16 from ferry to hotel

Tour data: Distance 25.4 km, max speed 33.6 km/h, travel time 1:38 hours

Weather: As it was cold on the ship's deck, I dressed warmly. Afterwards, it became very sunny, but still cold, with little wind.

After nearly 30 hours at sea with 2 overnight stays, my ferry journey came to an end. I got up in time, as there was another brunch offered and I wanted to witness the entrance to the harbor. There were still some clouds in the sky and since the deck floor was wet, I assumed it had rained.

Then I met the trainer of the Cologne ice hockey club. He asked me if I could take a photo of him for Instagram. I did, but also took photos of the surrounding landscape and the ship. Unfortunately, it was never possible to take a photo of the ship from the land side, as I couldn't stop when entering or exiting. Both times I had to follow a car.

At the exit, I even had a "follow me" all to myself. It led me for over a kilometer. That's how far it was to the end of the port area.

From here on, I was on my own. I tried to find a route to the city center with Komoot that didn't only follow main roads. I was quite satisfied with the result, as the route soon led me into beautiful countryside. Eventually, I had to ride along the roads, although there was always a bike path in general.

Two things quickly caught my attention with the cars: there are many electric cars and just as many that have spikes on the tires, which creates a lot of noise and also damages the roads. That's why spikes have been banned in our country for a long time.

The first hotel I chose didn't have an acceptable place for my eBike. At the second hotel, they offered me a spot in the luggage storage. I gladly accepted that.

Usually, I search for a hotel with Booking.com and then book directly at the hotel. It's often cheaper, as the hotel doesn't have to pay commissions. Today, the hotel price was considerably higher, so I ended up booking through Booking.com after all.

After checking into my room, I went for a stroll in the city. But I will write about that separately.

https://www.komoot.com/tour/1097344931?ref=en