How much can I take in today?
Mileage
No mileage was gained today. This is a day that was done using bicycles, underground transportation, and walking.
| Date | – | 7/23/2019 |
| Travel From | – | Berlin, Germany |
| Intermediate Location | – | Berlin, Germany |
| Ending Location | – | Berlin, Germany |
| Starting Odometer | – | 26,175 |
| Ending Odometer | – | 26,175 |
| Miles Driven Today | – | 0 Miles |
| Total Trip Mileage | – | 1632 Miles |
| New Countries visited Today | – | |
| Countries visited on trip | US, Canada, UK, The Netherlands, Germany |
Breakfast Buffet
As I travel, I come to find that the US offers a kind of breakfast that is quite unique around the world. We offer a great deal of warm foods, including eggs and sausages, in conjunction with juices, coffee, pastries, etc. Now, this type of buffet is usually available only in the better hotels, but it’s pretty common, and if you ever go out to an American diner, you know that you’ll be overwhelmed with choices, and with the large quantities.
And so, it was a delight, and a surprise to see that the Motel Plus offers a really great breakfast, with lots of choices for everything.
Bike Rental
I’ll write more about the bike rentals in a later post, but it is interesting to note that the Uber e-bikes are rented by the minute, at 1/10 Euro, per minute. So, if you rent the bike for an hour, you’ll bay 6 Euros, along with a 1 Euro “unlocking fee”. So, a 1 hour ride costs 7 Euros. This is much cheaper than the cost of a cab, but a cab would have gotten me there faster, without any energy expended at all.
Nonetheless, I love the idea of riding an eBike, as it helps to control calories, and it’s just good Karma for a motorcyclist to ride an eBike (I think).
Securing the motorcycle overnight
Last night, the motorcycle was stored in an underground parking garage, with a security guard, and gated access. In addition, as I’ve been thinking about the problem, and as I’ve been taking suggestions from all of you, the proverbial peanut gallery, I decided to figure out how to lock the front forks, on a motorcycle with key-less ignition.
As it turns out, BMW has solved this problem in the most efficient, and obvious way possible. And so, when you are depressing the ignition button to turn off the motorcycle, if you simply turn the handlebars all the way to the left, and if you hold down the ignition button for a few seconds, the front fork will lock in place.
In addition, if I install the caliper lock that I’ve purchased, the bike will be significantly more secure. In fact, it seems likely that, if I had done these two simple things, the thieves would not have been able to steal my motorcycle in Amsterdam. So, just like the criminals, I’m learning too…
Purchase a security chain
I’ve learned a lot about when and how to secure my motorcycle, but there is still one more step that I can take, to add a layer of security that will make it almost impossible for someone to steal the bike. That final element is a security chain with a security lock.
When you’re not in the US, and you’re traveling around the world, it might surprise you to realize how difficult it is to buy the things that we take for granted in the US. Now, that’s not to say that any other country is not as capable, or does not have numerous choices, like those in the USA. But it is to say that due in large part to all of the differences in these different regions, and combined with products advertised in a different language, it is much more difficult to get what you need. So, I did what anyone would do, if they are in my position, I delegated.
To be clear, I asked Ben for some help, and since he’s a motorcycle rider as well, he knew what I needed, and he found a great German product that meets the requirements. Ben ordered the part on Amazon, and we expect it to be delivered on Wednesday (Tomorrow). The cost of this chain and lock, is approximately 230 Euros, or approximately $275 USD.
Checkpoint Charlie
The American zone in Berlin had a gate into it, which was named Checkpoint Charlie. US Soldiers manned the Checkpoint throughout, and so it is an important icon that represents a specific situation, in the city of Berlin, from 1961 until the wall was taken down in 1989.
Today, there are locals who dress up as US Soldiers, and offer to stand while you take a picture of them, standing alongside you as you stand in front of the checkpoint.
The Berlin Wall Panorama
Just down the street from the Berlin Wall Memorial, is the Berlin Wall Panorama, in essence a 4 story building, which has a small foyer with written and pictorial exhibits, and a door that allows you to enter the large viewing area, where a 3-4 story, circular picture of a section of the Berlin wall allows you to look at how life was lived, during this very difficult time.
To be honest, the Panorama was a pretty poor exhibit, but I had paid my money, and so I thought I’d get the most out of it.
Checkpoint Charlie Museum
Escapes
Over the years, many people, East German Soldiers, and East German citizens attempted and succeeded in their escape attempts. The gallery below shows some of the vehicles, and light aircraft that were successfully used for escapes.
Jewish Memorial
The Jewish Memorial is another museum in Berlin, which is an entirely outdoor museum. The memorial is a tribute to the murdered Jews of Europe. It’s quite striking.
Brandenburg Gate
A quick report from the Brandenburg Gate
The Russian War Memorial
What will tomorrow bring
I was able to see quite a few of the museums in Berlin, but tomorrow, I plan on visiting the Berlin Wall Memorial. I will likely make it a short day, and then get back to the hotel to do laundry, and prepare for the trip to Nurmburg.
Hi cliff. Looks like a good day when the bike isn’t stolen. Weather guy says you’re getting the heat wave we just went through. CDM
Hey Carl, you’re right. It’s amazing how my sense of a good day has changed, and now, the most critical objective is to not have the bike stolen. Yikes, what has the world come to?