Honfleur, France and beyond: Le Havre and Cote Fleurie (Flowery Coast)

In my earlier blogs I’ve mentioned about bicycling the entire north-west France and its coastline. And now, still in Normandy passing through Etretat then entering into the port city: La Havre, France. And then connecting to lower Normandy town Honfleur by the bridge of Pont de Normandy.

La Havre was kind of a mind boggling for me at first as I was entering into the city. Of course I was still on my bicycling tour of Europe and riding my bike right into the city through the outskirts and approaching from north-east direction. But at that very right moment, I was puzzled actually! I asked myself “where is everybody?” There were neither people nor any cars on the streets. It just looked as if I just entered into a ghost town. I stopped on the side of the road and strapped my head cam on my head (helmet video camera) just in case if there was something unusual or some type of festival going in La Havre. It was weird and strange that I was just arriving to La Havre which has a population of about or close to 300,000 and yet, I hadn’t seen anyone. I began pedaling quicker and harder just to see any road sign which would lead me into the city center.  Finally, I start to see a few people, several cars and a tram going by. As I got closer to the center of the city, I began seeing more people and cars, but still, numbers weren’t enough to make me believe this city’s population was around 300,000 at all. These streets and roads had hardly any cars and hardly any population. And on the top of that, it was Saturday. I was never able to understand the reason why this city looked so empty. But actually, this was fine for me. I loved it! This place had no crowds, no traffic and it was quite enough for anyone to relax at any time of the day.

Honfleur, France. Magnificent scene to its marina and port. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013 

Le Havre which is located in upper Normandy region (Haute Normandie) a city which has the second largest port in France in traffic was completely destroyed during the World War-II and rebuilt again after the war in a span of 20 years which lasted until 1965. French Architecture Auguste Perrets planning of rebuilding La Havre with modern structures have earned the city UNESCO world heritage status. It was a fishing village until 1517, but then deciding to build a new harbor to accommodate bigger vessels and ships what made Le Havre expand rapidly. Even in the mid-1800s, this port was a major departing point for thousands of German and French immigrants to the United States of America and Canada. Most of the traffic to Le Havre port is import, especially crude oil. Besides ferry services to and from England and Ireland to this port, this port also includes an industrial zone for oil refining, chemical, cement, and aeronautical-component industries. Apart from its huge busy harbor, its big size university, yachting harbor, service and tourist industry brought many opportunities for employment. However, it’s important to mention that after the postwar boom, especially during and after the 1970s, economic crisis began. This crisis led to a high unemployment and decline in population. And today this area still struggles with high unemployment.

Le Havre, France. City Town Hall near the city center. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

I filmed this video from my head cam and put it on youtube. This was the exact moment while entering into Le Havre and right before the city center, going through a funky tunnel.

     La Seine River which rises from northeastern city Dijon is about 776 kilometers long flowing through Paris then into the English Channel at Le Havre and Honfleur on the left bank northwestern, France. It’s France’s second longest river and its history goes back as early as 250 B.C. In 885 A.D Vikings used their long boats by rowing them on Seine River to get to the heartland of France during their invasions. Of course again, Le Havre was the beginning place for their long adventure. And people who loves river cruises, La Seine River cruises is ideal which begins from Le Havre through the orchards of Normandy, crossing the city of Paris, then part of the World War II country sites following all the way to northeastern France.

Le Havre was quite, laid back and ideal for me to relax for a couple of days before heading down to lower Normandy. After all, I was very tired riding my bicycle through some stiff hills of north-west France. I decided not to camp out in Le Havre and instead I checked into a hotel for two days. Accommodation and food were both reasonable in north-west of France compare to southern France which I will talk about it in a later blog. At least it was for me. Food markets, sandwich shops and bistros can definitely keep a budget traveler happy and satisfied. Service at this hotel was amazing! Breakfast and dinner was included and on the top of that they even do your laundry for you. Wow, how amazing was that!  City center and nearby streets were all fun and entertaining. There were many specialty restaurants, cafes which had live bands including Jazz. North-west France and this city Le Havre hardly had any crime. You can basically walk at 3:00 AM in the morning and no one would bother you.

