Relaxing at Windermere, and on to Germany

We had a couple of relaxing days to explore Lake Windermere with Dave and Kathie before we went on our separate ways.  Thursday they went on an outing to the home of Beatrix Potter across the lake, while Ellen and I decided to see the lake from a self-drive electric boat (top speed a very relaxing 5 mph).
 


This is the largest lake in England, and the shoreline is dotted with vacation homes and mansions.  There are many sailing yachts moored in several marinas.  I was surprised to see such large yachts (some over 40') on a lake of this size, but was told that people use them as floating vacation cottages.  This is the most mountainous part of England we've seen, and the views of surrounding peaks from the lake are great.





Next day we walked along the lake shore to another marina to check out the Bowness Boat Show.  In addition to a bunch of fancy yachts, we saw a neat folding canoe (from an outfit called Onyx) and a very elegant pedal-powered boat from Dad's boats.  (These are not like anything you've ever seen before; worth taking a look at their web site.)  I took a spin on the lake with the company's head (and Dad's son-in-law) and it was an absolute blast.

Friday we did some leisurely exploring around Bowness, then took a cab with Dave and Kathie up to Windermere so they could catch a train to Manchester for their flight home.  The Windermere Library has a fascinating exhibit about a group of 300 boys who were rescued and brought there at the end of the war from a liberated camp.  Sobering.



Saturday Ellen and I took an early morning cab up to Windermere, a train to London Euston station, a quick cab over to London's St Pancras station, and then the Eurostar (fast train) to Lille France.  We had booked a hotel in Lille across from the train station (we are lugging two large suitcases with the bike); of course the Eurostar comes into a different station, but it was only about a quarter mile walk.  We had fun walking around Lille, ate a fantastic meal at a restaurant that specializes in smoked meats, and met a group of young men celebrating their friend's upcoming wedding by making him walk around town in a bunny suit trying to sell carrots (we ate ours next day on the train to Germany).



Sunday we had a Eurostar train to Brussels, then another high speed (Deutsche Bahn) train to Frankfurt, and a short local train across the Rhine to Mainz.  The high speed trains in Europe are very comfortable, and we were moving at close to 200 mph.  Still, next time we travel with the tandem we'll try for fewer transfers.

Today we reassembled the Bike Friday tandem in the hotel's bike room. 



Very straightforward, and afterward we went out for a spin through town and along the Rhine's bike path for a few miles just to ensure that everything was solid and properly adjusted (it was!).  Today is a holiday in Germany, and the river path was packed with pedestrians and cyclists.  After a few miles of weaving in and out, and riding through the city, I feel well prepared for the ride to come.  A few errands tomorrow morning (couldn't do them today because of the holiday) and off we go.