No wifi last night, so this posting is for two days.
We rode out of Monschau on Saturday. We had about 1 km of bouncing over rough cobblestones to get out of the old central area, then a couple of km of fairly steep climbing to get back to the Vennbahn. After that, it was pretty smooth riding through a mix of farmland and forests.
Even though Aachen was a reasonable distance, we decided to stop about 10 km before to avoid the city riding. We found a little hotel (really, a restaurant with a few rooms) outside the village of Kornelimünster (41 km for the day). When I googled the place, all the reviews were for the food, none for the rooms. The room was very basic, but the restaurant is very popular and was packed from when we arrived in the early afternoon until late in the evening. They are famous for their schnitzel, and it was excellent.
We are out of map coverage, so today (Sunday's) ride was a bit of an adventure. We decided to continue up the Vennbahn to near its end point in Aachen, then before getting into the city try to find bike paths west to Maastricht.
We were partially successful. Although we'd hoped to avoid the city, after about 10 km we ended up on the edge of Aachen and riding on city streets (but, most with a good bike lane or wide sidewalk for bikes). Eventually and just after crossing the border into the Netherlands we found signs toward bike routes in Vaals west of Aachen. Once we found signs for the LF 6 (a major signed route) the navigation became easier.
The cycling, however, did not become easier. While the Netherlands has a reputation for flat riding, that's further north. I think we spent more time grinding up steep hills in the small chainring today than the whole rest of the trip combined to this point. This being a Sunday, the bike route was filled with riders: older folks cruising along on mostly e-bikes and lots of fast roadies.
In the small town of Mechelen we stopped for a snack at a very complete restaurant: even a small growler station for dogs.
Shortly thereafter we had a long and very steep climb into the surrounding farmland. Partly up, a man in a car rolled down his window to congratulate us on our strength, and once we reached the top some road riders going the other way shouted congratulations as we passed.
Shortly before reaching Maastricht we passed our first windmill. The sign indicated it was from 1855 and it looked completely restored.
Riding into the city to our hotel was a breeze. We stayed on the LF 6 with an excellent marked bike lane until a block from the hotel. 48 km for the day.
The Hotel Kaboom is very modern and very hip. On a door in the lobby.
The famous violinist Andre Reiu is from Maastricht, and he is performing tonight in a large square in the city. The downtown area was packed with people heading to the concert. Large screens were set up on nearby streets so those not inside the venue could also enjoy the show. We listened for about 40 minutes.
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