  The Pont de Normandie is a cable stayed road bridge which spans the Seine River linking Le Havre with Honfleur. Photo: F.Aksoy- Aug-2013

  Almost my entire life, I wondered why crime rate is always higher in America compare to Europe or other countries and regions around the world including most of the third world nations. This was always puzzling to me. Actions really do speak louder than words. I think respect, manners and behaving were some of the basic answers in my head. This has a lot to do with the way we are raised by our parents then being taught by our teachers and others who we look up as role models. In my opinion and perspective, teaching kindness, responsibility, social skills, manners, respect and raising children polite has so much to do with your kid’s future and his/hers adult years. I can’t say this for every family in America, but this is where America’s problem with crime begins. I’ve been to 5 different continents and 112 countries. I’ve spent many months and sometime year at a time in different countries. What I’ve witnessed so far comes down to respect, manners, discipline and behaving. I’ve seen these with my own eyes with different cultures. Why is it that most travelers feel much safer traveling in some of the third world nations than in the United States of America? Why is it that I feel much more comfortable traveling in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, even South America than traveling in the east coast of America? Even though I love taking risks and love traveling remote and risky areas around the world for an adventure, still something about America most feel uncomfortable. I’ve talked to many Europeans and others which most of them stated that they weren’t interested traveling to America. Yes, some do travel here in America to the airport then to hotel then to touristic sight seen. That is easy to do, however, I’m mostly speaking about long term adventure style traveling or backpacking.

            Honfleur, France. Again an amazing view to the marina and the port. Photo:F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

       Honfleur, France. Different angle. Photo:F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

The morning I left my hotel in Le Havre was cold and windy(August), but still, as I was packing my bags onto my bicycle I was very excited and looking forward to crossing the Le Seine River by crossing the bridge of Pont de Normandie. But there are times things just don’t happen the way you plan. And it was one of those days. It didn’t take that long to leave the city of Le Havre, but the outskirt of the city and the back streets while crossing the port was taking a while to get to the bridge. I began speeding and I was really going pretty fast on my bicycle. I passed a group of bicyclists on my right and they probably said “this guy is flying” I finally arrived to an intersection where there was a sign which was directing me towards the Pont de Normandie. But there was one problem: there was a huge red sign telling me that bicycles are not allowed! When I saw this sign, I got pretty upset and mad. I asked myself, but what’s next? I looked at the map and saw another bridge which was far in distance from this bridge and that meant going there then once crossing the bridge coming back to same direction to Honfleur. And I knew this was going to take some time.  I really thought about doing something illegal and against to law by riding through this bridge. But I couldn’t do it as I have so much respect for laws. Before I knew it, the bicycle group I passed earlier came right behind me and they too stopped and puzzled about the road sign. I finally told them hello. They were from England and they were here for a weekend. They too thought about crossing this bridge illegally to save time, but we all decided to take the second bridge. So we rode our bicycles together to the other bridge. We were chatting on the way and this turned out to be very nice actually. I’m usually a solo traveler which I really like traveling alone, but there are times while traveling other countries I meet travelers or others I become friends with and I also enjoy this pretty much. Nevertheless, the excitement and enjoyment I get from being a solo traveler is different and intense which I love it. By the time we got to the Tancarville Bridge, my new British friends were tired and they wanted to stop by at a pub and have a few beers. I told them that I must continue and that I probably see them in Honfleur. After an hour, I was by myself again. Over the years I got so used to traveling alone that I really love traveling solo and traveling alone really taught me so much about life.

Tancarville Bridge was downhill so my bicycle speed reached up to 65 kilometers an hour. It was an intense speed while your bicycle is packed up. But this trekking bicycle able to carry lots of load. And it has 24 gears which is very fast. By the time I came down to the base of the bridge I had to turn around again to the opposite direction towards the town of Honfleur. I lost so much time by taking this second bridge, but had no other choice. I was finally arriving to Honfleur and it was getting dark.

Clocktower of the Church of Saint Catherine, Honfleur. Photo:F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

I didn’t know that much about this town Honfleur. In fact I didn’t even get a chance to read about it at all. But I like surprises, so I was ready. I arrived at Honfleur in an early evening hour which everyone was outside walking around the marina. And most were wearing jackets, sweaters and rain coats. Very first thing got my notice was the marina and the port. It was situated right at the center of the town and it was romantically beautiful picturesque. This marina and port completely takes you over and makes you want to stare at this scene for hours. And I’m not kidding about it at all. Ask many artists and painters who sits hours and hours drawing the picture of this beautiful port and its background. I took many photos of it from different angles and positions and still couldn’t take enough of it. Honfleur also belongs to Cote Fleurie (Flower coast) which has 13 other towns along the coast.

Out of these 14 coastal towns Deauville is known by its famous and prestigious seaside resorts. French super rich and high society mostly keeps and prefers their summer houses in this beautiful town. Deauville is also famous with its international film festival usually in early September every year. It’s actually called Deauville American film festival. I stayed 3 days and 3 nights in Honfleur, Deauville and the flower coast. All three nights I camped out at the beach and again relaxing and sleeping with ocean sounds waves. Neither any local police nor anyone else bothered me at the beach. In fact police women who I talked to in front of a bakery, were very happy that I was traveling their country (hahaha). In France mostly in the mornings or at any time of the day you can go to a bakery and purchase fresh baking goods and sit down in front of the store sitting area enjoy your breakfast with coffee, tea or other beverages. You can smell those bakeries (Boulangerie) from miles away. That fresh bread or chocolate croissant would smell all day and that was the best part of my mornings.

