To - Straubling
Distance - 56km
Time - 5 hours
Total - 2402km
I woke up with my mouth tasting as dry as part of a vultures anatomy! Copious amounts of black coffee and nice fruit salad for breakfast sorted that out. The weather looked fine and I didn't have too far to go today. I went back into tourist mode and started my ride around 9am and cycled at a pleasant speed admiring the countryside.
The first place of note that I stopped at was 'Walhalla'. Sounds a bit Scandinavian! It is the name given to another spectacular building that was commissioned by King Luther I to be a replica of the Parthenon at Athens. The difference being that this one isn't a ruin. It has a high point overlooking the Danube and it is to commemorate great Germans over the years. It was well worth cycling up the hill. Check out the photos. It was a dream of mine to see the real Parthenon, which I managed to fulfil a couple of years ago. So to see this version was also special.
I don't normally listen to music whilst riding because I like to hear approaching traffic but I was on a long section of cycle path and I just fancied it. One of the tracks was 'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet' by Bachman (sounds a bit German) Turner Overdrive. Great song for cycling but thankfully no Smashey or Nicey to make me cringe!
I carried on to Worth. It was very quiet on a Sunday but the Worth Palace was the next attraction to see. It was more of a Castle than a Palace because it was medieval it looked more functional and not so ornate. It still dominated the hillside. There wasn't anything internal to see apart from the chapel and the views because the main building was used as an old people's home. Maybe they need a castle to keep the residents in!! It almost worked in Colditz (and I was just congratulating myself mentally for not mentioning the war!).
My clothing decision to start the day was shorts, a thermal top and my rainproof jacket. As the morning progressed I took off the jacket and at lunchtime I changed my thermal top for a short sleeved cycling top as it was getting pleasantly warm in the sunshine. So, I was very disappointed that within 15 mins of setting off again the clouds came over and it started to rain and on went the jacket again. Not only did it rain but it poured and there was some hail mixed in with it too. It continued to shower heavily till I got to Straubling. I don't half go faster when it's raining as I try to get to the next place quicker to get out of the rain. I went straight to a warm cafe for coffee and a cake to warm me up. It partially worked but nothing was going today and warm my soaked feet.
Places on the continent are definitely quiet on Sundays in comparison with the UK. There are very few shops open. I looked around Straubling knowing that there were still occasional showers and I had 3 hours to kill before the hostel opened. I noticed from my guide book that the Gaubaden Museum was open on a Sunday till 4pm and I considered that it might be warmer than churches and it turned out to be free. It was a local history museum totally in German but there had been a major find of Roman bronze in the 1950's at Straubing and it included face masks and armour in good condition. I was a Classical Scholar after all (not many people know that I did an A level in Classical Civilisation!). It was quite interesting and more important the radiators were on and I lingered at the exhibits near to them pretending to read the German information.
Still one hour to kill! I went to the nearest church which turned out to be the Carmelite Church and there was an organ recital taking place so I stopped and listened. Very grand! I understand how the church had such power in the past. The churches have a feeling of awe especially when they are accompanied by powerful organ music. Thinking back into the period when many of these churches were built, they must have been so grand in comparison to the lives of the ordinary people who attended. People must have been filled with wonderment.
It turned 5pm and onward to the hostel. Much smaller than previous hostels and to my shock there was no wifi! It was a bit homely, certainly the office reception and common room area were a bit like a kitchen/diner and was a bit tired. The dorm seems alright, it can sleep 4 but think there is just me again. And.... the radiator works so I washed through some stuff and could get it dry and also dry out my cycling shoes. Small pleasures! When I think about it I haven't seen another guest. I could be the only one.
I have been told about an Internet cafe in town so I will go and look to see if its open on a Sunday evening. If its not open I will come back and summarise the four Reith Lectures into a paragraph. I don't suppose Prof Niall Ferguson would approve! So, for your sakes I hope it's open.
The Internet cafe was open but it was rubbish. It's one where you have to put coins a machine to buy time on their own computer. It wasn't a place where I could use wifi. The problem was that the continental keyboards are different and they don't have an @ on the keyboard. I had to ask how to get an @ and I had already lost 5 mins. I checked emails and logged off and walked back to the hostel.
So here is my version of 4 hours of Reith Lectures entitled 'The rule of Law and its Enemies'. The big point of the lecture is that Institutions in the Western World are in crisis and their continued failure is the biggest threat to the Rule of Law because the Public need to have confidence in its Government, Public and Private institutions. If the Public doesn't have confidence in those institutions they will become progressively lawless because they do not have a stake in society and are not willing to play by the rules of society. Are you still with me or are you asleep yet! The Prof used a great phrase, he said 'Instead of the Rule of Law we actually have the Rule of Lawyers'. He explained that the there are more and more laws and the law is becoming more complex. The Public do not understand the Law clearly and even when they do too many of the judgements or penalties are controversial. Lastly, he makes the point that there has been a big reduction in community/public activity and involvement on a voluntary basis which is not good. To resolve this we need the Government and public sector to do less and need more Big Society activity.
My view is rather pessimistic. Are we going to get better Institutions? Are we going to become more confident in the Rule of Law? Are we going to become more active in the community? answer to all three questions is...No. The only thing we can do to make a difference is to start saying Hello and Good Morning to more people as we cycle (or walk). So, start talking to more people who you don't know! I've obviously seen too many pulpits I have begun to think I am in one!
Definitely bed time!
Photo 1, Walhalla.
Photo 2, Again.
Photo 3, Inside Walhalla.
Photo 4, German police car. BMW, what else. They wouldn't use foreign cars.
Photo 5, Worth Palace.
Photo 6, Main Street, Straubling.
Photo 7, Carmelite Church.
No comments:
Post a Comment