Belgium - Luxembourg - Germany - Four Country Vennbahn Cycle Tour 2022 Individual Self-Guided 8 Days / 7 Nights

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Belgium - Luxembourg - Germany - Four Country Vennbahn Cycle Tour 2022 Individual Self-Guided 8 Days / 7 Nights Netherlands - Belgium - Luxembourg - Germany - Four Country Vennbahn Cycle Tour 2022 Individual Self-guided 8 days / 7 nights In the summer of 2013 the ‘Vennbahn’, Europe’s longest and most beautiful continuous cross border cycle path (125 km) on disused railway tracks, was officially opened. The ‘Vennbahn’ (with an average climb of < 2%) passes through three different countries, from the German city of Aachen, near the Dutch border, via East Belgium to Troisvierges in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The route, which owes its name to the unique ‘High Fens’ nature reserve and has experienced an eventful history as the ‘Vennbahn’, has given a new purpose. The past glories of this once important railway link are still visible at various locations along the route, where panels with text and historic photos accentuate this theme. OK Cycle & Adventure Tours Inc. - 666 Kirkwood Ave - Suite B102 – Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1Z 5X9 www.okcycletours.com Toll Free 1-888-621-6818 Local 613-702-5350 Itinerary Day to Day Day 1: Arrival in Maastricht or s Gravenvoeren Check-in in your hotel. By way of a welcome we have arranged for coffee/tea and Limburg pie for you. Take some time today to enjoy the oldest town in the Netherlands. Day 2: Maastricht/´s Gravenvoeren - Eupen 60 or 47 km Soon after departure from Maastricht you are cycling in Belgium. Past 's-Gravenvoeren and Hombourg you cycle to Raeren, where in a castle a pottery museum is located. Continue your route to Eupen, the capital of the East Cantons. Enjoy the last 7 kilometers of today’s route ‘downhill’ direction Lake Eupen! Flickr.com Day 3: Eupen - Sankt Vith 61 km Remarkably, nearly all of today’s route is closed to motorized vehicles. Climb gradually to a height of 660m above N.A.P. level, enjoying the natural beauty of the High Fens. From Kalterherberg on, the route follows the ‘Vennbahn’ cycling path. It’s an easy ride past Sourbrodt marshalling yard to Waimes; and then past Montenau artisanal ham smoker to Sankt Vith. Day 4: Sankt Vith - Clervaux 52/56 or 32/36 + train On the way to Luxembourg, still on the ‘Vennbahn’ cycling path, don’t miss the castle ruins of Burg Reuland. Shortly after, cross the border into Luxembourg to reach Troisvierges. At this point, choose either to catch a slow train to Clervaux or to cycle a splendid route with some stiff climbs and delightful descents! Day 5: Clervaux - Bütgenbach 66/62 km Set off for the tripoint where Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany meet, near the village of Ouren. From there, cycle a lovely route through the Our Valley northwards past Schönberg. Leaving the River Our behind, climb to a height of 500 meters to enjoy wonderful views during the last stretch of the route to Bütgenbach. OK Cycle & Adventure Tours Inc. - 666 Kirkwood Ave - Suite B102 – Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1Z 5X9 www.okcycletours.com Toll Free 1-888-621-6818 Local 613-702-5350 Day 6: Bütgenbach - Aachen 68 km Take it easy today! You will cycle easily over the Vennbahn towards Aachen. Take a break in one of the lovely historical cities of Monschau or Kornelimünster. The last 30 km to Aachen are going downhill so you will have some energy left to admire the beautiful inner city of Aachen. Day 7: Aachen to Maastricht/´s Gravenvoeren 38/51 km On your final cycling day, head back from Aachen to Maastricht. The route in Holland you will follow the long distance cycling route LF 13. Enjoy the hills and beautiful panoramas of scenic southern Limburg. Visitluxembourg.com Day 8: Departure After a hotel breakfast, your holiday has come to an end. It’s time to make your own way home. OK Cycle & Adventure Tours Inc. - 666 Kirkwood Ave - Suite B102 – Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1Z 