I love this entire coastline. I was on my way to World War II Normandy amphibious landing beaches, the American cemetery and memorial and I was very happy to travel the north-west France with details. My next blog will cover Normandy landing beaches

Honfleur, France. I was on my bicycle and riding towards the Light House. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

Etretat, France and France's forgotten region:The fabulous north-west.

Once a small fishing town, Etretat is now a famous town because of its white cliffs, regions most famous rock formation needle, chalk formation, natural arches, and the famous GR-21 long distance hiking path which passes through here. It’s situated north-east of port city Le Havre. Again the route D-940 passes through here on the way down to Le Havre. As I mentioned on my earlier blog (Cap Blanc-Nez) about the spectacular route D-940 which brings you all the way down here is full of intriguing towns, spots, places and the never ending views. Traveling with bicycle also gave me an incredible advantage of seeing this beautiful north-west part of France and its amazing spots even close up.

Etretat and its white cliffs. This was the west side of Etretat. It was rather a warmer day and I couldn't help, but start swimming. Especially right after riding my bicycle hours and hours just to get here.  Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

This is the east side of Etretat. Of course you can hike up to the top and enjoy the view of the entire Etretat.

                                                                                                              Photo: F.Aksoy- Aug-2013 

Alabaster Coast which is an 80 mile stretch between Dieppe and Etretat is situated in upper Normandy. And

of course there is the famous town of Fecamp known with its high chalky cliffs between Dieppe and Etretat. And some of these white chalk cliffs reach up to 120 meters at places. Well, this whole stretch has so many white cliffs and in reality, I was hesitating how long to stay and where, what and how long. Entire area was intense and different which I became so infatuated with its physical beauty that I camped out in the open every night for 4 nights sleeping with the waves sound right next to me. I loved breathing that fresh air and the wind which was hitting me lightly. No one bothered me at the spot where I was sleeping. I felt safe and comfortable with my 0-Fahrenheit degree sleeping bag and air-therm-a-rest sleeping pads extremely light in weight rests on the grass with my bicycle locked up next to me while watching the waves coming down and hitting the shore and its cliffs.  Of course it wasn't the same spot where I slept every night. I slept one night in Dieppe, two nights in Fecamp and its surroundings then one night in Etretat before heading down to the city of La Havre. Every morning I would walk to a local French bakery and would fall in love with that smell inside the bakery. It would be very hard to make a decision what to eat and what to buy. There were so many baking goods to choose from. And at nights I would go to café order seafood, try a glass of various 

French wines and then have a nice cup of coffee or a cup of tea watching the waves with an intense pleasure.

This is the film I captured from my headcam. I put this video on my Youtube actually. I was still on the road and about to approach to Etretat I began filming it on my bicycle. You can clearly see the town of Etretat and the west side as well as east side of the beach and white cliffs.  Video: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

   

I can see so many people in their camper vans and cars coming from England, Germany, Netherlands, Italy and some Scandinavian countries.  I ended up meeting with so many people from different parts of the world here in Alabaster coast and before I knew I made several friends. Over the decades or I should say that I've been friendly and warm with others. This led me to meet with so many people from different countries and helped me to learn their cultures. Since my teen years the more I learned about the world, people and their cultures, the more I wanted to learn. And it was always this intense desire that I had/have to see the entire world with details. I’d have to explain the details of this subject later in a different blog. But now back to Etretat area.

  My loyal bicycle waits for me to make a decision to choose my destination. Of course it was Dieppe as I continued to adventure north-west France.     Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

  Etretat used to be a simple fishing village with its famous oysters, but later becoming one of the most visited sites for its natural beauty of cliffs. It was always a major curiosity for me to find out how these cliffs turned out to be white. Alabaster coast refers to chalky white cliffs, but when examined and analyzed later, it was salty rust. And the bruises of erosion brought by the heavy waves and relentless assault of sea, rain and gale-force winds battering these cliffs. Because of these strong physical forces which have been hitting on the cliffs of Etretat for so long, these cliffs has become fragile. And this is the reason Etretat’s needle rock and gateway arches are surviving ruins of perished cliff. Erosion is still a reality here and yet, we may see more perishing cliffs.

 When you arrive at Etretat’s village and its shores, you will notice pebble beach right away and either end of the beach, you will see the white cliffs. These two cliffs are called Falaise d’Aval and Falaise d’Amont. You’ll see them much better from these photos that I took and the video I filmed from my headcam.

