Oh, man, another bike trip

Sorry, folks, it is what we do more and more of, it seems -- trips with the bikes. 

I don't know exactly what it is that is so attractive for me about taking bike tours.  Of course, we love to be outside and in the sunshine and moving around a bit.  But it is more than just that.  It's being close to what we are there to see, interacting a bit with the folks who are there, enjoying the various sites "up close and personal" if you will. And often, there are so many things to see that you just can't do by car or are a bit challenging on foot.

We went to Verden.  We've been there a number of times, but there are always different routes to take from this starting point.

Verden is a center of the horse trade and horse everything here in our area.  The high German word for horse is Pferd and in low German it sounds the same.  Here the horse reigns, even on the sidewalks.

 The tower of the Town Hall is impressive from a distance and close up as well.

 Verden lies along the Aller, which feeds into the Werser.  Here, the Aller, lovely and winding.

 And here, crossing the Weser.

We had planned one way and then immediately changed course!  Don't we do that?   So this time we ended up in Hoya, a charming (oh, that word again) village with lots of older houses.  This owner clearly has a sense of humor. Go Yoda.

A cup of coffee, a piece of cake, a trip back to the train station, and the day was done.