5X9 www.okcycletours.com Toll Free 1-888-621-6818 Local 613-702-5350 Route Technical Characteristics: Route Profile: Relatively Easy. You can expect a journey through hilly terrain with regular climbs, some of them strenuous even to the point of perhaps having to get off and push for a bit. Your bike will require at least ten gears. Daily cycling distances span 30-75 km. Distance: 300 – 347 km Travel Season: Departures Friday from June 5 to September 23, 2022 Departures also Thursday from July 1 to August 20 Season A: May 1 – June 30 and August 1 – September 30 Season B: July 1 – July 31 When Songfestival 2022 will take place in Maastricht, start on Songfestival dates will be in ‘sGravenvoeren OK Cycle & Adventure Tours Inc. - 666 Kirkwood Ave - Suite B102 – Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1Z 5X9 www.okcycletours.com Toll Free 1-888-621-6818 Local 613-702-5350 Price per Person in Euros: all prices subject to confirmation on booking Double occupancy with breakfast € 645.00 Surcharge Season B € 25.00 Single Supplement € 280.00 Surcharge Half Board € 228.00 Bike Rental 21/24 gear € 105.00 E-bike Rental € 160.00 Extra Nights Maastricht including breakfast € 65.00 Included: • 7 overnight stays in 3 star and 4 star hotels • Breakfast (buffet) • Coffee and pie in Maastricht on day 1 • Route description • Tourist information for on the road • Daily luggage transfer Not included: • Your outward and homeward journeys to and from Maastricht • Other meals • Insurance • Tourist tax OK Cycle & Adventure Tours Inc. - 666 Kirkwood Ave - Suite B102 – Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1Z 5X9 www.okcycletours.com Toll Free 1-888-621-6818 Local 613-702-5350 Bikes You will receive your rental bike at the start of your holiday and return it before you go home. All bikes are provided with chain locks. 24-speed gear Bike E-Bike Assisting people in realizing their touring dreams worldwide is our passion. www.okcycletours.com THIS IS A PARTNER TOUR FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT OK Cycle & Adventure Tours Inc. 666 Kirkwood Ave - Suite B102 – Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1Z 5X9 Toll Free 1-888-621-6818 Local 613-702-5350 TICO Ontario Registration No: 50022848 .
Recommended publications
  • NORTH RHINE WESTPHALIA 10 REASONS YOU SHOULD VISIT in 2019 the Mini Guide
    NORTH RHINE WESTPHALIA 10 REASONS YOU SHOULD VISIT IN 2019 The mini guide In association with Commercial Editor Olivia Lee Editor-in-Chief Lyn Hughes Art Director Graham Berridge Writer Marcel Krueger Managing Editor Tom Hawker Managing Director Tilly McAuliffe Publishing Director John Innes ([email protected]) Publisher Catriona Bolger ([email protected]) Commercial Manager Adam Lloyds ([email protected]) Copyright Wanderlust Publications Ltd 2019 Cover KölnKongress GmbH 2 www.nrw-tourism.com/highlights2019 NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA Welcome On hearing the name North Rhine- Westphalia, your first thought might be North Rhine Where and What? This colourful region of western Germany, bordering the Netherlands and Belgium, is perhaps better known by its iconic cities; Cologne, Düsseldorf, Bonn. But North Rhine-Westphalia has far more to offer than a smattering of famous names, including over 900 museums, thousands of kilometres of cycleways and a calendar of exciting events lined up for the coming year. ONLINE Over the next few pages INFO we offer just a handful of the Head to many reasons you should visit nrw-tourism.com in 2019. And with direct flights for more information across the UK taking less than 90 minutes, it’s the perfect destination to slip away to on a Friday and still be back in time for your Monday commute. Published by Olivia Lee Editor www.nrw-tourism.com/highlights2019 3 NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA DID YOU KNOW? Despite being landlocked, North Rhine-Westphalia has over 1,500km of rivers, 360km of canals and more than 200 lakes. ‘Father Rhine’ weaves 226km through the state, from Bad Honnef in the south to Kleve in the north.
