Germany (all)

Man on a bicycle can go three or four times faster than the pedestrian, but uses five times less energy in the process. He carries one gram of his weight over a kilometer of flat road at an expense of only 0.15 calories. The bicycle is the perfect transducer to match man's metabolic energy to the impedance of locomotion. Equipped with this tool, man outstrips the efficiency of not only all machines but all other animals as well. [...]

Bicycles are not only thermodynamically efficient, they are also cheap. With his much lower salary, the Chinese acquires his durable bicycle in a fraction of the working hours an American devotes to the purchase of his obsolescent car. The cost of public utilities needed to facilitate bicycle traffic versus the price of an infrastructure tailored to high speeds is proportionately even less than the price differential of the vehicles used in the two systems. In the bicycle system, engineered roads are necessary only at certain points of dense traffic, and people who live far from the surfaced path are not thereby automatically isolated as they would be if they depended on cars or trains. The bicycle has extended man's radius without shunting him onto roads he cannot walk. Where he cannot ride his bike, he can usually push it.

The bicycle also uses little space. Eighteen bikes can be parked in the place of one car, thirty of them can move along in the space devoured by a single automobile. It takes three lanes of a given size to move 40,000 people across a bridge in one hour by using automated trains, four to move them on buses, twelve to move them in their cars, and only two lanes for them to pedal across on bicycles. Of all these vehicles, only the bicycle really allows people to go from door to door without walking. The cyclist can reach new destinations of his choice without his tool creating new locations from which he is barred. [...]

[The author travels around the world and reviews hostels, and has built up a large hostel directory.]

What are hostels?

The quickest answer I can give to you is that hostels are budget accommodations where you share a room with other travelers. To be more specific though and to give you a better idea of what to expect I will say that a hostel room is like a hotel room but instead of being just one bed there are a couple (or a few) bunk beds. There are also (gasp!) other people. People you do not know! These other people are travelers who are most likely very much like you in the sense that they are exploring and traveling and doing it as absolutely cheaply as possible. Hostels have been around a long long time. There are over 20,000 of them around the world. Hostels are very much a part of the culture of Europe, and are starting to be known in the USA as well. Hostels are a cheaper way of staying in a city where you do not live.

A Web site devoted to the challenges of getting you and your bicycle on a train and to your destination in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Specific ``how-tos,'' detailed photos, hints and tips, useful links, etc.

A thorough introduction to the subject of Radtourenfahren - call it recreational touring by bicycle. Includes calendars, addresses, general info, etc.

The North Sea Cycle Route: 6000 kilometres of fascinating adventure await you. Explore a wealth of cities and villages, beaches and farms, lowlands and uplands, cliff paths and byways - all without fear of getting lost - just keep on for long enough and you'll return to your starting point.

The world's longest signed international cycle route encircles the North Sea, passing through no fewer than 7 countries: the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Scotland and England. From Harwich and Hoek van Holland in the south to Bergen and the Shetland Islands in the north.

What you don't manage this year will wait till next year, or the year after - the North Sea Cycle Route will be there for you whenever you are ready. Choose one convenient section at a time, linked by the many North Sea ferries sailing out of major ports such as Amsterdam, Hamburg, Esbjerg, Göteborg, Bergen and Newcastle.

This online guide will provide you with all the information you need before you start to pack your bags. Naturally, you are also more than welcome to contact the local tourist information offices, which can supply additional details of the attractions, events and accommodation in their area.

Welcome to a fantastic cycle tour around the North Sea - just jump on your bike.