Easter Monday we set out on a trip to Lüneburg Heath, that was supposed to be four days of cycling. That though, is not what happened.

Two days of rain

Our trip started with two days of rain, interrupted by hail, and, much more rarely, a little sunshine. Plans were changed and adapted and we started with two days of Lüneburg.

Thanks to going basically broke at the right time the city is very well preserved with most of the medieval buildings intact.

The first day was spent exploring the city and dodging hail. Following a meandering course around the city and taking in some great examples of Backstein Gothik. The second day was spent in the Deutsche Salzmuseum and the Museum Lüneburg.

Apart from being a major trading centre for salt, Lüneburg sits on quite a lot of salt, the city also queried and exported gypsum. The Kalkberg is said to have been 10 times larger originally and was quarried for almost 1000 years.

The evening of the second day closed with a well deserved rainbow .

Two days without rain

Two good trips across the heath, one starting in Bispingen and climbing the Wilseder Berg. The heath is interrupted by a lot of pine and beech forrests. The ideal time to visit is apparently August, when the heath is in bloom. But even without the bloom there are some magnificent views.

24/04/23: A haiku a day
is not an easy habit
to maintain I find

23/04/23: A breadroll morning
satisfaction and good taste
and a great coffee

22/04/23: Feeling really strange
aware of nearing pension
immortal teen

21/04/23: Sudden rain in the
morning changes the mood and
should water the soul

20/04/23: Due work progresses
all friction not withstanding
inching towards stop

19/04/23: Project managers
are super therapists
waiting for a fact

18/04/23: The centigrades
are dancing, coming, going,
no boring weather

17/04/23: Off to work I went
refreshed, renewed, recycled,
off we go again

16/04/23: A vacation by
definition is too short
and work is too long

15/04/23: Here straggly heather
there juniper and ibex stand
cloud studded heaven

14/04/23: Wind bent pines and beech
rooted in heath and heather
copses of birch gleaming

14/04/23: Crooked streets go
from river to market square
old brick holds the sky

12/04/23: Rain and sun and wind
a medieval modern town
red brick and arches

11/04/23: River meanders
glistening in the sunshine
trees are blossoming

10/04/23: A river of cars
pouring north where we are going
camaraderie?

9/04/23: The queue ran empty
so I filled it again
I need to write more

9/04/23: Crusty breakfast roll
so humble and majestic
tasty, nourishing

8/04/23: When the weekend looms
and the sun checks the horizon
keep the mind cheerful

6/04/23: Warm sun, blossoms show
winter fading memory
bright evenings will come

5/04/23: ‘twas a good idea
to make dinner for myself
before I got hangry

4/04/23: Best day of the year
for turning sun into some
electricity

3/04/23: Aprils weather does
disgust, delight, but never
bore. Garden awaits

2/04/23: Drizzle and drizzle
and droplets on my glasses
what a boring sight

2/04/23: My electric sheep
does not like the rain and thus
the grass remains long

1/04/23: Gin and tonic glass
glistening condensation
it’s Feierabend

31/03/23: Socks on my left foot
do more often have a hole
I’m so curious why

30/03/23: A haiku a day
does not, in fact, keep the doc
away, pity that

29/03/23: Snow blooms today as
blossoms would spring and winter
dance the seasons change

28/03/23: Cooking with good friends
eating, talking, drinking too
that is a nice day

27/03/23: A low haiku stack
fuels productive tinkering
with word and picture

26/03/23: A sorbets icy
charms, tart and fruity, frozen
cools the worlds demands

25/03/23: An early April
sun, rain, wind, rain, sun, rain, wind,
weather’s having fun

25/03/23: When at evening
the sun shines again warmly
warming more than skin

24/03/23: Young shoots bring pollen
spring seems in the air today
sneezes in season

22/03/23: Morning bells ringing
coffee drinking sitting quiet
contemplating sleep

21/03/23: Grey sky wtihout cloud
even light without shadow
I miss the contrasts

20/03/23: Time flies, when you are
having fun, they say, oh my,
getting old seems fun?