    [Show full text]
  • For the SGGEE Convention July 29
    For the SGGEE Convention July 29 - 31, 2016 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada 1 2 Background to the Geography It is the continent of Europe where many of our ancestors, particularly from 1840 onward originated. These ancestors boarded ships to make a perilous voyage to unknown lands far off across large oceans. Now, you may be wondering why one should know how the map of Europe evolved during the years 1773 to 2014. The first reason to study the manner in which maps changed is that many of our ancestors migrated from somewhere. Also, through time, the borders on the map of Europe including those containing the places where our ancestors once lived have experienced significant changes. In many cases, these changes as well as the history that led to them, may help to establish and even explain why our ancestors moved when they did. When we know these changes to the map, we are better able to determine what the sources of family information in that place of origin may be, where we may search for them, and even how far back we may reasonably expect to find them. A map of the travels of German people lets me illustrate why it has become necessary to acquaint yourself with the history and the changing borders of Eastern Europe. Genealogy in this large area becomes much more difficult without this knowledge. (See map at https://s3.amazonaws.com/ps-services-us-east-1- 914248642252/s3/research-wiki-elasticsearch-prod-s3bucket/images/thumb/a/a9/ Germans_in_Eastern_Europe5.png/645px-Germans_in_Eastern_Europe5.png) In my case, the Hamburg Passenger Lists gave me the name of the village of origin of my grandmother, her parents, and her siblings.
    [Show full text]
  • GREENWAYS HERITAGE - WALLONIE : HISTORIC CANAL DU CENTRE Discover the Greenways and UNESCO World Heritage Sites by Bike
    GREENWAYS HERITAGE - WALLONIE : HISTORIC CANAL DU CENTRE Discover the Greenways and UNESCO World Heritage sites by bike. 15 packages very attractive and easy to ride, from 9 European Countries. What are you waiting for? Greenway UNESCO Site/s Country/s 1 Sierra de la Demanda Arqueological site of Atapuerca Spain 2 Ferrocarril Vasco Navarro Way of Saint James Spain 3 Montes de Hierro Vizcaya Bridge Spain 4 Ecopista de Guimaraes Guimaraes city Portugal 5 Ecopista Ramal de Mora Evora Historic Centre Portugal 6 Drampfross - Drahtesel Vienna Historic Centre Austria 7 Alpe - Adria Cividale del Friuli Udine Austria - Italy 8 Val Bembrana Bergamo Italy 9 Echternach City of Luxembourg: its Old Luxemburg Quarters and Fortifications 10 Flanders Beguinage Mechelen and Begijnhof Diest Belgium 11 Vennbahn Cathedral of Aachen Germany, Belgium, Luxemburg 12 Canal du Centre. Wallonie The Four Lifts on the Canal du Belgium Centre and their Environs 13 Boom - Mechelen Beguinages de Mechelen Belgium 14 Riga - Ergli Rīga Old Town and Strūve Latvia geodetic arc 15 Sázava Greenway Žďár nad Sázavou (Zelena Hora Czechia Pilgrimage Church) Project partners: The archaeological site of Atapuerca is a World Heritage Site - SPAIN DESCRIPTION ITINERARY The mining railroad of the Sierra de la Day 1, arrival in Burgos with time to visit Demanda was built in the last years of the Museum of Human Evolution and the nineteenth century and barely the old town. Day 2, we will start the worked until 1904. Perhaps its railway day with a visit to the Atapuerca site, life was short, but its roads are still trav- UNESCO heritage and "cradle of hu- I’m Francisco, I’ll be waiting for you in the eled nowadays and take us into a large manity".
