I started cycling in Germany
We started our activities on German soil by listening to the Danish national anthem and singing "Indonesia Raya".
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The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Saya Mulai Bersepeda di Negeri Jerman
Royke is in the city of Hamburg.
Going on a cycling trip in Europe at the start of the year was full of challenges. After several weeks of cold temperatures with freezing snow, at the end of January 2024 I faced very strong winds. This happened in northern Germany. The speed reaches 49.6 kilometers per hour.
I left Robdy City, Denmark, on January 24 2024. This city is on the shores of the Baltic Sea and is one of Denmark's gateways to or from Germany via the sea route in the Femer Baelt Strait.
Robdy is a beautiful and bustling city. The mobility of residents from Denmark to Germany, or vice versa, occurs almost every time using ferries and fast boats. The longest sailing time is 45 minutes. So, the distance is quite close. Millions of people are transported every year.
Currently, the governments of Denmark and Germany are building an 18 kilometer-long underwater tunnel in the Femer Belt Strait. The tunnel, which will be used for both train and highway transportation, is set to become the longest in the world. The train journey is expected to take only 7 minutes, while cars will take around 10 minutes.
On January 24, 2024, Royke Lumowa cycled from Rodby (Denmark) to Hamburg (Germany). Royke arrived at the Puttgarden Dock (Germany) after crossing from Rodby (Denmark) using a ferry for 45 minutes.
Also read: I Fell on the Ice Road
The project that crosses the Baltic Sea, known as the Fehmarn Belt, is targeted to be completed by 2029 with a cost of around 10 billion euros. The tunnel connects Rodbyhavn in Denmark and Puttgarden in Germany.
In fact, Denmark plans to build a high-speed electric railway line through the tunnel. The train service will continue to Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
The morning temperature was around one degree Celsius. My trip on that day would be heading to Heiligenfafen, Germany, via Puttgarden. Considering the improving temperature, I started to reduce my anti-cold clothing. I began cycling at 08.54. From the hotel, I went directly to the ferry port which was not far away, about 2 kilometers. At the port, after handling the ticket matters, I immediately boarded the ship to go to Puttgarden.
This port is considered busy. Ferries serve the mobility of the community and vehicles at all times. The ships operate in various sizes, including fast ships. The ships available are very clean. Departing and arriving passengers and vehicles seem quite numerous.
After sailing for approximately 45 minutes, we arrived at the port of Puttgarden, Germany. At the port, when parking the accompanying car, we were approached by local police. Perhaps they saw a car with a license plate they had never seen before in Europe.
They greeted us friendly. Asking where we are from, and where we are going?
I then explained about our journey, which was to cycle from Jakarta since July 8th, 2023, passing through Asia's mainland, circling Europe, and finishing in Paris just before the opening of the Summer Olympics in July 2024.
They were astonished and amazed. We did not forget to show our international driving license (IDL). Even without being asked, we also showed our passport and visa. Shortly after, they allowed us to continue our journey.
Indeed, these police officers are solely responsible for checking travel documents. They are not immigration officers, even though in Germany, immigration is part of the local police structure and organization. Other countries where immigration is integrated with the police are China and Iran.
After that, they left. We began our activities on German soil by performing a border ritual. We listened to the Danish national anthem, then sang the national anthem "Indonesia Raya" while unfurling the Red and White flag.
This border ritual has attracted the attention of local residents. Some have even slowed down their journeys to record videos and take pictures. They may be wondering why there are three people singing and waving flags other than the German flag. The ritual takes place quite briefly, no more than 10 minutes.
CYCLING TO SAVE THE EARTH ROYKE LUMOWA
Strong winds
After that, I continued cycling towards the south. From Oslo, the journey goes south. The contour of the road is asphalted and very smooth, and tends to be flat. Snow is almost no longer visible. I pedaled with full enthusiasm. This passion is also supported by the increasingly conducive air temperature.
However, without realizing it, the wind gusts coming from the right direction started to become stronger. As it advanced, the wind speed seemed to keep increasing. Reaching Kilometer 38.6 exactly at the Fehmarn Bridge, I felt the wind gusts had exceeded its limit. I checked the data on Strava and found that the wind speed reached 49.6 kilometers per hour. It was very strong. This has exceeded the wind speed in Greece which reached 38 kilometers per hour.
Originally, I only intended to push the bike to the end of the bridge. However, the distance was still quite far. Moreover, learning from my experience in Greece, when the bike almost flew away when I stopped briefly due to strong winds.
At that time, the clock showed 12:30. I took shelter under a large pole in the middle of the 248-meter-long bridge. This bridge is still located in the Baltic Sea, which has been operating since April 30, 1963.
While taking shelter under a bridge pillar, I contacted the accompanying car to turn back and pick me up. Shortly after, the car arrived and transported both my bike and me to the end of the bridge.
From there, I continued cycling because the wind was starting to ease up. However, five kilometers later, the strong wind returned. Data on Strava showed that its speed reached 49 kilometers per hour.
I tried to take cover beside a car, but it was not effective. It could potentially lead to an accident because Europe operates a right-hand traffic system. This means that the car or vehicle in front of me is on the left side, while I am also on the left side because the wind is coming from the right (west).
Up to that point, my cycling that day reached 44.13 kilometers. Exactly in the Heiligenfafen area. Total height 277 meters. At that time it was 16.00. With a heavy heart, I decided to load towards Hamburg and arrived at 19.00.
Once we arrived, we looked for accommodation using guides from Google. We also managed to get a hotel at an affordable price according to our wishes. On our way to Hamburg, we deliberately didn't order. One of the main considerations is weather conditions that are difficult to predict. There are fears that the Baltic Sea will be covered in snow, frozen and petrified. If that happens, ship navigation will be hampered.
