Better bike lanes, fewer bookshops — the recent changes at Place Saint-Michel are a mixed bag. The bicycle lanes at Place Saint-Michel are now wider and better protected than I remember them from before the pandemic. This is typical of the improvements that have been made to the bicycle infrastructure Read More …
In September 2022, I logged into my Vélib’ account with the intention of buying my usual 7-day pass, only to discover that the 7-day pass had been replaced by a 3-day pass for the same price, € 15 at that time, now € 20. The elimination of the 7-day pass had apparently Read More …
The Place de la Bastille is one of several squares in Paris that have been completely rearranged in recent years, to reduce the amount of space devoted to motor traffic and increase the space allotted to pedestrians and cyclists. The July Column, at the center of the square, was previously Read More …
Cycling is a big recreational activity all around Lake Constance. Anywhere on the shore of this lake (I used to come to the German part several times a year) you see a steady stream of cyclists of all ages going by. You can cycle all around the lake, 250 kilometers, Read More …
All you loyal readers of my post on Mozart’s Così fan tutte in Freiberg might recall that in Germany there are “numerous place names ending in -berg (= mountain or hill) or -burg (= castle),” and for us poor foreigners it can sometimes be tricky to remember which is which. As I pointed out in Read More …
While cycling along the left bank of the Main River, near the town of Bürgstadt, I came across this assemblage which looked at first glance like a Rube Goldberg Machine. All sorts of tanks, towers and conveyer belts were creaking and cranking up and down in all directions, some dripping Read More …
Here is a typical scene along the Main River downstream from Wertheim. The things in the foreground that look like big mushrooms are actually moorings that the river barges can tie onto if they want to stop here for the night. On my bicycle tour in 2004, I stayed overnight Read More …
This street, which is called Mainkai, runs directly along the left bank of the Main River in the town of Marktheidenfeld. On this street there are several small hotels, pensions and restaurants. The name Marktheidenfeld means (or looks like it means) ‘Market-Heathen-Field’, although it has probably been at least a Read More …
The historic Old Town of Lohr is on the right bank of the Main River. It’s a good place to stop for lunch or a drink, or just to have a look around. One of the more fascinating little museums in this part of Germany is the School Museum on Read More …
At the northern edge of the town of Lohr we cross the 50th parallel of north latitude. There is a red line painted across the bicycle route at this point, with the number 50. Next to the bicycle route, the local chapter of the Social Democratic Party has set up Read More …