Thanks to low-cost airlines, my flight to Tallinn went via Dublin, as it happens… But I gratefully accepted this coincidence, as I had been rudely turned back (Corona) when I entered Dublin last summer, or rather I turned back on my own initiative so as not to have to go into […]

Sure, in 2022 I would like to tackle the second part of my circumnavigation of Europe. But now, in November 2021, everything is somehow open, unpredictable: A phantom called Corona continues to run riot in Europe, with disastrous consequences for our political culture – and I expose myself again (with probability […]

It’s only been a few days since I arrived. It feels like only a few hours. And my life consists mainly of sleeping, sleeping and sleeping again. Then I go to Weil, to the ArgoFram, clean, dispose, and go for long walks. There’s no sign of training; I’m like without drive.

The […]

Home. And yet not, somehow… Of course, I still have to pass through Basel with the ArgoFram, but without landing (for customs reasons). The Rhine is an international body of water, freely navigable, even through Basel, because east of the city, with the town of Grenzach, Germany also rejoins the Rhine […]

The bakeries open here at five in the morning! – I cycle there after waking up, pick this and that, and hole up in my sleeping tent again (and enjoy). It has become bitterly cold overnight; a light layer of ice has settled over the ArgoFram and all the other boats, […]

From now on, until I reach the Rhine, I ride exclusively in artificial water, in a waterway enclosed by dams and walls, a canal (which also serves as a bridge over small valleys). And soon I reach the crest of this time-honoured traffic route, 345 m above sea level.

Since I left […]

Well slept, freshly showered, and of course I enjoy the nicely served breakfast. What a start to the day. For once I don’t even have to lift my little finger. The host understands his role and interprets it excellently – I know my role as a guest, enjoy… and pay. Afterwards, […]

Early in the morning I go to the bakery here too – at least a sign of life in this paralysed village. The freshly baked bread tastes delicious. Only bread and nothing else (for now). A dream. But I don’t stay, pack my things and drive on.

Near Besançon, I am amazed […]

I wake up in a good mood, make a pilgrimage to the bakery and indeed discover (and enjoy) a local speciality. Afterwards I stroll through the village, buy some fresh food, but it is crumbling here on every corner… France’s provinces, a sad picture.

Then the tourist information office opens and I […]

Now the ArgoFram lies just outside Lyon, the second largest city in France. It too has a lot to offer – would have a lot to offer… architecture, for example. But I chug right through the city, enjoying the sight of it from the flowing waters. And here I turn from […]