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| Typical scene for my phone on a timer photo 10seconds g! |
One - I was feeling bad I hadn’t been to visit my son in the year he has lived in Germany! Two - I was dreaming of a new bike, then I ordered it on impulse realizing I would need to make space ( there`s already six bikes in the garage) and also give the auld dear her last trip she has done thousands of miles, although I have replaced various small bits and bobs now she was getting to the stage of either a total overhaul or renewal, if she was to take me the places I wanted to go,
Then I don’t mind admitting things got a bit rushed I hatched a quick plan to go from home to Mannheim using trains and cycling up the Rhine, then go back out and collect my bike to cycle down the Danube to Bulgaria then leave the bike and fly home, A wee adventure some keep fit visit family all good, time scale? Training? Planning? Research? I didn’t give myself time to do much of any of that ! It had to be done soon or it would be possibly next year maybe never. definitely never for the auld dear the country traveler bike from Edinburgh cycle cooperatives replacement was on order! The time was now, I gave myself a kick up the ass and booked trains out! - BALL WAS ROLLING
The Danube was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire, today it flows through 10 countries, more than any other river in the world. Originating in Germany the Danube flows southeast for 2,850 km (1,770 mi),There is a cycle route called the EuroVelo six (EV6), with little blue squares like the Rhine route i followed, running around 3,653 km (2,270 mi) from the Atlantic coast of France to the city of Constanța on the Black Sea.
I am not going to have the time to start this route in France BUT! it follows almost the entire length of Europe’s second longest river, this is where I will be starting the EV6 in north Germany, where the Danube starts at Donaueschingen. having now researched the distance I don`t think i will make the terminating point at Constanța in the time that I have, (we shall have to wait and see)
I had my return flight to Frankfurt booked when i booked my flight home, I had`nt gave myself much time from getting back from work on Tuesday afternoon then flying out to Frankfurt on the Wednesday afternoon! I had compiled a list of things to pack that I had partially made while cycling the Rhine, It would need to be a quick pack up and go
I had been in contact with Cameron as he was heading of on holiday on the Friday, I had thought it was the Thursday, This was OK as i would now have Wednesday night and Thursday night with him in viernheim, with me planning to head of to the train station from his house on Friday morning. I looked into booking trains and perhaps the first nights accommodation but decided I would wait until i arrived and do it while in Mannheim possibly using the train station help desk, with a rough plan of possibly even getting some cycle miles done on Friday afternoon once I arrive at the start point?
You can never completely plan a trip like this regardless how much time you have things just change to throw your plans, i had gave myself very little planning time my mate Gary asked me via email what my plans were and very kindly offered to give me a lift to Glasgow airport which i gratefully accepted,
getting back from work on the Shetlands and out to Germany went in a flash! I left the office at 10AM on Tuesday morning got on a bus to Sumburgh airport then the little charter flight to Aberdeen, taxi at Aberdeen airport to the train station the usual routine bottles of beer from the shop for the train and a train station bar pint, boarded the 14:52 Glasgow train left Scot and Craig at Stirling they were getting the alloa train there i was heading to graemston, met poop and fletch as they boarded at larbert they were going to BTW for beers i joined them for a few too many! then went for my bus home it drove straight passed my stop so i opted to get a taxi to the bull, the usual quiz was cancelled as Laura`s son Bailey has had a bad accident he is all burned and was getting skin graft operations,
I woke on the Wednesday knowing i had lots of packing to do and had to go visit mum briefly Gary was punctual as usual and picked me up at 13:15 on the dot,he dropped me at Glasgow airport around 2pm so i had time for a spoons dinner and a couple of beers before boarding my 16:10 flight, it was an uneventful flight and my watch and phones automatically jumped to the one hour forward 7PM when i landed, I had refused Cameron`s offer of an airport pick up and opted for the 27euro ICE train into Mannheim from Frankfurt the airport is huge and has two train stations, I eventually found my platform and was on time for my train but because i couldn't read the German writing I couldn't see they had changed platforms for my train and i watched it leave from platform 4 while i was standing at platform 5! i waited 20 minuets for the next one, its only half an hour on the fast train which it proudly displayed was doing 200kmph, i got out the station and across the road to Murphy`s law Irish bar where Cameron had a pint of Guinness waiting for me the first of a few before we got the tram to veirnhiem
I am not going to have the time to start this route in France BUT! it follows almost the entire length of Europe’s second longest river, this is where I will be starting the EV6 in north Germany, where the Danube starts at Donaueschingen. having now researched the distance I don`t think i will make the terminating point at Constanța in the time that I have, (we shall have to wait and see)
I had my return flight to Frankfurt booked when i booked my flight home, I had`nt gave myself much time from getting back from work on Tuesday afternoon then flying out to Frankfurt on the Wednesday afternoon! I had compiled a list of things to pack that I had partially made while cycling the Rhine, It would need to be a quick pack up and go
I had been in contact with Cameron as he was heading of on holiday on the Friday, I had thought it was the Thursday, This was OK as i would now have Wednesday night and Thursday night with him in viernheim, with me planning to head of to the train station from his house on Friday morning. I looked into booking trains and perhaps the first nights accommodation but decided I would wait until i arrived and do it while in Mannheim possibly using the train station help desk, with a rough plan of possibly even getting some cycle miles done on Friday afternoon once I arrive at the start point?
You can never completely plan a trip like this regardless how much time you have things just change to throw your plans, i had gave myself very little planning time my mate Gary asked me via email what my plans were and very kindly offered to give me a lift to Glasgow airport which i gratefully accepted,
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| when you feel like telling the pilot he has flew passed Aberdeen! |
getting back from work on the Shetlands and out to Germany went in a flash! I left the office at 10AM on Tuesday morning got on a bus to Sumburgh airport then the little charter flight to Aberdeen, taxi at Aberdeen airport to the train station the usual routine bottles of beer from the shop for the train and a train station bar pint, boarded the 14:52 Glasgow train left Scot and Craig at Stirling they were getting the alloa train there i was heading to graemston, met poop and fletch as they boarded at larbert they were going to BTW for beers i joined them for a few too many! then went for my bus home it drove straight passed my stop so i opted to get a taxi to the bull, the usual quiz was cancelled as Laura`s son Bailey has had a bad accident he is all burned and was getting skin graft operations,
I woke on the Wednesday knowing i had lots of packing to do and had to go visit mum briefly Gary was punctual as usual and picked me up at 13:15 on the dot,he dropped me at Glasgow airport around 2pm so i had time for a spoons dinner and a couple of beers before boarding my 16:10 flight, it was an uneventful flight and my watch and phones automatically jumped to the one hour forward 7PM when i landed, I had refused Cameron`s offer of an airport pick up and opted for the 27euro ICE train into Mannheim from Frankfurt the airport is huge and has two train stations, I eventually found my platform and was on time for my train but because i couldn't read the German writing I couldn't see they had changed platforms for my train and i watched it leave from platform 4 while i was standing at platform 5! i waited 20 minuets for the next one, its only half an hour on the fast train which it proudly displayed was doing 200kmph, i got out the station and across the road to Murphy`s law Irish bar where Cameron had a pint of Guinness waiting for me the first of a few before we got the tram to veirnhiem
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