Rad fahren

So Sunday I went for about a 3 ½ hour bike ride, around all the Radwege (bike paths) that they have in the area surrounding Jülich. It was pretty slow, all things considered, partly because my bike only has one gear, and partly because I was busy looking at all the sights and stopping to take pictures and all that. I think I covered 25 kilometers, give or take 5.

I had a map of the area around Jülich, and I attempted to do a loop through a number of towns, but I ended up never finding the path to Barmen from Tetz, so I just had to double back. Ah well, next time!

I started by biking by the side of the Rur River, which was really pretty. I stopped to watch a horse competition going on in a small park just outside of Jülich. I don’t think I’d ever seen anything like this in person, before today.
This poor horse didn’t have a good time of it after this hurdle – he refused to do the next jump, and instead cantered around agitatedly until his rider could calm him down.

I took a wrong turn after this, and spent the next 10 minutes bumping down a path that was simultaneously through a field and right by a highway – not a fun combination. I kept picturing cars flying off the highway and down the bank into the mud of the field around me. After some creative biking I finally found the path I wanted to be on, to the Baggersee. The Barmener Baggersee, I see now. I was so close to Barmen! How could I not find it afterwards?


The Baggersee, in all its unfortunately-named glory


Me by the Baggersee – just be glad you’re getting any pictures of me at all, folks. It’s not that the timer function on the camera is hard to use, it’s just that it’s extremely difficult to line up your shot when you have a choice of standing your camera on a park bench or a bike seat.
You cross the Rur River again almost immediately after you leave this lake, despite the fact that the two never connect. I heard that there’s an artificial lake somewhere around Jülich; maybe it’s this one. If it’s not, I doubt the two will be unconnected forever.

The pretty Rur River – I put a token Pooh stick in, but the river was unimpressed by my gesture and swallowed it.


The path off of the bridge


By the Rur River. To the untrained eye (or leg) this looks like a picture of nothing. Let me introduce you to Brennennesseln, “burning nettles”. I had the great luck of putting my hand in one when we were looking for a place to sit to watch the fireworks show, and then had the joy of about 10 minutes of burning pain after that. They’re everywhere around Jülich, too – it would seem, though the Germans have succeeded in cleaning up their forests, they have not eradicated this pest. That’s perhaps a testimony to its awfulness more than to the German desire to clean everything up.


The Radweg was dotted by these signs at every significant intersection, which was amazing.
But: see how Barmen is not on this sign? See? See? Vindication.


This is in Tetz. I admit, this picture doesn’t really adequately convey the “Twilight Zone” feeling this town had to me when I arrived. But the houses looked rather eerily like something you’d easily find in New Zealand, especially the gardens. But not exactly the same – in the uncanny valley of places I feel like I’ve seen before, but still aren’t completely familiar.


This was just a bit before Linnich, which off of my Jülich map (and was the point at which I decided I’d never encounter Barmen). Aw, little kids playing soccer! Laurie, are you doing soccer soon?


The trusty bike. Will tells me that this is the same exact type of bike that Albert Einstein had, and that the FSJ gave us these bikes to inspire us. I suppose if it’s good enough for Einstein, it is good enough for me as well.
I considered using the railing here to try another self-portrait, but I decided that the camera would be far too close to the river to attempt that.

On the bike back. I wonder if the cows did that?


Back on the outskirts of Jülich. I sat here and had some food and just listened to the river for a while. Then I tried another self-portrait. Bonus points if you can see the bike seat on the bottom right.