    [Show full text]
  • Zwischen 1948 Und 1953 Blühte an Der Deutsch-Belgischen Grenze Der Kaffeeschmuggel
    7-MÜTZENICH Mützenich, das Dorf an der „sündigen Grenze“ Zwischen 1948 und 1953 blühte an der deutsch-belgischen Grenze der Kaffeeschmuggel. In Geschichtsbüchern hielt dieses Stück Nachkriegsgrenze als „Aachener Kaffeefront“ Einzug. Kaffee war in deutschen Haushalten begehrt. Doch er war sehr, sehr teuer, die Steuern auf das koffeinhaltige Heißgetränk hoch. Begünstigt wurde der Kaffeeschmuggel nicht nur durch das Preisgefälle zwischen Belgien und Deutschland, sondern auch durch günstige Rahmenbedingungen wie der durch die Grenzziehung der Vennbahn geschaffenen En- bzw. Exklaven. Mützenich, damals eine deutsche Exklave auf belgischem Staatsgebiet, lag im Zentrum der Schmuggellinien. Es ging als Dorf an der „sündigen Grenze“ in die deutsche Zeitgeschichte ein. Ein Dorf mit Sinn für „goldige“ Ideen Mützenich liegt nahe am Steling, mit 658 Metern die höchste Erhebung der Städteregion Aachen. Der erste urkundliche Nachweis des Dorfes ist mit 1361 datiert. Auf seinem Gemeindewappen prangt ein Römerhelm, nachdem ein solcher Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts beim Torfstechen entdeckt wurde. Um die Kopfbedeckung der Mütze drehen sich auch die Deutungen des Ortsnamens. Im Dorflied "e Dörpsche lid im Monscher Land" („Ein Dörfchen liegt im Monschauer Land“) wird für den Ortsnamen der hier nicht seltene strenge Westwind verantwortlich gemacht. Dieser fegte den Bewohnerinnen und Bewohnern immer wieder die Mützen davon, "un daropp ewischlisch, häisst dat Dorp nu Mötzenisch!" Für eine andere Interpretation wird mit einigem Augenzwinkern gleich Karl der Große zitiert: Als ihm einer seiner Bediensteten auf der Bettstatt liegend eine Kopfbedeckung angesichts herrschender Kälte reichte, soll er diese mit „Mütze nich“ zurückgewiesen haben. Schulgebäude, Kirche und Pfarrhaus wurden erst im 19. Jahrhundert errichtet. Seit dem 1. Januar 1972 ist Mützenich ein Teil der Stadt Monschau.
    [Show full text]
  • How to Tell European Stories? on Bike-Trails
    CYCLING FOR ALL Developing successful cycle tourism products for everyone How to tell European Stories? On Bike-Trails Mag. Ernst Miglbauer Invent-Büro OÖ (Austria) www.invent.or.at III EuroVelo, Greenways and cycle tourism Conference Vienna 14th October 2016 Ernst Miglbauer I invent Büro OÖ (Austria) • Consulting in cycle-tourism since the late eighties • Projects I expertises I studies (Austria, Germany, Belgium, France) • Key-competencies Strategies Product development Markets Communication Economic impact of cycling Quality management • Presentations, lectures and workshops in European Countries; • Publications: travel magazines as scientific literature • Passionate cyclist Storytelling Understanding Negative definition ≠ Pure teaching of history, interpretation of genesis of landscapes etc. ≠ Pure telling of fairy tales ≠ Only presentation of themes along routes (information boards etc.) Essential Kind of communication with long traditions (seemen, South Africa etc.) Dissemination of explicite and implicite knowledge (metaphores) by … wildeshausen ... Involvement of the audience gymnasium Connectability: Stories are connectable for very many © people resp. guest and cyclists - regardless their origin; Shareability: Stories take reference to experiences of life, wisdoms, wise old sayings, ironies of history; Conviviality: creating an atmosphere for exchange between locals, guides and guestes; Structure • Storyline(s) – Substories (interlinking stories) Example Storytelling - Vennbahn 3 Themes for the Storyline The mutation