19/03/23: Morning coffee taste
bright, bitter, milky, coffee
switch on brain, again

19/03/23: When spring sun shines
when alder and hazel fly
sneezing wakes me up

18/03/23: Young man is your kid
doesn’t follow expectations
calm down dad, normal

17/03/23: Ev’ning snow flakes
landing wetly grossly on
my evening shopping run

16/03/23: Dancing letters show
on glass in word and picture
the world behind us

15/03/23: Raining afternoon
draws a veil across the world
allowing dreams to rise

14/03/23: Raining afternoon
flees slowly towards the evening
where g&t awaits me

Schloss Laach, Monheim/Rhein #cycling

Updated www.zahr.koeln/2020/12/2…

In beautiful sunshine we cycled to the two closest monuments.

First to Haus Arff, a maison des pleisances from the 1750. We have passed it quite often but had never been inside.

Until 2013 it was a private residence and is now an event location.

Then we cycled to Haus Orr. Until quite recently this had been in ruins. In a first preservation effort in 1986 the floor of the upper level was removed and a new roof installed. In 2010 it was renovated and now also is an event location.

#tag_des_offenen_denkmals

Cycling trip

While the sun was shining we cycled to the Alte Schloss in Grevenbroich, another one from our list.

Slightly over 40km, mainly following the old trading route between Cologne and Venlo.

Cycling trip along the Wupper

Industrial remains, river banks, half timbered houses, gastronomy (closed due to COVID), up and down, obstacles, cherry trees and a bridge. Also a lot of hills.

Cycling Trip to Cherry Blossoms and Lilac

Bonner Münster, Südstadt, Kessenich, Konrad Adenauer Brücke, Limperich, Beuel, Schwarzrheindorf, Mondorf, Fähre Mondorf, Graurheindorf, Nordstadt, Bonner Münster

Very nice trip, mostly sunny

Another leg of the same track we took earlier this week.

NW 1.02a Viersen-Dülken – Schwalmtal-Waldniel – Brüggen

Glorious sunshine, the wind was still fairly cold. The track followed the river Schwalm. Green meadows, small towns. A pleasure.

Over the last two years we discovered the joy of converted railway lines. Yesterday we went from Kaldenkirchen to Kempen, one leg of the BahnRadweg Kreis Viersen, and back again. N1.02.

The weather was great, the route scenic, typical Niederrhein, and Kempen seems quite a nice town to visit post pandemic.

Nice cycling trip. We crossed the Rhine with the ferry at Langel and returned to our bank via the Leverkusen bridge. Nice views over the river.

At St Amandus on the way back we had some Tee from the thermos.

Great weather during the first halve of the trip. Now grey in grey, though warmer than at the start of the week.

We cycled to Schloss Hülchrath today. Nice tour, but after 4 days of glorious sun today it was overcast and cold. But we took hot tea, so everything was fine.

Another one done from the list

Photo not from today

We took out the bikes. Glorious sun, spring having sprung. But it was COLD. Good to be cycling again, though.

There’s a bit of a moral dilemma this morning. I’d like to take the bike for a spin. The sun is shining. But, still -3 C outside.

Brrrr

Cycling is no fun if you alternate sweating with freezing.

Compromise with a hike?

Quite chuffed

… and the year isn’t quite over yet …

#cycling

🚲

Schloss Eicherhof

Crossed the Rhine with the ferry at Langel and then up to Leichlingen in the Bergischen Land. Couldn’t get close to the Schloss, closed due to covid.

After lunch in the sun we went back the way we came.

#cycling

Updated www.zahr.koeln/2020/12/2…

• 40 km cycling trip with my wife, got home just before the rain
• made 21 Rouladen with the daughter for Christmas
• sourdough in the fridge ready for baking tomorrow

#cycling

On our hunt for nice cycling tours we found a list on rheinland.info listing all the Schlösser ¹in the Rhineland ², there is even an IOS App, which shows the distance ³ from your current position.

As our e-bikes have increased our reach, the list of Schlösser provides easy inspiration.