I’m not trying to exaggerate, overestimate or brag about one of France’s most interesting corners in its map: north-west section. However, this beautiful part of France and the route D-940 is one of the must see spots of the world. This destination offer many coastal and inland spots with many attractions. North-west part of France is less crowded with hardly any population; it’s quiet and peaceful which even makes it more attractive to its visitors.

Thought Bretagne(Brittany) and Pays de la Loire, both are also regions which are located north-west France, and which I’ve been to, however on this blog I’m mostly concentrating regions of Nord pas-de-Calais, Haute Normandie(Upper Normandy) Basse Normandie(Lower Normandy). All the way up north from Belgium border, Dunkirk, Calais then following the beautiful route D940 to Cap Blanc-Nez, Boulonge-Sur-Mer, Reserve Naturale La baie de la Canche, Etaples, Le Crotoy, Criel-Sur-Mer, Dieppe, Fecamp, Etretat to the city of Le Havre. Then following the coast-line from Honfleur to World War II Normandy landing beaches: Sword Beach, Juno Beach, Gold Beach, Omaha Beach and Utah Beach. Of course I had to pay my respect to all these warriors who died very young during the amphibious landing. And now their graves are located at various locations in Normandy:  American military cemetery in Colleville-Sur-Mer, British military cemetery in Bayeux and German military cemetery in La Cambe. Then who can forget Le Mont Saint-Michel which is part of the UNESCO list of “world heritage site” and France’s most visited monument site after Paris. I will discuss this area with its beautiful photos on my other blogs which will cover Normandy amphibious landings and also the Mont Saint-Michel castle in separate blogs.

Again, this is the video I captured from my headcam while on the road with my bicycle. This is north-west of France. Actually when going downhill with this German trekking bicycle Kalkhoff you can reach up to 65 km an hour. North-west was full of hills, up and down up and down. This video is also on my youtube. Video: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

      I just couldn’t get enough of north-west France. There were so much to do, so many points of interest and places to discover that I thought I should stay and spend a year in this region. But I just didn’t have that much time to spare. Although there were many hills on this fabulous route D-940, and in this region, still it was an ideal voyage for bicycle and I loved every minute of it. Many people are not aware of the stiff hills D940 route has and some think this area is a flat region. But in reality, it’s the opposite; this area consists of many hills.

Normandy region also has ferryboat accesses from and to England up to 4 locations: ports of Cherbourg, Caen, La Havre and Dieppe. The mix of spectacular coast-line later becomes sandy beaches and even several resorts. Then inland there are so many thousands of charming farms which includes Apple orchards and dairy farms. Produce goods: Cheese, apples, pork, seafood and duck. Not to mention its physical beauty with forest, wooded hills, white cliffs. This region also produces calvados: a distilled cider or apple brandy.

Despite the fact agriculture, tourism and industry has been the most important part of this region’s economy; nevertheless, because of this region’s long coastline and its many rivers, fishing is one of the many major income sources. And this area specializes in many seafood dishes. Region of north-west is also known by its other meat products: Lamb, chicken, duck and ham. But I can’t forget the recommendations of the French north-west government which lets us know some of their unique delicious regional specialty dishes: Shellfish, crustaceans, lobsters, mussels, crab and others such as oysters, scallops and crayfish. According to their recommendations, Seafood is basically laid on a bed of ice and seaweed then served with a light white wine called Muscadet, fresh rye bread and butter. Shellfish also can be served in a beurre blanc sauce made from butter, wine, and shallots. Because I was bicycling Europe during this trip, usually I would buy food from super markets, local bakeries or farms then camp out to prepare my food. However, at least three times a week I would eat out and I was able to stop at various towns and locations to taste some of these specialties and, yes, I was really impressed by their style of cooking, serving and not to mention the view from these outdoor cafes were intense.

West side of Etretat again I came closer by swimming on a warm day. Photo:F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

The route D940 from Calais to La Havre and other routes from upper Normandy all the way down to Mont-Saint-Michel lower Normandy have so many scenic views that take my attention from riding my bicycle. I do take my eyes off very often to watch this beautiful point of interests which are very distractive. My bicycle trip to 7 countries in Europe took me about 10 weeks to complete it. And I spent two weeks of these 10 weeks right here in north-west France. When I return back from my trip, many told me that was too much time to spend in north-west France. I simply told them “You do not know what you are missing”

  East side of Etretat once again. Photo: F.Aksoy

UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS (HOLLAND) Not your Amsterdam! Genuine Dutch.