    [Show full text]
  • 8-KALTERHERBERG Ruitzhof, an Idyllic Piece of Germany in Belgium
    8-KALTERHERBERG Ruitzhof, an idyllic piece of Germany in Belgium The hamlet of Ruitzhof lies at the confluence of the Rur and the Schwarzbach. A few houses and a couple of farms form the village on its single, little-travelled street. From “Eifel-Blick” (Eifel view), a panorama on the western edge of the hamlet, you can see across the tops of trees to the “Eifel Cathedral”, Kalterherberg church. Down in the valley, at the hamlet’s frontier to Kalterherberg, the Vennbahn used to steam through. Today, Ruitzhof is an idyllic corner; one feels as if one were on an island, far from the bustling world with its hurry and deadlines. In the case of Ruitzhof, this island sensation is no mere fancy, but derives from a real cartographic peculiarity. The hamlet is one of six remaining German exclaves, this one cut off from its motherland by the ribbon of sovereign Belgian territory that carries the Vennbahn embankment. First an explanation: Enclave or exclave? Whether enclave or exclave depends on your territorial point of view. “Enclaves” are pieces of a state’s territory that are surrounded by the territory of another state, with no obvious access to either their parent state or the high seas. The term “exclave” is the same zone, but seen from the point of view of the parent state from which it is territorially separated by another sovereign authority. According to these definitions, Ruitzhof is simultaneously a German enclave intruded into Belgium (from the Belgian point of view) and an exclave of Germany surrounded by Belgium (from the German point of view).
    [Show full text]
  • Greenways a European Initiative
    Greenways a European Initiative Mercedes Muñoz, European Greenways Association, Director - [email protected] www.aevv-egwa.org European Greenways Association EGWA was created in 1998 in Namur (Wallonia, Belgium). Aim: inventory and encourage the creation and promotion of Greenways in Europe. > 50 members from 16 countries Secretariat and executive seat in Madrid (Spain). EGWA MEMBERS Greenways Independent non- motorized routes, mainly using disused railways and canal towpaths. Safe, accessible and very attractive Easy access to areas of outstanding natural beauty (e.g. mountainous areas, by way of tunnels and viaducts). Whatever your age or physical condition. With family, friends or individually: greenways offer great facilities for cycling and hiking safely, all year round. Greenways: an asset for sustainable tourism Gradients less than 3 %, rectilinear tracks, wide curves. Exceptional and respectful access to nature, due to the use of preexisting infrastructures integrated into the landscape allowing movement around the countryside, offering enjoyment of the culture and history of Europe. Greenways: great infrastructure for cycle tourism Upward trend in cycling tourism What EGWA does? Awards Conferences Observatory Greenways Day / European Mobility Week Best Practices Guides, European projects information exchange, networking, cooperation, advise, lobbying, (...) Biennaly: European Greenways Awards 2003. I EGA was handed by Environmental Commissioner Margot Wallström. (Brussels). 8th EGWA 2017. Limerick (IR) In cooperation with Limerick CCC. Consolidation of the greenways concept and its expansion throughout Europe Greenways are a European initiative EGWA Projects REVER AMNO/MED (1999-2001/2002-2004): creation of a transnational, traffic-free European Greenways Network (REseau Vert EuRopéen, REVER). Greenways4Tour (2011-2012): promote sustainable tourism through the greenway network.
