New York, New York

Der Blick geht vorerst nur nach oben: Wolkenkratzer sind so atemberaubend (manche jedenfalls). Eine Stadt der Wunder, leider mit wehem Fuss/Bein.

Unbedingt angetan hat es mir der Union Square Market, aber vor allem The Strand Bookstore.

For the time being, it's only looking upwards: skyscrapers are so breathtaking (at least some).

Love Union square with its market and the Strand bookstore, the most amazing bookshop I have ever seen.

P.S.

Please send Wurstsuppe!

Bye Bye!

This is where I dropped him off today, in beautiful Hingham. Cohasset is one of my favorite places on earth.

He helped me move this desk into the basement! I know he would want this photo to remember it.

Frank mit Blume

the truth about boston....

You’re probably thinking how impressive it is that Frank biked all that way, but let’s just say that there were a few days in the middle of this trip that were more like this:

eating lobster
nice hippies singing
roller skating
giant breakfasts
dinner unter den palmen with view of volcano
comedy show
shopping at the mall
white chocolate Nutella…

The most Rambo thing about the whole journey is that he managed to get back on that bicycle today! I thought it would be like when Odysseus can’t get his crew to leave the Lotus Eaters. Bon Voyage!!!!!!!!! Es war schön!!!!! Also, Danke for fixing my bike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Melde: Boston! - Telegramm for Map Readers

Apology: Internet access in Vermont/New Hampshire not possible +++ Only in Boston at Tanya Bezreh's (do visit her website!) I can write again +++ Mobile phone also not working outside Boston area, and sending text messages to e-mail addresses only worked in Germany...

General update on journey route: Montreal - St-Paul-de-Ile-aux-Noix (met really nice people from Montreal, saw Fort Lennox) - Rouse's Point (border) - Plattsburgh (Cumberland State Park, Camping) - Grand Isle - Burlington (spent a great night at the Open Mic event at Radio Bean, visited Local Motion, THE PLACE for cyclists - good advice and maps, eg. Rubel's Bike Maps) - Mt. Philo State Park (together with Lucas and Francis from Montreal, see their Blog: nickeletbucephale.unblog.fr) - Roger's Rock State Park (south of Triconderoga, on Lake George - met ex-GI in a diner in Triconderoga: "maybe be we should take over Canada", "we are not always right, but we have the heart at the right place" - saw Fort Triconderoga).
Triconderoga - Fair Haven (Bomaseen State Park, closed for the season, open for Frank) - Wells, Pawlet, Manchester, Jamaica State Park (nearly knee-killing hill after Manchester, hence a day of rest in Jamaica) - Brattleboro (true Hippie place), Richmond (private campsite on lake, impressive) - Townsend (Pearl Hill State Park, met Mary and Jack Cotie (84), Jack was former owner of Cotie's Cycles, did races in Montreal and elsewhere in the world, served in the war) - Boston.

Stories and perhaps pictures to come later, the project will continue after the journey ends +++ cycling initiatives impressive, excellent bike path into Boston: Minutemen Bike Path +++ Still don't like coffee in cardbord cups +++ A big, big thank you to all that helped me finding the way, notably Kate on the racing bike who helped me into Cambridge/Harvard Square and the three Montreal racers (2 ladies and a lad) who helped in getting it right on the way to Chambly! Also lots of thanks to Local Motion Burlington and Lou!

Wrong Street, Wrong Time

Never before was finding the right access to a city so important as in Montreal. Chose anything but St. Catherine street, and you are utterly lost in a maze of business buildings as charming as Londons banking district or La Defense in Paris - no beauty, no cries, no miracles.

Cycling through montreal helps a lot though, you get quicker from place to place and can discover the wonderful cycling infrastructure (absolutely visit "Mason des Cyclistes" (http://www.velo.qc.ca/fr/index.lasso?sm=m&page=maison) . One thing remains valid though: things seem to be concentrated in certain streets. Plenty of bars in Crescent street, another street packed with bars in the Latin Quarter - and next to these streets or in parallel streets not much to discover.

Most noteworthy: even in the middle of the week, eating places are packed with people, one likes to eat out and to enjoy the evenings. There is certainly an atmosphere, a certain spirit. But somehow I expected miracle...

PS: Saw "Le gendarm de St. Tropez" last night on the central cultual square of Montreal, a kind of equivalent to the Berlin Kulturforum. It was a free screening under the stars as part of the Montreal film festival (http://www.ffm-montreal.org/fr_index.html). Very good laugh!

Luftpolsterfolie or Boxing Day

Die Kiste fürs Rad steht in der Küche, die Bremsen sind nachgebessert, allerdings gegen ein nennenswertes Lehrgeld: Man sollte im Abstand von 2-3 Jahren die Bremshüllen wechseln, damit die Teflon-Schicht in der Bremshülle erhalten bleibt und die Reibung zwischen Bowdenzug und Bremshülle nicht zu groß wird (ein teures Extra)....

Heute wird nun das Rad in Luftpolsterfolie eingewickelt, für den Transport eingetütet und verschachtelt: Alles Runde muss ins Eckige, Fahrräder zu Ikea-Paketen - nur handlich wird weder dieses Paket noch die begleitende Reisetasche sein. Das Berliner Taxigewerbe wird's freuen.

Wenn auf dem Wege nicht alle Ideen wie die kleinen Luftpolsterblasen in der Folie zerplatzen, werde ich nicht nur viele bunte Bilder mit zurückbringen, sondern auch Impressionen und Berichte über das Fahrradfahren auf nordamerikanischen Straßen und die Lage der radelnden Klassen in Amerika. Der „Geist der Erweckung“ wird aufzuspüren sein: Wie fühlt sich das neue christliche Leben in Amerika vor Ort an, ist es zu feiern oder zu fürchten? Nicht zuletzt will ich die Neuheit und Größe Amerikas sehen, gerade dort wo das Land schon etwas älter ist.


Synopsis in English

Bicycle and box are ready, breaks work fine after fixing (extra costs incurred). Today is the day of putting the bike in the box, covering it with bubble wrap. The package will be too large to carry on public transport and a taxi will be needed.

Over all this hassle of packing up and getting ready, the research ideas should be kept in mind (they mustn't burst as the bubbles of the bubble wrap): Cycling and cyclists' movement in North America, the new Christianity in the US and the novelty and greatness of America. 

Before the journey

A box, I need a box for the black horse on which I will ride from Montreal to New York - and better shoes as well.

People in bicycle shops promise all sorts of things, but sometimes I am surprised of the outcome. A recent exchange of the breaks did not quite deliver the expected results, so what shall I make of the promise of a box for the bicycle?

Things ARE getting serious now because my journey to America will start on the 30st of August. Until then all the transport issues for the bicycle and the other items (panniers, sleeping bag, tent are all supposed to form ONE package for the airline) need to be sorted out.

But the How and Why of the planned cycling trip from Montreal to New York mustn't be forgotten, and this is what this blog is supposed to be good for. It should tell the story...