Day 11 - Grevenmacher

Don't let the headline fool you into thinking we didn't go anywhere on this day. We did, we went to France for lunch!

Having settled in on our first night in Grevenmacher, we took a look at the map. I still had one more day left, and the French border seemed so incredibly close. We decided that, if the weather in the morning would appear to be at least somewhat decent, to leave our tents, trailers and packs behind to go for a legstretcher into yet another country.

Setting out around 10, with all our valuables stuffed into jersey pockets and Sergej's small yet spacious backpack, we soon realised we were in for some rain after all. After 16 km it started and quickly turned into a downpour, complete with lightning so close you barely saw the flash before a deafening boom crackled through the sky. Having first sought shelter at a bus stop, we got cold since we were already soaking wet. Instead we continued for a kilometer or so until we found a cafe where we could get something warm to drink. Having each had a cup of both coffee and tea, we waited until the rain stopped, squeezed the water out of our gloves and hit the road again as the clouds scattered to give us sunshine once again. Above Schengen, where Luxembourg, Germany and France meet, the sky was as blue as could be. In the roundabout, which is actually in Germany, we said "We're hungry, let's go to France!"

The first town, barely 3 km south of the border, is Sierck. We immediately started to look for a restaurant, only to find that the first one we saw had already stopped serving lunch. Still very hungry, and wet from the rain earlier, we followed the main road to the next place where we could sample the local cuisine. What looked quite simple from the outside turned out to be a luxurious restaurant, with a waiter wearing a suit and tie opening the door when we climbed the steps. Bonjours were exchanged and we were led to a table set for four. Two sets of plates and cutlery silently disappeared and we were handed menus in heavy binders, followed by a polite inquiry if we cared for an aperitive. The prices in the menu were somewhat out of our league, so when the Perrier was served S asked if we could have only salad and bread. We then got the most carefully presented salad either of us had seen, and a basket of bread that was quickly exchanged for a new one as soon as it emptied. I also chose to sample a glass of a local wine, which I found to be so good that when we rolled out of town again, I bought a whole bottle at a wine store halfway to the border.

Being computer geeks, at the roundabout we didn't immediately cross the bridge back into Luxembourg, choosing instead to make a very short stop at the city limits of a town called Perl. In Schengen (Lux) we stopped to fix a puncture I most likely had while still in Germany. With a new tube and a patch to cover a cut in my rear tyre, we raced down the Mosel with the wind helping us stay well above 30 kmh most of the way.

On reaching Grevenmacher we sought out a supermarket and bought some food. Our friendly neighbours in a camping trailer let us charge S's camera and my phone while we had dinner. As I had to get up early in the morning to reach Trier in time to catch a train to Rostock, we quieted down a bit sooner than the night before.

I'm now already on the train, the end of my adventure drawing near. I will, however, always remember this chilly morning, with the misty Mosel valley slowly waking up to a new day as I rode into the rising sun.

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Today: 80,38 km, 3h4m59s, 26,07 kmh avg, 58,1 kmh max. Tour total: 1006,25 km.

Day 10 - Grevenmacher

"He's going the distance! He's going for speed!" (CAKE - The Distance). Today has been an amazing day. We did, however, get some rain as soon as we started riding. After about 7 km it got so bad that we stopped at a bus shelter for almost two hours. Our judgement that it was only a quick summer rain turned out to be correct, though, and soon we had sunshine through scattering clouds.

We had to climb some hills today as well, but they were only a few and far from anywhere near as steep as the ones in Belgium. And after that it was easy sailing along the Our and the Sauer. We spent most of today's saddle time cruising at or above 30 kmh, following the rivers downstream.

Someone in Luxembourg has at some point in history been very clever. At least from what I have seen yesterday and today, they seem to have captured some of the most beautiful and arable land in the region and managed to keep it for themselves.

Having had lunch in a stonewalled bus shelter in Bittel, just south of Vianden, we climbed the second hill of the day on the road up to Fouhren. From there it was more downhill cruising to the next major town on our border hugging route, Echternach, which was really nice. I withdrew some cash since I was almost out and then we took the time to have cappuchino at a café on the market square. A few postcards also found their way to a mailbox. The buildings around the square were mostly old and very beautiful. Tourist pics snapped with a compact can not even begin to convey the atmosphere of this place.

Upon reaching Wasserbillig where the Sauer flows into the Mosel, we bought some food and started looking at the map to figure out where we needed to go to find a place to spend the night. The only markings for campsites were on the German side, so we searched for a bridge nearby but couldn't find one. Luckily there was a ferry (if you've been in Turku, think Föri with a capacity for 4-6 cars) and then we were in Germany again. Unfortunately we took a wrong turn and headed away from the campsites we were trying to reach. Instead we found a bridge across the Mosel, back into Luxembourg, about 6 km south of were we crossed with the ferry. So yes, we hopped over the border, again, and are now spending a night within Luxembourg, yet only across a river from Germany. We even took photos of a German vineyard, while standing in another country, waiting for our dinner too cook.

We have a few options to choose from tomorrow, but either way it will be my last day of riding on this tour. On saturday morning I have to be in Trier if I'm to make it to Rostock in time fore the ferry back to Finland and the end of this adventure.

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Today: 91,67 km, 3h46m22s, 24,30 kmh avg, 59,9 kmh max.
Tour total: 925,64 km.

Day 9 - Vallée de l'Our

We're not in.. No, I used that one in my last post. Yesterday we crossed yet another border, this time into Luxembourg. Last night we staid at a campsite on Luxenbourg's eastern border, right on the river Our.

Yesterday morning was really chilly, and we hadn't really paid any attention to where we put our tents. This meant that even when the sky cleared and the sun came out, the tents were still wet from the mist. We were also late getting up, and with breakfast and packing taking their fair amount of time we got on the road at about 10.40.

Our first stop was the Spa/Francorchamps circuit, which meant we had to mostly climb for almost 6 km, some parts of which were rated at 8%. Before reaching the track we also got to fly down almost 3 km of a similarly rated descent, with me breaking my all time speed record on a bike (66,6 kmh). All this of course with the loaded BOB trailers in tow. The manufacturer has put a warning sticker on the trailer saying not to exceed 40 kmh. Oh well..

Going back towards Malmédy had us climbing the same hill from the other direction and then cruising into town at speeds around 50 kmh. Once there our first task was to find a bike shop and after asking around some we did. The mech was on lunch break and since it was already well after 12, we chose to also have lunch in a small park across the street while my bike was in the shop. With food in our stomachs and a shiny new spoke in my rear wheel, we went south, direction Luxembourg.

A final note on Belgium: Sergej told me even before we left Bonn that the Belgian roads would be bad. And believe me, a lot of them were. If the Belgians bother to put up a sign saying "route dégradée", boy do they mean it. And the distance mentioned on the sign often only tells you how far away the next one is.

After we had shook hands at the border the hills got less steep and the landscape offered a wider view of our surroundings. We stopped near Marnach to buy some food and then rolled down into the Our valley. Following the river, with Germany on the other side, we didn't have to go far to find this campsite. Now that we've enjoyed a nice breakfast with tea, bread, eggs and apricots, we're just about ready to hit the road again. Do we have time to pop into France? There's only one way to find out.

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Today: 83,12 km, 4h17m30s, 19,37 kmh avg, 66,6 kmh max.
Tour total: 833,95 km.