    [Show full text]
  • B-Solutions FINAL REPORT by the EXPERT
    Managed by the Association of European Border Regions by an Action Grant (CCI2017CE160AT082) agreed with the Directorate General of Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission. Financed by the European Union. b-solutions FINAL REPORT BY THE EXPERT Advice Case: Tackling cross-border obstacles regarding E-bike sharing infrastructure Advised Entity: Ministry of the German-speaking Community, BE Expert: Jan Oostenbrink Table of Content: 1. Introduction 2. Cross-border e-bike sharing structure, state of the art 3. Specific background information about the four northern municipalities and Fahr mit 4. Format With Questions I. Description Of The Obstacle II. Indication Of The (Legal/Administrative) Dispositions Causing The Obstacle III. Description Of A Possible Solution IV. Pre-Assessment Of Whether The Case Could Be Solved With The ECBM V. Other Relevant Aspects To This Case VI. Appendix Managed by the Association of European Border Regions by an Action Grant (CCI2017CE160AT082) agreed with the Directorate General of Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission. Financed by the European Union. 1. Introduction In recent years, the interest in the development of (cross-border) mobility in the German-speaking Community of Belgium (also known as the Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft Belgiens, www.ostbelgieninfo.be) has increased. In 2018 an extensive study on multimodality in rural areas in the German-speaking Community was performed, in the form of a Master's thesis. This study showed that there are many opportunities for further mobility development. Furthermore, a cross-border INTERREG V A project "EMR Connect" (Euregio Maas-Rijn Connect), between the border regions of Belgium (including the German-speaking Community), Germany and the Netherlands, treating the development of (cross-border) mobility, is carried out.
    [Show full text]
  • Die Vennbahn Und Ein Kurioser Grenzverlauf
    Die Vennbahn und La « Vennbahn » et De “Vennbahn” en ein kurioser Grenzverlauf son tracé frontalier insolite een merkwaardig grensverloop A a c Op 28 juni 1919 ondertekende het verslagen Duitsland het verdrag van Versailles. Daarin werd o.a. Am 28. Juni 1919 unterzeichnete das besiegte Deutschland den Versailler Vertrag. Darin wurde u.a. h e festgehalten, dass Deutschland das Gebiet von Neutral-Moresnet sowie die Kreise Eupen und Malmedy Raeren n gesteld dat Duitsland het gebied van Neutraal-Moresnet, evenals de districten Eupen en Malmedy aan an Belgien abtritt. Auch die rund 28,5 km lange Eisenbahnschleife zwischen Raeren und Kalterherberg België afstond. Ook de ongeveer 28,5 km. lange spoorlijn tussen Raeren en Kalterherberg kwam aan fiel an Belgien, doch die fünf Gebiete des Kreises Monschau westlich davon blieben unter deutscher Münsterbildchen België, maar de vijf gebieden van het district Monschau ten westen ervan bleven onder Duits bestuur Hoheit – ein ungewöhnliches Grenzgebilde, das wohl in Europa seines gleichen sucht. – een ongewone grensconstructie, die in Europa haar gelijke niet kent. Der hiesige Bahnhof lag bis dahin auf Kaltherherberger Gebiet. Der Breitenbach, der auf Höhe des Raerener Wald Stellwerks unter dem Bahndamm in die Rur floss, bildete bis 1920 die Grenze zwischen den Bürger- Petergensfeld Het station hier lag tot dan op het grondgebied van Kalterherberg. De Breitenbach, die ter hoogte meistereien Bütgenbach (Kreis Malmedy) und Kalterherberg (Kreis Monschau). Da der Bahnhof nun Roetgen van het seinhuis onder de spoorwegdam in de Roer uitkomt, vormde tot 1920 de grens tussen de aber belgisch wurde, verschob man die Grenze (die nun zur Staatsgrenze wurde) im Bereich des Bahn- O s t h e r t o g e n w a l d burgemeesterijen Bütgenbach (district Malmedy) en Kalterherberg (district Monschau).