This is a city much older and more Dutch than Amsterdam. And If you're going to visit or travel
Netherlands,  then you make sure you stop by Utrecht. Utrecht is unique, it stands out from other Dutch cities and it's a must see destination no matter what. There are several middle-sized cities in Europe I really love and for me, Utrecht is definitely one of them which I've gone back 11 times. There is a reason for everything and there must be a reason why I keep going back to Utrecht and others I adore.
It's not as much populated as Amsterdam. Not that I don't like Amsterdam, it's just a different city. It's the 4th largest city of Holland.
The reason I said this city is one of the oldest has a lot to do with its historical background. Its history witnessed to many events that shaped the entire Netherlands.
Utrecht has been the religious centre of Netherlands since many centuries and this is one reason you would see many historical buildings and monuments from Early Middle ages and the Middle ages.
There is the Dom Tower which is the tallest church tower in Netherlands. It was built in 14th Century around 1328, but of course it took many years to complete the entire project. And you can see this tower where ever you are in Utrecht. This is the main reason why you would never get lost in Utrecht. It's 112,5 meters tall, I do not believe anyone would miss it from a far distance.

                  

            Utrecht Dom Tower  Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013           

                                      Another shot to Utrecht Dom Tower Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013                                                                                                                                        

This city also a university town and its university is one of the biggest in Europe and also the oldest in Netherlands.
This university is one of the leading research centers in Europe which is why the city of Utrecht is known as a student city. There is no doubt in my eyes, Utrecht is cultural, very lively, young population and it has so much to offer for anyone at any age.
Before I begin talking about those beautiful Utrecht canals which is everywhere in the city, I will have to explain about part of the Rhein river south of Utrecht in Netherlands.
During the 11th Century, Rhein river flowed right in the center and around the city of Utrecht. And banks of the Rhein river became so important and vital to the trade that Utrecht became very important player. But later because of Utrecht's defense and security from enemies, they have decided to build fortresses. And to build this fortresses meant: change the Rhein river's flow direction more towards south.
Of course after the old bed main flow of the Rhein river moving to south which used to pass through the city, main bed in the city created many canals.

                                                                                                                       








Beautiful lively canals which Utrecht populations takes advantage of them
                                       Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

Actually these canals gave so much character to the city that without them Utrecht would be naked. 

   And there are so many shops and cafes around the canal lines that you would never stop going from one to another. 

Give yourself at least a few days in Utrecht if you really want to enjoy this city. Because I was bicycling during this European trip 7 countries and almost 3000 kilometers, I felt like this was the best way to see some of the cities close up. I do not believe there were any places left that I didn't touch before I left Utrecht. That is having an advantage traveling with bicycle. And in Holland and in Utrecht, just about everyone cycles to everywhere. So, I wasn't a strangers to these bike crazy country.

Just about everyone rides their bicycles in Utrecht. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

Since I've been in Utrecht many times, in one of those occasions I was riding my bicycle from another Dutch city Eindhoven, coming from south towards north to Utrecht. 

I just have to tell anyone that if you ever like taking a tour of Dutch country side, then try coming to Utrecht from south by taking the road from a town called s-Hertogenbosch. I just love that country road crossing some of the most beautiful Dutch villages on the way to Utrecht. 

You also cross some of the most private part of the Rhein river where locals swim and it's middle of no where. Passing through some of the apple orchards and town of Zaltbommel was amazing where I felt like I was in a different world. 

Utrecht and surrounding places a must see destination. You just get so much out of it that you want to go back again.

An amazing sculpture front of a funky street entrance. I tried very hard to think 

and guess what this subject (sculpture) really doing. I knew he wasn't staring at anywhere. 

But rather, he was thinking deep...a strategy perhaps.  Photo: F.Aksoy

This building was directly situated right behind the Dom Tower. Photo: F.Aksoy

Bicycles are the best transportation in Netherlands. They're all over the place

I mean everywhere.                                 Photo: F.Aksoy

GHENT (GENT) BELGIUM. THE HIDDEN CITY!

Here is a city mostly underrated and unknown to many around the world. But actually this itself is enough to visit Gent over and over. Yes, correct! Europeans may know the city, however, the numbers are not that high. I've been there several times, still, I can never get enough of Gent. There is something about it which captures the best of me. Belgium do have a few beautiful cities, towns and villages. Antwerpen may be a fashion capital of Belgium, Brugge may be the most visited city by tourists in Belgium. Brussel may be a cosmopolitan city home to EU and Nato, with its certain attractive suburbs, but still in my opinion, none of them would take Gent's place. Gent is different! Gent is Belgium's best kept secret and Gent is a hidden city which not many are aware of it.

