Well, truth be told, this was a Brittany–Channel Islands–Normandy tour, the planning of which ended up being just as epic as it sounds. The biggest reason for this was the tour involved ferries, and one of those ferries (I’m looking at you here, Manche-Îles) abruptly changed their stated policy on transporting bikes *after* I hadContinue reading “Scrambling: A Normandy Bike Tour, Part 1”
Category Archives: goldeneagle
Mauerradweg: Südroute
This was the final, longest, and hardest stage of my circuit of the Mauerradweg. I rode 70 km from Wannsee to Warshauerstraße and would not recommend doing that. Not because it’s boring or unattractive: there are stunning lakes and villas, sweeping field views, lovely forests, beer gardens, canals, parks, and interesting urban sites. But thisContinue reading “Mauerradweg: Südroute”
Tarbes and the Haute-Pyrénées
I visited my friend Marie this weekend at her new place in Tarbes, and since the weather favored us, we were able to take a drive up the valley to the Col du Tourmalet, alongside riders training for the Tour de France (either professionally or enthusiastically). Then, we went down the west side of theContinue reading “Tarbes and the Haute-Pyrénées”
Mauerradweg: West Route
The vast majority of this 50km stretch (not counting the ferry crossing of the Wannsee) of the Mauerradweg meanders through rural landscapes: along maybe a dozen of Brandenburg’s 3,000 lakes and through lush meadows, shady timber plantations, and wilder forests of birch and beech. There are even a couple of *gasp* steep hills (short ones,Continue reading “Mauerradweg: West Route”
Mauerradweg: Stadtroute
I determined soon after I arrived in Berlin that I wanted to ride the entire perimeter of the former Wall (die Mauer): there’s a well-signed route that circles the whole thing. And since I’m starting a bike tour in Brittany and Normandy next weekend, I figured it was high time to get my butt inContinue reading “Mauerradweg: Stadtroute”
36 Hours in Amsterdam
I know, it’s not enough…but it’s what I had: and it’s only coincidentally named after the New York Times article series (they do 36 waking hours; mine was total). The first order of business was to get a reservation at the Rijksmuseum because I have loved Vermeer and the other Dutch Interior painters since IContinue reading “36 Hours in Amsterdam”
Berlin is Awesome, Exhibit B: A-ha and ATEEZ
Basically, what I’m arguing here is that if you live in Berlin, the world comes to you. Within the space of less than a week, I saw two bands from far-flung shores–one from Korea and one from the 1980s–at a stadium less than a mile from my house. And the second concert I didn’t evenContinue reading “Berlin is Awesome, Exhibit B: A-ha and ATEEZ”
Berlin is Awesome, Exhibit A: Der Kegel & RAW Gelände
I’ve been meaning to do this for a while–try to document the reasons why Berlin is the best city I’ve ever lived in and certainly in the top 10 I’ve ever been to. This is maybe a weird place to start for most people, but I wanted to start with the climbing gym in myContinue reading “Berlin is Awesome, Exhibit A: Der Kegel & RAW Gelände”
Rear Window: Berlin Edition
So, its been a couple of months now, and while I haven’t met many of my neighbors–I find Berliners keep mostly to themselves other than the forced ritual of having the DHL guy leave packages with you for other people who then show up sheepishly at your door at 9 pm to collect them–that hasn’tContinue reading “Rear Window: Berlin Edition”
Copenhagen
Last weekend my friends David and Lindsey invited me up to the little converted barn they’re renting on a farmer’s property near Ringsted, about forty minutes outside Copenhagen. The farmer actually cultures willows into fantastic yard sculptures, and the property is beautiful. It backs onto a beechwood that contains a Viking tumulus–an old one, asContinue reading “Copenhagen”
The Rookery 