July 4, 2023
Down Day in Koblenz
Touring an ancient city by foot
This was an extra day my parents and I did not expect to have in Koblenz. We had planned on being on a train for 6 hours from Magdeburg, but instead we had some time to explore the city. We started our day at a Bakery, ordering fresh bread and pastries. We then walked to the "Deutsches Eck" (german corner), which is a confluence of two major rivers: The Mosel and the Rhine. Here, there stands a large memorial to Kaiser Wilhelm, the guy who united all the German City-States way back when.
After climbing this memorial, we headed to the Basilica of Saint Castor. My dad and I found an unlocked door that led us half-way up the bell tower, and then we headed back down. We then walked over to the Koblenz Seilbahn (cable car). This cable car crosses the Rhine, and goes up to an old military fort on a hill dating to the 1800s. The views from the cable car were impressive, and so was the military fort. We toured the fort for an hour, before stopping for lunch at a beergarden overlooking the Rhine valley. After enjoying a beer and bratwurst, we headed back. By now it was about 1:00pm. We decided to split up. I still had some unfinished errands I wanted to do while in Koblenz: get a haircut, pick up replacement bike parts, and check out the Canyon test ride center.
I got on my bike and rode to the nearest barber shop. I was greeted by Kamas. Due to the language barrier, instead of asking me what type of haircut I wanted, he simply told me to "trust me, I do a good job", and he did. I had been in need of a haircut and beard trim. I did not bring a beard trimmer with me in order to save weight, and I was starting to look a little ragged. I thanked Kamas, paid 44 Euros, left him a good google review, and continued to a bike shop.
At the bike shop, I was looking for a replacement chain and master link for the one I had used to fix my bike two days prior. These I found easily. I then looked for replacement brake pads for the spares I had used in Walsrode. They had one pair, which I figured was better than nothing. I then went to inquire about replacement chainrings or cranks. Same story: we don't have anything in stock, check with Canyon. Damn.
I then rode over to the Canyon Test Center, hoping to try out some mountain bikes I had been thinking about buying at some point in the future: the Grand Canyon, and Neuron. They both felt like good bikes, but unfortunately, Canyon did not let me take them on their dirt jump track, only around the parking lot. One thing I like about German customer service is that store employees will not bother you unless you actively go up to them and ask. As someone who likes to browse with no purpose sometimes, I appreciate this.
At this point, I was getting hungry, so I headed back to the Airbnb to meet up with my parents. Upon arrival, we agreed to go out to dinner at a new place: The "Restaurant Croatia". They offered a German twist on Mediterranean cuisine. We all ordered well, and stumbled back to the Airbnb full. My dad and I stopped at a beer garden along the Rhine and got ice cream bars for dessert. As we sat there eating, it started to rain, so we headed back.
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