I think that I mentioned 2 other ones) never buy clothes in a foreign country. You will never wear them when you come home as the styles and the colours just don’t fit in with our tastes in Quebec. Of course you can always return them the next time you are in Europe in a town that you can’t remember from a store you’ve long forgotten. Any ways, they were on sale. I learned that lesson when I bought 3 Jerusalem shirts, ‘hand-made and hand-embroidered’ for a very ‘cheap’ price in the Arab market. I kept them for 4 years, never wore them in Reims, and eventually embarrassingly enough, threw them away.

I am still fascinated with the fact of how fast soaking wet Gore-tex can take to dry as well as how soaking wet Gore-tex still keeps you warm and dry inside. At the same time, heavy leather motorcycle boots seem to stay wet forever. I have gone through 3 pairs of dry socks today in my boots and my feet are still damp. Remember, I lost 1 sandal and threw the other 1 away.

Love, Brian

Hamburg-Germany 14

July 20, 2023,

Hi Everyone,

Last evening I had dinner at the Factory Hotel. I know that I said that I would not discuss alcohol or restaurants but the following is a must. The Germans know how to plan cities for the general population. However, they are a little short with restaurants. The venue of the restaurant was superb. I was seated at a table outside overlooking a pond with a fountain. I ordered a main course of tuna and asked for a margarita, a ¼ litre of French wine and bread to go with the meal. I like to have a piece of bread before imbibing in alcoholic beverages as it lines the stomach. I learned that from a nurse at a hospital in France when were drinking ‘un peau’ after Friday noon rounds with the patron. The wine arrived first. 10 minutes later the bread arrived with butter but no cutlery. The tuna arrived with the margarita. The tuna was ok… but the price was 4*. Afterwards the waitress asked me if I liked the margarita. I told her that it was ok but lacked the salt on the edge of the glass. She told me that it was the first time that they had prepared one. I think that the delay was because they were looking for the instructions of how to mix one on Google.

Last evening after dinner I walked around ‘old Munster’. The waitress advised me to go to a street where the students gather for drinks. I went into a bar and listened to some New Age music and had a beer. I was obviously the grandfather patron at the place. It was quite fun.

Today I rented a bicycle to tour Munster. I rented a ‘girl’s bike that resembled my mothers bike that she purchased in 1935 with her sister. The bike was heavy, black, and had 3 gears of which only 2 worked. You peddle backwards to stop the back wheel but there is a front brake. 35% of the population in Munster use bicycles to get around. There are over 400k of bicycle paths in a city of 350,000. There were bikes everywhere all of which resembled mine. I didn’t see any $4000 triathlon bikes.

There is no traffic to speak of and no construction on the city streets. Everyone walks, uses public transport on bicycles around. There were no motorcycles to be seen. The drivers are extremely polite but you must obey the rules. Shtopp means shtopp. When there is a red light for bikes or pedestrians, every shtopps and waits even if there is no traffic for a few minutes. I did not see any J walking at all.

I rode around the old section of town first. There are parks everywhere which are bike friendly. There is a ring park that goes around the inner city that follows a small stream. There is also a small lake with a sailing school for kids that sail optimists. I passed by the Shloss University where Dominique studied as she lived and worked in Munster for a few years. The city is a university town as the university is considered highly in Germany. The city was badly damaged during the war, but like elsewhere in Germany, it was rebuilt exactly as it had been using the same stones and keeping the streets exactly the same. No building is more than 3-4 stories high. The homes where the wealthy people live either border on park land or on the river. There are apartments and town houses of very high quality.

Eventually, I parked my bike near a church so that I could remember where I parked it. The streets all go around in circles; no street is straight for more than a few blocks. The streets also change names abruptly to confuse the tourist. Forget about finding numbers on buildings; that is a myth in itself. I visited St Paul’s Cathedral. There are several St Paul’s Cathedrals in Europe. This one was built originally in the 9th century and then rebuilt in the 13th century. It was damaged during the war but restored magnificently. The building is huge and the acoustics are incredible. I coughed and I think that it echoed through the church.

For lunch I had a desert. In Germany the pies are huge but the cappuccinos are tiny. I needed to have 2 in order to have my did day dose of caffeine.

Love, Brian

Hamburg-Germany 13,

July 19, 2023,

Hi Everyone,

I left Wilhelmshaven under sunny skies and it remained that way for the whole day. Yesterday, I had planned to change my GPS to secondary roads instead of tertiary roads, but in the end I decided to stay with the original plan at least in the beginning of my days journey. The German countryside, at least in the area that I am visiting, resembles the countryside that I am used to riding in, in Southern Quebec across from the Mercier Bridge. However, these are German roads and although narrow, there are no pot holes.

All of the countryside consists of endless farm land. There are no forests to speak of. All of the land is exploited one way or another. The country gives one the definite impression of being wealthy. The farm houses resemble one another to some extent while at the same time, each one is different. Most of the houses are 2 story structures, made of brick and having peaked roofs. Nothing is run down like you see in upper New York State or Vermont. Everything is spotlessly clean. Even the farm houses have nice gardens. There are some huge estates with beautiful large houses.