Booking a hotel through Google guidance always has its weaknesses. The most obvious one is the price, which is usually displayed as lower than the actual price. When arriving at the hotel, the price has already increased by several euros.
For example, if the data shown on Google is around 90 euros, then when arriving at the hotel, the price ranges from 100-105 euros. The hotel staff said that their price is accurate. We experienced cases like this several times during our trip in Europe.
Jawa Restaurant is on one of the streets in Hamburg City.
Indonesian Restaurant
The following day, which was Thursday, January 25, 2024, we took a break. We used the available time to do laundry, wash our bicycles, and take public transportation around Hamburg. This also included editing photos and videos, and I compiled a travel report.
Around 9:00 am, after having breakfast, we spent some time visiting Hamburg Port on foot. This port is one of the oldest in the world, built in 1189, hundreds of years before Indonesian independence.
The city of Hamburg is among the clean and beautiful cities. We did not find any scattered garbage on the sides of the streets or in front of buildings and others. The river is also clean, clear and without any waste. The sidewalks are clean, tidy, and wide. Bicycle lanes are always available, stretching from small roads to main roads.
The community in Hamburg is also very disciplined in traffic. When the traffic light is on red, pedestrians stand politely and orderly. They don't just cross the road carelessly. There is no visible competition on the road. A clear attitude of mutual respect can be seen. Pedestrians and cyclists always have priority. At every traffic light, there is always an opportunity for pedestrians and cyclists to cross first.
From the port, we headed to an Indonesian restaurant called Jawa Restaurant. The location was a bit far, so we took a tram. We arrived at the restaurant around 11:30 and it was just opening at that time.
The owner of a restaurant is a mother from Jakarta who is also the head chef. She is highly skilled in cooking. All the menu items served are typical Indonesian dishes, such as gado-gado, rendang, rawon, soto ayam, sayur lodeh, nasi campur, bakso, mi ayam, nasi goreng, mi pangsit, sate, bebek goreng, sautéed beef and more. They also serve es teler and es degan.
This restaurant has been operating for approximately 30 years, while the servers are mostly German citizens of Turkish descent. It is open every day, from Monday to Thursday from 11:30 to 19:00. On Fridays and Saturdays, it is open from 11:30 to 22:00. It is closed on Sundays. The prices are also affordable, generally not exceeding 10 euros.
The food is delicious and tasty. It was proven that not long after opening, all of the seats in the restaurant were filled. The majority of the guests were Hamburg residents who ate with enthusiasm. It seems like there are regular customers.
On Friday, January 26th, 2024, I continued cycling from Hamburg to the city of Seven. I started my ride at 8:48 AM. The wind was normal and conducive, while the temperature continued to improve at 4 degrees Celsius. However, the morning was slightly cloudy.
Not long after cycling, precisely on a bridge that is only for pedestrians and cyclists, I met three young men from Ukraine. They greeted me warmly and we started a friendly conversation. They asked about me, my origin, and my activities while in Europe. I explained the outlines to them.
Next, I asked for information about them. It turns out they are from Ukraine and are continuing their studies in Hamburg. They are friendly enough and very enthusiastic about taking pictures together.
Royke met three teenagers from Ukraine who were studying in the city of Hamburg.
Special tunnel
The city of Hamburg is not a coastal city and is far from the sea. This city is a city with quite a number of rivers. The largest is the Elbe River, which flows through the middle of the city. This river has also been a shipping transportation access for hundreds of years, with its mouth to the west, namely the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean.
As a river city, Hamburg certainly has a lot of bridges. There is one bridge that has a design similar to the Ampera Bridge in Palembang. I was surprised by this. In addition, there is also an under-river tunnel built specifically for pedestrians and cyclists under the Elbe River.
The tunnel is located 12 meters below the surface of the river with a length of 426 meters. On both ends of the tunnel, there are buildings with round roofs constructed. The building provides a lift that leads to the tunnel. Interestingly, the tunnel was built in 1907. Passing through the tunnel is actually beyond the travel scenario. When cycling in Hamburg, Google Maps directed me to cross the river via the tunnel. Upon arrival, I did not see any bridges. There were no visible boats or piers either.
A bridge in the city of Hamburg which is similar to the Ampera Bridge in the city of Palembang.
I began to feel confused. However, Google still directed me to cross from that point towards the south. I then asked locals and passing cyclists. They responded that the crossing had to go through a tunnel while pointing to a building as a travel center. I went to the round-roofed building and crossed the tunnel.
This tunnel is specifically for pedestrians and cyclists. There are two lanes available, each with a width of around two meters. It's really fascinating and fantastic. Shortly after exiting the tunnel, heavy rain began to fall. Luckily, I had already put on my rain gear, so I was able to continue cycling.
That morning, the car could not follow me from behind because I passed through the bike lane. The car was forced to use another lane that went up quite far.
Royke is in a tunnel specifically used for pedestrians and cyclists on the Elbe River, City of Hamburg.
The bike paths in Hamburg are abundant, even stretching into city parks. There are also bike paths that follow the irrigation canals. This reminds me of the Selokan Mataram in Yogyakarta. There are rice fields and paved roads along the edge of the irrigation canal. Cyclists always enjoy the route that is now known as the Luna Maya path.
Cycling to the city of Seven was relatively smooth. The total travel distance reaches 68.4 kilometers with an elevation gain of 270 meters or quite gentle. From Seven, I loaded to the city of Bremen and stayed overnight in this city.
