Down to Earth, with a Bump!

Friday 27th September 2024. German Butterbrot Day.

Osnabruck to Bad Bentheim – 71km.

Within 15 minutes of posting yesterday’s blog saying that I would be in The Netherlands tonight, I changed my mind and hence I am still in Germany. Reasons? Well, I couldn’t be in Holland for German Butterbrot Day could I? The real reason was because I looked at the city of Enschede (just over the border) but when I checked up on the internet it seemed a modern functional city. It is famous for a terrible firework fire disaster in 2000 which devastated part of the city and killed 23 people. It also hosts a football team called ‘FC Twente’ who drew with Manchester United last night.

I looked elsewhere for somewhere to stay and saw Bad Bentheim which was a smaller town in Germany near the border and it has a big Schloss. My new route would be in the countryside rather than through urban areas. Therefore I booked accommodation and headed here.

After my delusions of grandeur, claiming a Dukedom, I fell to earth this morning, literally. I fell off my bike! It usually happens sometime on a trip….and it just happened to be today. Nothing dramatic….I fell off at 0 kph….in front of a bus! These things only happen when you happen to be cycling the wrong way down a one way street, I saw a bus coming, I came to a stop but forgot to unclip my shoes from the pedals. The result was me lying on the tarmac and a little grazing on my left knee area. I was embarrassed rather than hurt.

More importantly I needed to get my mouth around some German butterbrot today….

On my ride I also saw my old friend the Mitteland Kanal again.

My main cycling issue today (apart from falling off) was that it was very windy….and not in a good direction! It was possibly the hardest ride on the flat I have done but I was perked up when I rode along and saw where I was….

I cycled through the sizeable town of Rheine which had some pleasant sights.

It was in Rheine that I nearly crashed into a parked car. I was being stupid, watching my Garmin. When I looked up I had to take instant avoiding action and in doing so I bashed my calf with the pedal causing another graze. Different legs, so I can limp on both sides now. I will survive….but what a plonker!

I still managed to get to Bad Bentheim just around lunchtime. I needed sustenance….

It was still windy and very grey but I headed for the Schloss.

It was certainly good value. I climbed the tower, walked the walls, saw the chapel, prison, modern art exhibition and the residential rooms (just before a wedding started)!

The Schloss had a garden area too. I walked around the exterior of the Schloss.

I headed back to the accommodation for arrival time at 3pm….it had just started to rain. Good timing. I have a large apartment above someone’s house. I got a good welcome and a bier to quench my thirst.

Having patted myself on the back for avoiding the rain I could continue to pat myself all evening because the rain continued to pour down. I didn’t want to go out and get myself soaked. I had some energy bars for food and the apartment had the BBC One and News channels on the TV. That’s my exciting Friday night sorted! I have fallen from the heights of Rinteln very quickly!