    [Show full text]
  • Vennbahn Combination Bicycle Holiday - 10 Dagen
    Five Country Meuse – Vennbahn Combination Bicycle Holiday - 10 dagen DUTCH BIKETOURS - EMAIL: [email protected] - TELEPHONE +31 (0)24 3244712 - WWW.DUTCH-BIKETOURS.COM Five Country Meuse – Vennbahn Combination Bicycle Holiday 10 days, € 835 Introduction Two beautiful routes along the Meuse River and the Vennbahn Rail Trail are the basis for a “Tour d’Europe” starting and finishing in Maastricht, the town where the foundations were laid for the European Union with the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. The International Meuse Route is a bicycle route along the meandering River Meuse (or Maas as it is known in Dutch) between Maastricht in the Netherlands and the French town of Sedan which boasts Europe’s largest castle. In cooperation with: Day to Day Day 1 Arrival in Maastricht/‘s-Gravenvoeren - Liège (B) 35 km Your trip starts in Maastricht (the oldest town in the Netherlands) or nearby in Lanaken, depending on availability. Free parking at the start hotel. By way of a welcome we have arranged for coffee/tea and Limburg pie for you, to get your energy up for the trip ahead (drop off luggage at the hotel before 1 p.m.). When you’re ready, set off on the first leg of your bike tour: from Maastricht to Liège, aka the “fiery city”. On the way to Belgium you will follow the River Jeker (which flows into the River Meuse at Maastricht) to the picturesque village of Kanne. Shortly after, take a look at the boats going through the locks at Ternaaien/ Lanaye, 225 m long and 25 m wide.
    [Show full text]
  • Cycling Routes Case Study
    Cycling Routes Case Study The Vennbahn Cycle Route September 2016 1 1. CONTEXT Cycling tourism is becoming a more organised and prominent sector of global travel. It is broadly defined as ‘recreational visits either overnight or day visits away from home, which involve leisure cycling as a fundamental and significant part of the visit’.1 Holidays and day trips by cycle are often categorised as a Registered Annual Great Bicycle Ride sustainable tourism product. Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) RAGBRAI is the longest, largest and This review focuses specifically on travel oldest bicycle touring event in the world. It between places by bicycle for leisure started as a casual ride across Iowa in purposes. Sustrans, the UK transport charity, 1973. Now each year, riders come from all sub-divides the market for cycling tourism as around the USA and several foreign follows: countries to ‘experience the sights and sounds, the food and hospitality of the Cycling holidays – cycling duration involves friendly people of Iowa’. The ride is so one night or more away from home and popular that officials have now limited the cycling is the principal purpose of the number of week-long riders to 8,500 for holiday. It can be centre based or as a tour safety reasons. involving staying at different places. A cycling holiday can also be sub- In 42 years, RAGBRAI has passed through categorised into an organised package or 780 Iowa towns, spent the night in 125 independent tour. different overnight towns and with Holiday cycling – this involves day cycle completion of the 25th ride in 1997, has been in all of Iowa’s 99 counties.
    [Show full text]
  • Fire and Steam in Raeren Read More
    3-RAEREN Fire and Steam mark the history of Raeren By the mid 19 th century, more and more steam trains traversed the nations of Europe. Belgium was the continental pacemaker for this new era. Steam engines were already frightening, fiery apparitions to the people of the time. Steam locomotives that moved along steel rails were monstrous. But prior to the arrival of the railway, fire and steam had long been confidants of the denizens of Raeren. They were the necessary partners in the manufacture of Raerener Stoneware, which was once known throughout Europe. And yet in 1850, 15 years after the first steam train on the continental mainland puffed its way from Brussels to Mechelen, 35 years before the first Vennbahn trains rolled from Aachen Rothe Erde via Raeren to Monschau, the embers of the last Raeren pottery oven glowed for the last time. With the blessing of Parson Franz Josef Sünn, a major piece of Raeren’s past finally became ... history. Raeren, a vital hub of the Rhineland potters’ art Rhineland’s potters were once numbered among the best and most successful in Europe, possibly in the world. One of the hubs of pottery production was the village of Raeren. Further to the East could be found the pottery towns of Frechen, Langerwehe, Siegburg and Montabur in Westerwald. A revolutionary new shape was responsible for the pole position of the Raerener potters from the second half of the 16 th century, when more rigorous architectural shapes and proportions began to displace the previously rotund jugs. The new cylindrical central part of the “Stein” made it possible to decorate with friezes and images in relief instead of only medallions and heraldic arms.
    [Show full text]