                                            This is the photo of Belfry of Gent.
                                      This tower is all the way from medieval times and
                                         It served as a bell tower and a watch tower. it's
                                         construction started in 1313 by master mason
                                                            Jan van Haelst           Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

                                   Saint Nicholas Church, Gent, Belgium. Photo by:F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

                                  Historical Post Plaza, Gent, Belgium. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

    What really sets the city of Gent apart from other Belgian cities? Of course I can only answer this question from my own perspective. And not only from a single visit, but I was in Gent four separate occasions.
I'm mostly a positive and an outgoing person with a great mood almost at all times. However, I must admit and acknowledge that  every time I was in Gent my energy levels were raised up by naturally. The city itself has so much energy and it's written all over it from the moment you enter into Gent. I can never describe enough of Gent's positive sides. It's not only what the city offers, but most importantly Gent's people and its population are some of the warmest bunch you can find in Western Europe. Yes, Gent's historical center is mostly from medieval times and generally centered around Gravensteen Castle and mostly free from cars or car traffic which really makes it even easier to walk around. But still it's not the medieval buildings that sets Gent apart from other cities, it's also its people what makes this city outstanding.

                              I was on my way to the city of Gent, Belgium. Having a lunch break
                              in one of the Belgium villages. Aug-2013

                          The Gravensteen Castle, Gent, Belgium. This castle was built in 1180
                          by Phillip Alsace. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013                            


  Gent is located around north-west, Flemish (Dutch speaking) region in Belgium. It's actually a hidden city between France and Holland. It has the third largest port of Belgium. Of course it's port is accessible by canals and it's situated by Western Scheldt.
You really don't need a car in Gent. Gent has one of the best transportation system in the region. It has everything you ask for (Bus, Tram, Train, etc). And if you rather see things close up you can basically walk everywhere. Especially people who enjoys long distance walking, you'd love taking a walk along the Leie river or the medieval historical center.
Gent has one of the biggest university in Dutch speaking region with a population of 60,000 students and this is also what makes this city's population's average age so younger than other Belgium cities.

       A place for coffee and chocolate lovers. Great for cacao shots. I loved it.  Photo:F.Aksoy
                                                                                                                           Aug-2013

                                   Near the historical center, Gent, Belgium. Photo: F.Aksoy
    On this particular trip to Gent I was bicycling and on the way to south to France, Spain and Italy. But then again, every time I comeback to Europe bicycling the continent, I always stop by the city of Gent. I can't help it. It has so much affect on me. Because of the traveling style is bicycling, I usually camp out most of the nights except two or three of the nights out of the week, I check in to either to hotel or backpacker's hostel.
In Gent, I camped out a few nights, but other nights I was invited to stay with my newly made friends who were warm and hospitable enough to invite me to their places. And the important point here with Gent's locals  has a lot to do with not only a few people wants to host you, but rather there were so many locals who invited me. And it's amazing how friendly they are. No matter which cafe or a place you're sitting or relaxing, there are always stranger friendly locals who wants to chat to you. Perhaps they like visitors from other countries, perhaps they do enjoy talking and getting into conversations with others. Whatever it is, I love the energy and the positiveness Gent people carries with them.

   
                                        Locals relaxing at the cafe, Gent, Belgium. Photo: F.Aksoy

 

            This street is deep inside away from the center of the city, but it got my notice right a way. in Dutch, straat means street, so, I was laughing so hard when I saw this sign. However, I'd have to admit that great, delicious and international food served on this street.                                                                                                                

 

Calais and Cap Blanc Nez. North-west France: Fascinating sea shore road D-940 full of views.

As I continued to my long distance bicycle trip around Europe, exiting from Belgium then entering into France just reminded me that there was a long way down to Spain, then later to French and Italian Rivieras (Coastline). Basically, I knew I had to cross the entire France north to south, top to the bottom. The real journey with my bicycle was just about to begin. Earlier in August I began cycling from Germany into Netherlands, then into Belgium and Oostende was the last major stop before entering into France.
    It was really a windy day to ride my bicycle to the French border where I stopped for an half an hour to rest and eat. It was still around noon and a sunny day and I wanted to get to the city of Calais in France before the night arrived. But first I had to go through the city of Dunkirk. Dunkirk was about 10 kilometers away from the Belgium border and as I was riding my bike towards Dunkirk, I was also debating if I should stop over and get to know the city. But when I began entering into Dunkirk I changed my mind in a hurry. Nothing seemed felt right about this area. It was dirty and industrial. There were a few things I knew about this city. This was a fishing town long ago and Dunkirk was the third largest harbour in France. Its economy heavily dependent on this harbour, chemical industries, oil refineries and ship-building. There was something else about Dunkirk most people remembered: how British troops were cornered by Germans during the World War-2. I didn't want to stop in Dunkirk at all and I continued pedalling towards the city of Calais.

