Getting Home.

 Getting home after a bike tour is always a concern. Halfway through the trip, when I felt a bit more confident about when I would finish I booked a flight home from Hamburg with Ryanair.

After reaching the Northernmost point I started riding back to the train station in pouring rain and a very nasty headwind. I had heard that the buses had bike racks, so I waited along with several other people for a bus that was due only to find out when it arrived that it didn't have a rack. So I cycled on a little further and waited at another stop and this time I was in luck. I was in a very happy mood as I looked at my bike firmly attached to the rack. The rest of the passengers looked rather unhappy, probably because their day out had been ruined by the weather!


I got back to my hotel for a quick shower, then headed out to the town of Husum I had cycled through the day before. I had a Friesland schnitzel and a nice brown beer to celebrate the end of the trip.


This is Duckstein Rotblond, brewed over beech chips. Apparently King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia named it his favourite drink in 1713.


The following day I made my way to Hamburg on the train. The journey was easy enough, although I had to make one change and due to a broken lift I had to lift my heavy bike and luggage down two flights of stairs. On the way to my hotel I visited a local bike shop and asked if they had a spare cardboard box and I arranged to pick this up the next day.
The box was massive (over 7 foot long), and I had to modify it a bit just to get it on the bus.


After more adjustments back at the hotel my back was nicely packed and ready to fly and I was free to do some tourism around Hamburg.



I went to visit the world's largest model railway exhibition at Miniatur Wonderland

It is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen and so realistic. I particularly liked seeing Germany in miniature and relating this to my trip. I certainly saw some impressive bridges like this.



I even spotted myself


My flight back to Stansted was delayed a little due to some drone activity at the airport, but yet again Ryanair did a great job in getting me and the bike home ok.

I also had my first cup of tea for 2 weeks. 


Thanks to Germany for a wonderful trip I will definitely be visiting again soon.

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