germany = cyclist heaven

I didn't grow up here, but is this not something that is done in Canada? We all had to take a test in primary school on how to ride a bike on the road.

We did in Ontario. They were called bike rodeos and were put on by the local police.

Forgot all about that till you posted!

not a lot of pics . . .

i just stood in awe of the koln dome . how the hell did they build that ?

other highlight of the trip : globetrotter , a five story sports only store , complete with a pool for testing water sports equipment . while we were there a scuba diving class was in progress . also featured a " cold box " for testing winter outer wear . really didn't see any better prices than what i can get here , except for a set of " globetrotter " branded ortlieb panniers which were approximately half what they cost here .

The cathedral in Cologne took quite some time to be built, centuries to be precise…and according to local legend the devil was involved as well. Technically speaking, they only had wooden structures, horses, man power and ropes and pulleys, nothing hydraulic at all. Check out Follet's "Pillars of the Earth" novel for an accurate description of the construction. And if you are digging such stuff, in France a team of people rebuild a castle with medieval technology only. Forgot the location, but a quick google search should bring up some info.

The mirror image of the heavenly Jerusalem. Did you go in there? Did you join a tour? Did you go up the spire?

The cathedral in Cologne took quite some time to be built, centuries to be precise…and according to local legend the devil was involved as well. Technically speaking, they only had wooden structures, horses, man power and ropes and pulleys, nothing hydraulic at all. Check out Follet's "Pillars of the Earth" novel for an accurate description of the construction. And if you are digging such stuff, in France a team of people rebuild a castle with medieval technology only. Forgot the location, but a quick google search should bring up some info.

The mirror image of the heavenly Jerusalem. Did you go in there? Did you join a tour? Did you go up the spire?

they are also building a medieval abbey here in the south, in messkirch exactly. only with the tools that were avaiable back then.

-[HTML_REMOVED] http://www.campus-galli.de/

time was very tight . . . we did spend time inside , but did not climb the spire .

the glass work inside is beyond words , however one of the most moving moments for me was to go down into the original foundation and put my hands into the rocks and dirt that some guy labored on hundreds of years ago .

i still can't even wrap my head around all the smaller sculptures that adorn the exterior . how do they carve that stuff and how do they replicate each of those with such accuracy ? the full size religious figures are each works of art in their own right .

that old archway from AD 50 roman empire time provides some interesting comparison / contrast .

i guess this stuff really hits me hard because i live in a place that didn't even have white people as little as 150 years ago . i mention this as a chronological comparison , not to diminish the lives and accomplishments of the people who lived here before .

i will be going back . . .

I didn't grow up here, but is this not something that is done in Canada? We all had to take a test in primary school on how to ride a bike on the road.

no. we're a long way from accessible and effective, let alone compulsory bike education for kids. the old world is way ahead of us her: a number of European countries have it, and its shown to keep ridership high and cyclists safe. there's a campaign slow-cooking to get this happening in bc: http://bccc.bc.ca/projects/right-to-bike/

my love of cycling began in earnest in germany. i was there in the 10th grade for a 4 month exchange; with only a year of german under my belt, going to class (other than maths and physics) was clearly a waste of time, so i borrowed a bike and explored the forest, town, suburbs etc. for hours every day. biking was a totally normal, convenient and safe way to get around, and i'm thankful that i've internalized that feeling

I didn't grow up here, but is this not something that is done in Canada? We all had to take a test in primary school on how to ride a bike on the road.

Nope.

Don't recall if we had one of those rodeo things in the 70's in Van. But probably did. But back then as far as I recall there used to be the family bike rides. And like most things in a child's life back then your parents taught you and expected you to do certain things. You know…ride on the right side of the road with traffic. And so on.

Did you also notice the right lane is for driving and the passing lane is gasp for passing? The tchermans, they know how to drive.

my love of cycling began in earnest in germany. i was there in the 10th grade for a 4 month exchange; with only a year of german under my belt, going to class (other than maths and physics) was clearly a waste of time, so i borrowed a bike and explored the forest, town, suburbs etc. for hours every day. biking was a totally normal, convenient and safe way to get around, and i'm thankful that i've internalized that feeling

I grew up outside the city, I've been riding my bike to friends houses for as long as I can remember. Add that the driving age is a bit older and it was basically the only way to get around in high school. That or wait for the bus.

Did you also notice the right lane is for driving and the passing lane is gasp for passing? The tchermans, they know how to drive.

As in the rest on Continental Europe.

From what I have been told drivers in Germany are failed no matter what on their first attempt at passing their drivers test. Also that all drivers are required to have first aid and to provide aid at an accident. According to my buddy it is in their laws.

As in the rest on Continental Europe.

From what I have been told drivers in Germany are failed no matter what on their first attempt at passing their drivers test. Also that all drivers are required to have first aid and to provide aid at an accident. According to my buddy it is in their laws.

No Chance. Never heard that one before.

A lot of people fail in the theory part, multiple choice and little pictures. The actual driving test is very strict and it depends on the examiner.

No Chance. Never heard that one before.

A lot of people fail in the theory part, multiple choice and little pictures. The actual driving test is very strict and it depends on the examiner.

Thanks for clarifying.

Now if we could just get our driver examiners as strict.

In Norway we were allowed to ride our bikes to school from 4th grade on. You did have to get your 'bike license' at school first. This involved an fairly large obstacle course and a simple written test on road rules.