Finding the directions and your routes in France has had always been one of the major problems that I've faced over the years. I never carried a GPS on a bicycle, but rather carrying a detail map of France was enough for me. I've done this in the past many times. However, there are at times in France, getting out of or trying to get into some of the villages, towns and cities with a bicycle is one of the hardest things to do. This has a lot to do with their poor or I should say lack of signs on the roads showing where or what directions to go. In Europe, just like any other continent around the world, bicycles are prohibited to ride on freeways, Highways or Autobahns. Basically you can only take or use the roads between the villages or towns which would connect you to the cities you're traveling to.
     It would be easy to find directions to any city if you're driving a car between the cities in France, but I was riding a bicycle. And believe it or not whether you have a map or whether you asked the directions to 20 different people, it would take about 3 hours for you to get out of the city of Dunkirk. And yes, it took me over 2 hours to find the road to Calais. Hahaha, I was laughing the entire time as I was asking directions to French people. They just didn't know the answer.
   I finally arrived to Calais at 7:00 in the evening. It was still light out, but light winds were bringing cooler air. I was very hungry and tired for riding all day. This time I just wanted to eat at a restaurant instead of camping and preparing my own food which I usually buy from super markets.
It turned out to be a good idea as I met the manager of this restaurant and luckily he was from England which I was able to ask him the directions for the next morning's route. Before I knew it, Paul invited his several French friends to our outside area sitting table.  We really had a great conversations about politics, wars, history, traveling, and Calais. One of the French guy Alain who spoke perfect English agreed with me how hard it was to find directions in France if you are not traveling with a car and not using freeways(Highways)
The problem wasn't the traveling inter cities, but rather it was finding the directions (The Road) while you're trying to get out of the cities and towns to your next destination. This is where French road signs fails to direct you to your next road which will lead you to your next destination. All of a sudden you're staring at 4 different roads and directions, and which one I should take? There is no sign! It would drive me crazy and mad at times.

                                             Calais at night. Photo: F. Aksoy

Before we knew it, this table we were on having a conversation, became an international gathering. On this table, we had a few British, a few French, Belgian, Turkish, Dutch, American and a New Zealander. And we were having the best conversation about different topics.  This conversation carried on until 2:30 AM. It was time to go to the bed. Alain the French guy invited me to stay at his house, but I told him that I had to wake up early to be on the road. I told him that it was really nice for him to invite me over and  next time, whenever  I'm around North-west France, I would definitely accept his offer.
  I camped out all night in Calais and next morning after showering quickly, I was about to get on one of the most fascinating roads. I've been to France several times, but had never been to this part of France. Before going to Spain, some of my destinations in Northern France was: Etretat, Le Havre, And the beaches of Normandy landing as well as Mont-Saint-Michel then down to Rennes, Nantes, Bordeaux before entering into Northern Spain Basque area. Yes, I was excited for the new road (north-west France) which I haven't been on. I was actually shocked to see the sun and a warmer day after a cold night.
Calais is located in Northern France (Nord-Pas de Calais Region) and it's a huge ferryboat port. Because of its strategic position and location which overlooks to straight of Dover in narrowest point in English Channel, Calais has been a major port for transport and tradi

                                           Port of Calais, France. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

                                              Port of Calais, France. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

                                           Calais, France. Near city center. Photo: F.Aksoy- Aug-2013

I began cycling out of Calais around 9:00 AM and I can feel the heat on my face right-away. As soon as I left Calais I saw the road D-940. And about 7 kilometers later endless huge hills began as I pedalled harder. I was sweating really hard in the heat and going against up the stiff hills. First I passed the village of Sangatte then right before I start on another hill approaching towards Le Cap Blanc Nez, I just couldn't believe my eyes. I said WOW! Where did this view come from? I was amazed what I was looking at and shocked to the nature. Ocean (British Channel) was on my right which you can see England. On my left beautiful hills and farms. If we translate Le Cap Blanc Nez from French to English, it basically means "Cape White Nose" The cliffs of this area is very similar to white cliffs of Dover, England. At the foot of the white cliffs in Le Cap Blanc Nez remain traces of an ancient shore of the quaternary era, fossilized beach is an exceptional curiosity, international reputation. I finally made it to the top and stopped locked my bicycle then walked towards the hills to take some photos. Still, this wasn't the only place or spots along the road of D-940. All the way down to Etretat there were more spots were waiting for me which I'll be sharing with you. But getting up here to  Le Cap Blanc-Nez and its hills was a killer, however, it was worth every minute of seeing it. I loved it. I'll definitely go back again.

                                            Cap Blanc-Nez, France. Photo: F.Aksoy- Aug-2013

                                            Cap Blanc-Nez, France and the route-D- 940   Aug-2013
                           

Outskirts of Calais, France. F.Aksoy- Aug-2013

Monument Dover Patrol, Cap Blanc-Nez, France. Photo: F:Aksoy- Aug-2013                                                              

All these photos were taken around Cap Blanc-Nez which is about 10 kilometers outside of the city of Calais and the road which is full of spectacular views that takes you there: the French route-Nationale road D-940. This site is listed for its exceptional interest. The monument above is called Dover Patrol. This monument symbolizes the sacrifice of French and British soldiers who defended the waters of Pas-de-Calais.
This amazing road D-940 takes us down south to many other point of interests, but first not to far from this location another interesting spot around the town of Wissant and later the cutest small village called Tardinghen. I was speechless and there were no words can capture the experience of bicycling this region and this spectacular part of France. I fell in love with this area, this road all the way down to lower Normandy and I'd love to go back there next summer again.
                                                         

GERMANY, Mainz-Koblenz Stretch. Amazing Rhein River.

