11/7/2009 9:10:11 AM

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By Ted Waldo

In 1972 I took two of my sons, Brach and John, on a bicycle and rail trip on the Rhine River.

	About the author Ted Waldo, 76, is a retired IBM mechanical engineer and father of five married children, all of whom are enthusiastic bicyclists. He has lived in Rochester since 1964. He enjoys bicycling through southeast Minnesota and uses bicycling for fitness as well as transportation. Getting there: American Airlines to and from Munich, Germany. Where you stayed: Youth hostels, bed and breakfasts and hotels. Youth hostels were clean and reasonably priced. Where to eat: Breakfast was included with lodging. Lunch in parks or along the way. Dinner at local restaurants. Travel tip: It is not necessary to carry a large amount of cash. ATMs are readily available, and credit cards are accepted in most stores. However, notify your bank and creditors that there will be charges from overseas countries. More information: www.ricksteves.com.

In the summer of 2009, John decided to take his two sons, Stephen and Daniel, on a similar trip. They also invited me to come with them.

John did the planning and made all the arrangements. In 1972, we used Arthur Frommer's book "Europe on Five Dollars a Day." For the 2009 trip, John used Rick Steves' book, "Guide to Germany and Austria," for planning. Reservations for air travel, hostels and hotels were made and confirmed online.

Packing for a bicycle trip

Experienced bicyclists will tell you to spread out all of what you plan to take on the trip and then put away half of it. We would not be camping, so cooking and sleeping equipment would not be needed.

For our 1972 trip, we bought and picked up new bicycles in Paris. This trip we flew in and out of Munich, Germany, and rented bicycles from a shop at the Munich train station.

The feel of an older city

Munich was heavily damaged in World War II and rebuilt afterward. The buildings in the central city were rebuilt in pre-war style and none of them was allowed to be taller than the steeples of the city's symbol, the Frauen Church. Munich still has the feel of an older city. The corporate skyscrapers are all out in the suburbs.

We each had a German rail pass good for six days of rail travel to supplement our bicycle travel. The Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen was our first stop. This castle is reported to have been the model for the Disneyland castle. It's important to make reservations for this popular tour. A computer controlled, 20-person group starts a tour every five minutes.

Back in Munich, we picked up our bikes and took trains to Basel, Switzerland. This trip required three train changes. Two or three cars of each train have a small section for bicycles. Passengers load and unload their bikes, generally with 10 to 20 minutes between trains. The change of trains requires man-handling the loaded bikes down stairs and back up to get to the track for the next train. This is when packing lightly is important.

Picture-perfect scenery

Travel in Bavaria provides many postcard images of this scenic country.

Many younger people speak English, however, when asked if they do speak English, they generally respond with, "Yes, a little." It's useful to know a few German words and phrases. The Germans are friendly and very willing to help travelers. In Basel, a young woman we met on the train had her bike at the train station and led us to the hostel.

Our first day along the Rhine took us to Breisach. There are signs marking the kilometer distance along the Rhine for the river traffic, which also allowed us to track our progress.

In order to skip over some of the more industrial sections of the Rhine, we took the train to Bingen. From there we cycled to St. Goar -- the location of the ruins of the Burg Rheinfels, the largest castle on the Rhine. Construction started in 1245 -- it was home to more than 300 persons. A section of the ruins has been renovated into a hotel. The remainder is open to tours.

The next day we rode to Koblenz. The Rhine valley looks no different than when we saw it in 1972. Each town with its own castle ruins atop the bluffs overlooking the river and grapes growing on the hillsides. Bicycling along the Rhine, I felt as if I were 39 again.

The Mosel River empties into the Rhine at Koblenz. The Mosel is narrower and more scenic than the Rhine. We took a river cruise up the Mosel to Cochem, a lively tourist town. The next day we bicycled along the Mosel back to Koblenz and then took a train to Cologne.

In Cologne, we toured the famous cathedral. Regular church services are held in the cathedral, but it is open to tours between services. We also visited a wonderful chocolate factory and museum. Here you watch every step in the making of chocolate and also sample "the food of the gods."

The next day we left our bicycles in Cologne and took the train to Berlin. The train, an Inter City Express, travels at 150 miles per hour and is as smooth as skating on ice. The rails are welded so there is no "clickety-clack."

The combination of bicycle and rail is a good way to see a country and to get close to its people.

A rejuvenated Berlin

Berlin is a new city. When we were there in 1972, Bonn was the capital and Berlin was divided. Now the wall is down and Berlin is the capital again.

East Berlin has lost its gray, dingy look. The main train station has been completely rebuilt. It is more like a shopping mall than train station. The city has a young feel.

Our hostel was in the old East Berlin. We found the subway system easy to navigate. We took a "hop-on, hop-off" tour of the city. Tour companies have busses that run every half-hour. You hop off at locations that interest you and hop on when another bus arrives. We stopped at Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate. From the bus we saw a remaining section of the wall and other points of interest.

From Berlin we took the train back to Cologne to get our bikes and then on to Munich. Our last tour was to the Dachau concentration camp. This is a sobering but memorable experience.

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