Travel report: Cycling tour in East Frisia, July 2021
From our guests Sandra, Ilja and Lisa
After a nice cycling vacation around Lake Constance, in the Altmühltal and on the Mosel with Radweg-Reisen it should go this year to the North Sea. This time we deliberately chose a trip to the North Sea, hoping to be able to jump into the sea (unfortunately, the North Sea was too cold, so that only our feet were allowed to cool down).
Day 1, Arrival:
On 24.07.2021 the time had finally come. Three of us arrived, with two bikes and three suitcases, by car at the starting hotel in Emden. Two bikes from the Palatinate were allowed to sniff sea air. A third bike was rented. It should be like the two palatinate bikes an E-Bike. After all, it was supposed to be a vacation and not a training session. Excited about the first hotel, we were pleasantly surprised. It was located directly "at the Delft" in the immediate vicinity of the pedestrian zone of Emden. The breakfast terrace and the breakfast buffet were great. We enjoyed salmon, sparkling wine and various rolls with a direct view of "the Delft". We were especially pleased that the Otto Museum was within walking distance. We like Otto and his movies and were already allowed to see a live performance, so this museum was a must for us (now in times of Corona it really makes sense to reserve an entrance time in advance). Before we went to the info meeting of the organizer and the associated bike pickup later in the evening, we first strengthened ourselves with a fish roll at the "Emder Heringslogger". Here we could see queuing hungry people during the whole stay. As expected, it was very tasty. During the late evening stroll through the pedestrian zone, we were able to grab a nice seat for our dinner at the Greek restaurant "Olymp" spontaneously.
Day 2, lets start with the discovery tour:
Rested, we left for the ferry to Borkum early the next morning. Not a vacationer-friendly time, but you can still doze a little on the ferry. The departure was already announced at 08.00 o'clock. We had two nice hours on the ferry. Here you can make yourself comfortable with another coffee or the second breakfast. It is worth to be early on the ferry to get a desired seat inside or outside. Quickly queues formed at the kiosk and the waitress had to fight to appease all thirsty and hungry guests. Arrived on Borkum, we let the island work on us for about 30 kilometers on the bikes. It was a great day. On the way we had bought a picnic for the beach in a supermarket. Unfortunately, it was only around 20 degrees, but that was enough to lie on the beach and enjoy the sun's rays and our snacks. Afterwards, it was a must for us on the island to look for at least one geocache. Caching is a hobby for us, which accompanies us on all trips and can be easily combined with bike trips or hiking. The first logbook was quickly signed.
Our ferry went back again around 5 p.m. When we arrived at the hotel in Emden and had a short rest, we started looking for a restaurant. We quickly found what we were looking for near the hotel. This time our way led us to the restaurant "Aurora", a nice little Italian restaurant with nice outdoor seating. Just as we were paying, a thunderstorm came up. The nice innkeeper let us linger a bit inside the restaurant and even invited us for a liqueur, so it was a fun way to end the day. We can only recommend the food in the "Aurora".
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Day 3, the first major bike tour with many interesting stops:
Today we wanted and needed to collect kilometers (58 kilometers). It went from Emden to the north. On this tour, you should take ample time for breaks. There is a lot to discover. Along a beautiful canal, which as we saw later in the map, is called "Treckfahrtstief", we cycled towards Suurhusen. In Suurhusen is the most leaning tower in the world, which we wanted to see. Years ago we had visited Pisa, but this tower here seems to be a lot more crooked. However, it is not that high, so of course Pisa appears crooked at first glance. But the Suurhus church tower is definitely worth a visit. Another highlight of the day should be the "deepest place of the FRG". Actually, there is nothing to see here, except the sign, which indicates to be here at the lowest point. You have to decide for yourself whether you want to cycle the few meters detour. But even if there is nothing to see, the rest area for tired cyclists and hikers on site is definitely worth it. Here we enjoyed our brought food and the flask did not stay closed either. In any case, we can now claim that we have already picnicked at the lowest point.
The day continued with our already mentioned hobby. In search of a geocache, we took a closer look at Hinter Mühle, as well as Hinta Castle, which is, however, privately owned. We were still able to have a look at the garden, because a resident told us that you are welcome to enter it. We can already imagine what happened here in former times. On this day there were still further highlights (e.g. the cycle track along the dyke through the flock of sheep, past the well-known lighthouse of "Otto - Der Film"), however, we had to cycle on again in order not to arrive too late in Norden. The city hotel "Smutje" welcomed us and we were pleased to be able to spend the night near or rather directly in the pedestrian zone. So it was easy to find a nice pub in the evening. A beer pub in the pedestrian zone did the rest and we slept like lambs.