        This past summer I began my European bicycle trip in Germany. Entire voyage took about 10 weeks covering 7 countries and about 2600 Kilometers. I decided to begin this fascinating trip from Rhein River.

I've been on this road before. But my earlier trips to this beautiful location were either too quick or I was just passing through on the way to visit friends. However, this time around, I really wanted to see and get to know the area closer. Details of the Rhein river between Mainz and Koblenz always got my attention and the history that this legendary stretch shared was intense.
I knew the Rhein river's length was 1,233 Kilometers and it crossed 6 different countries Switzerland, France, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, and Netherlands. When Rhine crosses all these countries, it's the longest in Germany. And in Germany between Bingen koblenz or Bonn is called Middle Rhein. This is the stretch also known to many as "Romantic Rhine" with its charming castles, fortresses, monuments, and beautiful  medieval towns and villages.

            Ohh the amazing stretch I would recommend to anyone. Photo: F.Aksoy

 The road distance between Mainz and Koblenz with a car is around 100km, but I was on a bicycle tour of Europe and on this part-I of my trip with a bicycle distance was around 120 km.

 During the cycling between these German towns along side of the Rhein River was amazing as I couldn't take my eyes off from a beautiful landscape, castles, gothic churches and cathedrals. There were also so many cruise boats on the river which were taking tourists around these towns. It was hard to believe the numbers of the cruise boat companies which were operating on Rhein River.

                     A historical and medieval town along the left bank of the Rhein River. Photo: F.Aksoy

    Along the Rhein river, there are towns from medieval years and there are so many castles, fortresses, cathedrals, churches. This route is historical indeed. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

                                                   

The most interesting part of this stretch actually begins around Rudesheim. Rudesheim to ST.Goar Hausen and there are many other towns between such as Bingen, Assmanns Hausen, Trechtings Hausen, Lorch, Bacharach, Kaub, Oberwesel, ST.Goar then to ST. Goars- Hausen

. Actually, this little stretch it self was around 34 kilometres. But all these towns, castles, chateaus, fortresses  had a long history going back to years 912 and medieval times.

          This castle right after passing Rudesheim. Photo: F.Aksoy

But for me, cycling was the only way to travel around Europe. Over the years, from my earlier trips to 5 different continents were mostly backpacking and using what ever the type of transportation available from trains to busses. However, as I got more experienced, I realized that the best way to travel, see and experience places closer was "bicycling". Of course there are places I do go which it would be very hard or impossible to travel with bicycle. There were several mountains I trekked and climbed in the past and this would have been impossible to travel with a bicycle. Nevertheless, the continent of Europe is an ideal place for bicycles.

                     Schonburg Castle, Oberwesel, Rhein River, Germany. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

Whether with boat cruise, car or bicycle, I would highly recommend this part of charming Rhein River to anyone who really wants to see the other side of Germany. This little 34 kilometres stretch between Rudesheim and ST.Goar Hausen (Cultural landscape) offers a lot.

                       The road between Bingen and Koblenz. And here is my loyal German Kalkhoff bicycle
                       Which took me all over Europe. At least 2600 Kilometers. I loved that bicycle.

   Medieval town Oberwesel. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013

  Again this video I captured in medieval town Oberwesel on the left bank of the Rhein river also clearly shows the Schonburg Castle. This video also located in my youtube account.

There are almost 50 castles and fortresses on this stretch and not to mention this area also known for its vineyards along the river they form the wine growing section of the Rhein River and Germany.

As you're riding your bicycle, or driving your vehicle or riding a train from Mainz to Koblenz on Rhein River, on the left bank of the river, important towns are: Bingen, Bacharach, Oberwesel, St Goar, Boppard. And on the right bank of the river: Rudesheim, Assmanmshausen, Lorch, Kaub, St Goarhausen. Braubach, Lahnstein. You can trace this region's history all the way back to Mid 1st Century to Romans where they settled around the middle-Rhein area.

I couldn't count all of these Germany's fairytale castles and fortresses on both sides of the Rhein River which was an intense view from bottom to top, but locals were telling me that their numbers are somewhere around fifty. This road or stretch was a fabulous place to start my European bike tour as I found out there is another hidden side of Germany. Yes, I would definitely come back again.