I am admittedly struggling, struggling, to find a bike to rent in Dusseldorf.
My plan is to fly in, take some sort of public transportation/cab to the town center and find a bike to rent for the week. I need to find a good bike because the plan is to bike the 40 kM to Gelsenkirchen and stay there for most of the week, biking to the Rock Hard festival, and the Monday when I leave, I'll bike back to Dusseldorf in the morning, drop off the bike, find a way to the airport, board the plane at 1:00 PM and fly home.
Sounds like it would work?
Actually, it sounds like a pain in the ass. It would be a particularly sharp, stabbing pain in the ass if it rains. Imagine boarding a plane for a 19 hour flight home soaking wet, if they'd even let me on board.
Of course, all of this hinges on my ability to travel to Germany by backpack only...perhaps with a small side bag that I could bungee to the bike. I can't say I've even come close to trying this at home, let alone in a country whose language is completely unintelligible to me. I speak all of three words of German, can't read a word of German, and can't write a word of German.
There is potential. The good news is that most Germans speak very good broken English. I can eat anything, so if it came to ordering by finger, I'll eat whatever they give me. I can say "Ein Bier, Bitte," which will take me far, my friends, it will take me far. Biking is a viable form of personal mobility in Dusseldorf, unlike my hometown, homestate, or homenation. I can bring my own tyre pump and tyre kit. I could see a large swath of Westphalia that I would never be able to see by car on the A2. I could save money...rental cars are outrageous.
I am extremely hopeful that this outfit will be open and will rent. Otherwise...I don't have a whole lot of options, because I can't seem to find much. Dusseldorf has a NextBike bike sharing network, and this might also work...but I have severe reservations about biking 40 kM on a bike made for intowners while plastered with a billboard underneath it to a thrash metal concert.
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Musings of an Elk Grove, CA Social Critic
1 comment:
Hello, I did a search and found your blog. I am also going to Dusseldorf, but staying in town for a week long conference.
Unlike you, I live in Minnesota, so my biking activities have been curtailed by a thick coating of snow. I hope to bike around Dusseldorf for the view and the fun.
So, did you go for the bike rental? How did it go?
Did you rent from www.fahrradverleih-duesseldorf.de/ as they seem like the only game in town, besides the nextbike, which I agree would make me feel even more like the geek I am.
Thanks,
Mike
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