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Day 4, today we went again to an island:
Strengthened by breakfast, we cycled from Norden to Norddeich and could take the ferry to Norderney at any time. Norderney is worthwhile for all bathing friends. There are miles of beaches here. The sand seems Caribbean. Only the palm trees and the warm water of the Caribbean are missing. But the beach was not overcrowded and invites in any case to relax. In the end, we had only 23 kilometers on the bike today, because we liked the sun on the beach too much. The weather was quite good and the sun was long and intense. The warm day really invited us to swim. However, the North Sea was very icy and we only kept our feet in the salty water. Back in Norden in the evening, we were drawn to the restaurant "Minna". Also here everything had tasted very delicious.
Day 5, long, extended bike ride:
We can only recommend that everyone stock up on enough food for this leg of the trip. It went from Norden to Jever. Today's bike tour (68 kilometers) took us through a few towns only, so there were few opportunities to stock up on food and drinks. We therefore made more rapid progress than expected. Before Wittmund, the bike path goes quite relaxed through the forest. You can really enjoy the peace and quiet of the forest. We made the first major stop in Esens, a nice little town in the district of Wittmund. The stroll through the pedestrian zone invites you to store and linger. Here you can also strengthen yourself again with all kinds of delicacies (ice cream, crab rolls, bratwurst rolls, everything has been tested by us...). Afterwards we went on to Jever to the "Friesen-Hotel". Here we were very warmly welcomed and had great quiet rooms with a view of the garden. From the hotel fridge we enjoyed a first Jever. Unfortunately, this hotel is not centrally located, but in about 15 minutes you can walk to the pedestrian zones. If that's too much for you, you can still use the bike. By the way: The Jever beer keeps what the advertising promises. A Frisian tart beer, which is very refreshing. Unfortunately, there was no time to visit the brewery. However, it was doubtful whether a guided tour or visit would take place at Corona times.
Day 6, the day that demanded all our strength:
A surprise awaited us on Day 6, a strong storm that was probably just a "stiff breeze" for the locals. Anyway, we had headwind for 64 kilometers from Jever to Emden. We were glad to have a full battery on the bike. But even that had to be carefully divided. The ride was "unfortunately" very exhausting that day. Even the rain gear had to be unpacked and put on twice that day. Fortunately the rain disappeared when we arrived in Aurich. So we could take a break in Aurich and fortify ourselves before continuing. The sun showed itself briefly and we enjoyed again a large ice cream. On the onward journey from Aurich to Jever it could have been dreamlike, if it wasn´t for the headwind. It went almost always straight ahead along a canal. There was a lot to observe here. You just had to be careful to change the canal side in time. Along the canal we also found the geocache we had planned for today. Afterwards, we were glad to arrive promptly at the start and finish hotel in Emden, so we could rest extensively before the evening. The hotel's own sauna was very suitable for this purpose. We could regenerate the now tired, partly cold and wet body. We knew our way around Emden by now and it was no problem to find another delicious restaurant quickly in the evening.
Day 7, departure:
After another restful night and a very good breakfast on the hotel terrace with lots of sun, we bought a few souvenirs in the pedestrian zone and visited a district of Emden, namely Transvaal, on the last morning before our journey home. Otto grew up here with his older brother. The town center is adorned with two Ottifanten, which served as nice camera motifs for us. Afterwards, unfortunately, we were already heading back home.
Conclusion:
This tour was completely different from our previous tours with Radweg-Reisen. Mixed with two great excursions by ferry to the islands of Borkum and Norderney, the cycling alternated very well with the relaxation days on the islands. The bike paths were all very well developed and we didn't have to cycle up any mountains. However, the wind, especially the headwind on day 6, was already very getting used to and energy-sapping. The organization on site, starting from the rental bike, the info event, the info material, the hotel bookings, the ferry rides and especially the luggage transport was perfectly organized. Gladly we will also plan a 5th trip with Radweg-Reisen. Where it goes, is not clear yet. Maybe the next time it will be a journey abroad or it bwill be the famous bike route from Passau to Vienna. We will see what will be possible after Corona. In this sense we are looking forward to the 2022 season and greet you with "Moin".