The villages however, resemble an endless suburb. There is nothing historical to speak of. Was Germany a poor country before the war and were all the houses knocked down to build newer structures? I came across no castles and only the occasional newish church that did not merit a visit. The towns are few and far between. I don’t know where people do their shopping for food or dry goods. Do they all go to a big city once a week?

I rode for 3.5 hours before finally finding a cafe-bakery where I could get a cappuccino and a croissant. This certainly is not like France where there is a village every 10k with a cafe, a bistro, a 500 year old church, a castle, a cross in the middle of town and a monument to the fallen soldiers of WW1. The drivers are extremely polite, especially to me. Maybe my white hair sticks out of the back of my helmet.

I still had 2 more hours to ride to get to Munster. The whole trip was 225k and was scheduled to take 5 hours. At this point I had had enough of cows. I changed plans and took to the secondary roads. The final part of the ride took 30 minutes as I could ride at 100k/hr. My GPS lady was disappointed and kept giving me directions to turn left or right to get me back on the side roads. I just kept on following the major over head signs until I got to Munster. Then I followed her directions. I will apologize to her tomorrow.

I am staying at place called Factory Hotel. It is a 4* hotel with 2 restaurants and a bistro. The outside resemble an old factory. The inside of course has been completely redone to resemble a hotel. I even have in door parking for my bike. I was really sweaty when I arrived, resembling a motorcycle bum. I am wearing my black ski jacket with grey pants which more or less resembles a motorcycle outfit. Anyway, it keeps me warm and dry.

Love, Brian

I am feeling very wordy this evening. Wine…. Salad for supper after my Sunday at noon.

Wilhelmshaven has a fantastic naval museum. It traces the history of the German Navy from its beginnings. They really specialized in u-boats (submarines) in both WW1 and WW2.

They had several ships, all of which you could go on board both in the water and on land. I visited a destroyer, a mine sweeper, a u-boat and a PT boat. If I had ever had to have been in the navy, and if I had had a choice, I would have chosen a destroyer. There is no way I would ever like to have been a sailor in a u-boat. After 50 years, you could still smell the diesel odours. Add to that the smell of sweat and poorly cooked food and you can imagine the conditions. Everything is tight, tight, tight, with poor or no ventilation. It was kind of strange being on an ‘enemy ship’ but I still felt sorry for the lads that had to endure these conditions. I must watch Das Boat when I return to Montreal.

Love, Brian

Hamburg-Germany 11,

July 18, 2023,

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to visit Wilhelmshaven for family reasons. My father spent 6 years of his life in the army beginning at age 20. He was a D-Day vet landing at 8:30 in the morning with the Canadian Army at Juno Beach with the Regiment de la Chaudiere. He later was with the Signal Corps attached to the Royal Canadian Engineers. He was a radio man, a corporal, and had a truck resembling a Jeep Cherokee with a canvas roof, run flat tires and armoured. He had 2 drivers with him. He lost 4 during the next 11 months. He was stationed just outside of Wilhelmshaven on May 6, 1945 and they were supposed to attack the town when the war ended. They knew that the war was about to end but you still had to be careful as there were still snipers and not everyone knew about the imminent surrender. On May 7th he was allowed to celebrate with alcohol but on May 8th he had to remain sober, driving around to pick up the boys who couldn’t make it on their own back to camp.

Wilhelmshaven is a deep water port that was largely destroyed by bombing during the war. The town has been rebuilt but the architecture is not really significant. There is a beautiful beach promenade that stretches for several km. They advertise a non sandy beach which consists of grass, leading to a stoney beach and stairs to get into the water. The water was cool but ok for swimming although there were few takers even though it was 25C. I had a sundae and a cappuccino for lunch, the Sunday had enough calories for my next 3 meals. The tourists were all German out for a weekend. I can understand why the Germans prefer to holiday in France, Italy or Greece. There is no comparison with the atmosphere and architecture of the Normandy, Britany or Mediterranean sea ports.

My bike is great on the highway but a little heavy for maneuvering in the city. My Triumph vibrates much more at highway speeds but is much more nimble in city traffic. I got off the bike to park it which I can easily manage without putting down the side stand which I can easily do on my Triumph. You must put down the side stand before dismounting the BMW. The balance is different. Well, I dropped the bike. No damage done to the bike, only too my pride. I couldn’t lift the bike by myself. A truck stopped right away and the 2 guys smiled and righted my bike. Lot’s of dunkes.

I walked around the town and crossed the Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge which is the biggest ‘swing’ bridge in Europe. If you have nothing to do in a European city, you can always visit a church. The atmosphere inside is always very calming although I am 100% against the philosophy.

I managed to lose a saddle. How? I don’t know. Maybe an excuse to buy a Birkenstalk tomorrow in Munster.

