Yesterday was a holiday in Germany and Switzerland and I joined in the German custom of taking the bridge day off today to make a four day weekend. Following the great hike on Sunday I was looking for something to do this weekend involving some physical activity combined with socializing so decided to join a group of about 20 on a short cycling tour from Munich to the town of Aying, lunch in a beer garden there and then the return trip to Munich. It was estimated to be a 2 hour ride out and back plus a couple of hours lunch, so it worked in perfectly with plans to join a BBQ last night.
I got up early because my first step was to find a bike. No, I do not own a bike after over 3 years in Europe because quite honestly I didn't think I liked biking. I signed up a week ago for the DeutscheBahn CallaBike program. 5 Euros to sign up, and a few cents a minute to rent up to a flat rate per day, week or month.
I took the Ubahn to a spot where the online map indicated quite a few were strewn about, dialed the phone number on the bike, received my pin code and off I went to the meeting point at the Deutsches Museum.
A few highlights of the day:
70 Kilometers (against plan of 35 km)
12 Hours Out and About
3 Beer Gardens
Lost and Found (more than once)
Two Breakdowns
A Thunderstorm
German Stares
Stunning Views
Many, Many Laughs
I am thinking about buying a used bike for as great as the DB bike and system were, something a bit more lightweight would be nicer. I think I will go for a used Dutch bike with a big basket.
Today I am letting my butt recover from all the hours in the seat. Ouchie!
Posted from Munich
10 comments:
Terrific post! Yeah, get a Gazelle used-- the new ones are all made in Taiwan or someplace like that and the brakes don't work-- and a bike basket from the Zinsmayer firm.
And don't forget to put Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires on-- they are guaranteed not to puncture, which is great for riding over broken beer bottles!
what a marvelous day! is that hummus in the middle of the plate (next to the pretzel)?
Thanks for the tips, Vailian - I will start the search.
Aimee- the spread on the plate is a Bavarian specialty called Obatzda. It is a mix of Camembert cheese, Romadur cheese and butter plus some spices. Classic beer garden food and highly addictive!
Fiets niet nalaten me nu
How cool!!!! I'm a big bike fan and had 2 bikes while living in Switzerland.
Loved your photos from the trip. How cool is that!
We biked yesterday, only 30km to your big ride. If I would have been out with my group, I would have done about that...
One thing still puzzles me. How do you always manage to get back to Munich when I thought you'd be in Geneva now?
p.s. 4 day weekends rock. i had one last weekend.
Hi ET,
I am based in Munich always, regardless where my projects are. As such I am entitled to live there and go home every weekend, assuming I am not on a very long distance project (then its once every 4 or 8 weeks). The last year I decided to live project based (Cologne and Zurich) but in February I decided I didnt want that instability anymore so set up camp here in Munich again. Now I spend every moment I can here.
So you were one of the bikers I passed on the way to Aying? ;-)
For used bikes try http://www.dynamo-muenchen.de/ or http://www.secondhand-sport.de/.
Corregio, If you saw a big group of ragtag riders having too much fun, yes that was us :)
I had a good day, too! After a late breakfast because my staff decided to sleep in, I napped; Had an early dinner, and napped before going to bed. No time for riding!
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