Completed Tours 2020

• Schloss Frens, Quadrath-Ichendorf, 14 km
• Schloss Morsbroich, Leverkusen, 15 km
• Schloss Benrath, Düsseldorf, previously visited, 15 km
• Schloss Paffendorf, Bergheim, 16 km
• Schloss Loersfeld, Kerpen, 17 km
• Schloss Bedburg, Bedburg, 17 km
• Schloss Eicherhof, Leichlingen (Rheinland), 17 km

Completed Tours 2021

• Schloss Hülchrath, Hülchrath, 16 km
• Altes Schloss, Grevenbroich, 18 km
• Schloss Türnich, Türnich, previously visited, 19 km

Completed Tours 2022

• Schloss Laach, Monheim/Rhein, 10 km

Still to come

• Schloss Gymnich, Gymnich, previously visited, 21 km
• Schloss Strauweiler, Odenthal, 21 km
• Burg Bergerhausen, Bergerhausen, 22 km
• Schloss Augustusburg, Brühl, previously visited, 23 km
• Schloss Dyck, Jüchen, previously visited, 23 km
• Hotel Dycker Weinhaus, Jüchen, 23 km
• Hofgarten, Düsseldorf, previously visited, 23 km
• Schloss Jägerhof, Düsseldorf, 23 km
• Schloss Laach, Düsseldorf-Pempelfort, 24 km
• Schloss Gracht, Liblar, 24 km
• Schloss Falkenlust, Brühl, previously visited, 24 km
• Bezirksregierung, Düsseldorf, 24 km
• Schloss Bensberg, Bensberg, previously visited, 25 km
• Schloss Liedberg, Liedberg, 25 km
• Schloss Buschfeld, Bliesheim, 25 km
• Schloss Wahn, Wahn, 26 km
• Schloss Eulenbroich, Rösrath, 29 km
• Schloss Rösberg, Rösberg, 29 km
• Schloss Bornheim, Bornheim, 31 km
• Schloss Rankenberg, Dersdorf, 31 km
• Schloss Georgshausen, Hommerich, 32 km
• Schloss Auel, Wahlscheid, 34 km
• Schloss Alfter, Alfter, 34 km
• Schloss Ehreshoven, Engelskirchen, previously visited, 37 km
• Schloss Hardenberg, Velbert, 38 km
• Bonner Schloss, Bonn, previously visited, 38 km
• Schloss Heiligenhoven, Heiligenhoven, 38 km
• Schloss Poppelsdorf, Poppelsdorf, 38 km
• Poppelsdorfer Schloss, Bonn, 38 km
• Schloss Hückeswagen, Hückeswagen, 39 km
• Schloss Miel, Miel, 40 km
• Kommende Ramersdorf, Beuel, 41 km
• Wasserschloss Müttinghoven, Müttinghoven, 42 km
• Schloss Gimborn, Gimborn, 46 km
• Schloss Drachenburg, Königswinter, previously visited, 48 km
• Stiftung Naturschutzgeschichte, Königswinter, 48 km
• Schloss Merten, Merten, 50 km
• Schloss Homburg, Nümbrecht, previously visited, 52 km
• Burg Blankenheim, Blankenheim, previously visited, 66 km
• Wasserschloss Crottorf, Friesenhagen, 69 km
• Der Kappelenweg, Wissen, 70 km

I guess this will keep us busy. Also there are castles, abbeys, stately homes, mills, …

#cycling

Today we took the Zons ferry and cycled on to Schloss Benrath

Again, only 20 km from home.

#cycling

Another Schloss, again within 20 km from home.

Renessaince (Dutch style) architecture. Not open to the public.

#cycling

A cycling trip to Schloss (Museum) Morsbroich. Ca 20 km from home on the other side of the Rhine.

Thankfully the cycling path on the Leverkusener Brücke is still open. (The bridge is going to be replaced).

#cycling

#cycling

Saturdays tour started at Schloss Bedburg and followed the Erft up to Schloss Paffendorf and on to Bergheimerdorf.

Wonderful weather, unfortunately our Thermos broke before we had any hot drink.

#cycling

Very cool tour, map, 22 km one way. We went Wuppertal - Hattingen - Wuppertal.

There would have been some nice cafes in old railway stations, but due to Covid we took our own lunch.

Here is the other tunnel

#cycling

Cycling on an old railway line

Build to transport coal / iron from Hattingen to Wuppertal and Solingen where it all was turned into cutlery, knives and tools.

One of the tunnels, closed at night during parts of the year to protect the bats.

#cycling

We drove East to the Rhine, then followed it downriver, skipping some of the bends. Worringen, Zons, … until we hit the mouth of the river Erft. Wie followed the Eft upwards, going West. We left the Erft in Allerheiligen and turned south towards Knechtsteden Abey, then Home via the Chorbusch.

Sunny day, though not warm. Just short of 60 km.

#cycling