Love, Brian

Hamburg-Germany 10,

July 18, 2023,

Hi Everyone,

I am staying at the Nordsee Hotel on the beach just outside of Wilhelmshaven. It is a nice enough 2-3*, very clean like everything in Germany but without too much character. I wasn’t looking for character; I was more interested in price and convenience when I chose it. I have a beautiful view of the beach and the gardens and I can get to ‘downtown’ easily in 5 minutes on my motor bike.

There are no children or families staying here. Mostly the hotel caters to 50-60 year old couples out for a few days holiday. The guests appear to be mostly working class or lower middle class, My bike is worth more than any car in the parking lot. (No Mercedes, Audis or Beemers except mine). In Hamburg everyone spoke English. You didn’t have to ask anyone “do you speak English?”. English, the Roman language of the 21st century has not reached here yet. Everyone is very polite and can speak a smattering of the international language. Once again sign language comes in handy.

Everyone smokes here, in the restaurant and on the terrace. The men all have bellies and the women are rather pudgy. People drink beer and only sip wine as an apero. I am used to saying Bonjour or Monsieur-Dame as in France when you enter a room or pass someone while walking. This is out of question here. I did this in the dining room yesterday and the men just stared at me. The women smiled however ( maybe they find me good looking ). My tattoos from the triathlon don’t wash off and I don’t feel like buying acetone to remove them. I look quite athletic.

I loaded up my bike with the necessities and headed into town to explore my surroundings. Rule 1, when you travel, always carry an umbrella. If you don’t, it will rain. It did, not hard but just enough to get me wet. I am wearing my North Face, gortex jacket for riding. It’s amazing. Yesterday, it was soaking we on the outside but I was dry as can be on the inside. It dried out in 8 hours hanging in my room. My leather gloves however are still wet. Unfortunately, the jacket has a hood that I didn’t bring with me. Rule 2, keep walking in between the raindrops. The rain will eventually stop and you will dry off.

Love, Brian

Hamburg-Germany 9,

July 17, 2023,

Hi Everyone,

I got off to a slow start this morning. I had breakfast at my usual bakery. I packed and repacked my stuff several times as I only have a small luggage box that comes with the bike. I took a taxi to BMW on the outskirts of town. This allowed me to see other parts of Hamburg outside of the down town area. Most of the apartments that I saw were nice enough, built in the sixties and rather non descript. I also went through some of the wealthier suburbs and of course the houses were beautiful.

I arrived at BMW and my bike was waiting for me. The salesman spent some time with me explaining the bike to me and connecting up my GPS. I left my luggage there. I headed off towards Wilhelmshaven as planned. I mapped out my whole route in Montreal including the hotels that I had chosen to stay in. I have a Tom-Tom Rider especially designed for motor bike touring. I set the GPS to go on tertiary roads, avoiding major highways and the Autobahn. Perhaps the roads that I had chosen were a little too tertiary. I saw very few cars but sometimes I was on a semi paved road that was little more than a cow path. For the next part of the journey, I will reset the GPS for secondary roads. 225 km took me 5 hours.

The roads that I were on lead me through the German countryside. The villages were very small and far between with few places to stop and have a coffee. The land was quite flat and there were farms everywhere. The roads are well maintained (except for the cow paths that had grass growing in the middle). The European signage is excellent.

I rented a BMW 700 GS which is a modern 21st century bike, a far cry from my 50 year old Triumph. The gears shift flawlessly. The bike is very stable even in the rain as there is a special rain gear. The acceleration is incredible although I never went over 80k due to the roads that I was on.

I arrived at the hotel somewhat damp and took a well deserved hot shower. The hotel is situated directly on the beach, a few km from the downtown section. Wilhelmshaven is a small town with an important deep water harbour. I will explore that part of town tomorrow. I am rather lucky as the hotel has its own restaurant; I really didn’t feel like riding anymore today.

Love, Brian

Hamburg-Germany 8,

July 17, 2023,

Hi Everyone,

2 nights ago I went to bed with a sore throat, runny nose, cough, wheezing, stomach and colon problems. I must have caught a bug. I woke up yesterday morning refreshed and ready for a new day. Instead of purchasing the touristy Hop on Hop off for 30 euros, I found a similar deal that the locals use. For 6.9 Euros I could take any train, bus,subway and ferry boat in Hamburg for 24 hours. I started the morning with a ferry boat trip for 2 hours up the river, stopping along various quays to pick up and drop off passengers. The boat was filled with Hamburg people out for a Sunday ride. I was the only tourist. We passed by the industrial port area as well as an apartment project built on the water.

Afterwards, I used the subway to visit various areas of the city. I watched the finals of the elite triathletes and the relay race. Although Canada did not win very many medals, the participation was great. I ate supper with Rick and we exchanged life stories, you know, when guys get together over a beer.

‘Get your motor running, head out on the highway, looking for adventure, whatever we may find, born to be wild’ (Steppenwolf, Easy Rider). Today, I pick up my BWW 700 GS and head out towards Wilhelmshaven.

Love, Brian