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| Harwick England as viewed from the high speed ferry, which would take
me to Hoek Van Holland.. The trip took just less than four
hours, but
was made much shorter by the luxuriously furnishings onboard. Upon boarding the ferry, I was told to ride my bicycle over a mat drenched with chemical disinfectant. That was the total extent of European precautions to combat the spread of the "foot and mouth disease". |
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My bicycle was flown to England as part of my check-in luggage at no
extra cost by British Airways.
My bicycle trip began in Westminster-London during the morning rush-hour - hardly an ideal trial run on a fully loaded bike. I had no idea what it would be like to travel through downtown London on a bicycle. Luckily I was joined by lots of native road-warriors who traveled at very high speeds through the countless taxis, delivery trucks and cars. That was pure adrenaline! I just followed kept up with them the best I could along the Thames as it snaked through London. We shot into tunnels and came out in places I had never seen before. These guys were confident on the streets and it was clear that people respected them. By keeping a fast pace, they were part of the traffic and not an obstacle. I really could only afford an occasional glance at the classic London sites, Buckingham palace, the Tower Bridge. I just concentrated on not getting flattened by the rushing traffic. The photo on the left shows the Thames and the Tower Bridge. I took it from a sharp-banking British Airways 737 from Duesseldorf to London on the return flight. |
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| By traveling on country roads like this one, I got a better view of the fabled English countryside and less traffic, but riding on the left with traffic approaching so close on my right, took some getting used to. |
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| Without bike trails, I had to follow country roads using signs like this one. These signs were sometimes missing or overgown in brush. My compass was indispensible. | I arrived at the coast in Harwich at a statue of Queen Victoria.
Here, she bids me farewell from the British Isles. |