By Prof. Jürgen Weber created for Göttingen Stadt Halle in 1963/64. In the centre of the city a crouching thinking figure sits alone whilst around him there is a pulsating city environment bursting with vitality. The fact the figures are naked and somewhat involved with each other is symbolic of human existence I assume. The… Continue Reading
Latest in: History/Life – Geschichte & Leben
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I have a gothic heart and soul because I am haunted by what might have been, and gothic literature which I have read extensively since my near-death experience is about people being haunted by events, memories, thoughts and monstrous things conjured up from the subconscious. Victor Hugo wrote in 1832 in the gothic novel the… Continue Reading
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Bon Courage is an antidote for fear, it allows me to take a step towards rather than retreat from people or activities even if at times it feels like I put one foot forward and three back. Much of this is related to my recent heart attack and having had my world turned upside down. Pharma… Continue Reading
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I will remember this as one of my most favourite rides when Andrea, Julia and I celebrated the gravel stage of the 2024 Tour de France by mixing asphalt with Gö’s own Chemin Blanc. It might be the first time that I felt my mojo is on the up as I defuse the ticking bomb… Continue Reading
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My cardiac doctor at rehab during a consultation listed to me all the things I could do now after my heart attack… most were normal almost humdrum but when she said I could fly, I quickly interjected and said that´s amazing because I couldn´t do that before. It took a few moments for the joke… Continue Reading
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I took a picture of the group whilst suffering a heart attack and everyone pictured contributed to saving my life. A week ago, my life of decadence caught up with me when Plaque in a heart artery erupted causing a chain of events that semi-blocked the blood flow to this mighty pump. To my credit… Continue Reading
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Victoria and I visited Jena where we met Josh Schenk on his completion of the Thüringen Erfahren Asphalt bike tour. The route having passed close to the city and the battlefield of Jena. Josh rode through heavy rain but it dried out later Thüringen Erfahren Asphalt 2024 Gö Graveller Josh Schenk rode the asphalt version… Continue Reading
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The enormous success of the film Oppenheimer at the Hollywood Oscars fits nicely with our Gö Gravel visit to the Forum Wissen in Gottingen. It was in Göttingen, Germany that the ´Father of the A-Bomb´ earned his doctorate in physics from the city´s university in 1927 under Max Born who had established a world leading… Continue Reading
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How to express how glad I was to be riding today….? I can´t yet. BUMP IN THE NIGHT Like things that go bump in the night and wake you from your happy slumber, illness or accident can rudely interrupt your life. It´s one thing to have a cold and need to sit tight as it… Continue Reading
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Home dirt road Omloop When I ride my bike alone, I never listen to music, the engagement with the terrain is enough for me and when my mind wanders, I do often follow a train of thought in my head, as was the case on when I rode a revised 40km Gö dirt road Omloop… Continue Reading
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Bad Harzburg reinvented itself from being a mining town into a wellness/spa resort during the 19th century. It became and remained a ´Riveira´ like town of the Harz Mountains, with cake shops, cafes, gardens, and all sorts of things to do when patrons of the clinics sneak out and escape their health regime. Most people… Continue Reading
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There is much to explore in and around Göttingen and after a short train ride we visited the towns of Bad Sooden and Allendorf in Hesse. The towns are in view of each other but are distinct separated by the Werra River and until recently administratively. The story of Bad Sooden and Allendorf is typical… Continue Reading
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Presenting no obstacle to our free movement this Gö Gravel cycle tour saw us cross several active and defunct borders. The ride compliments the All Along the Watchtower both being linked to the control of the land. Once how far you travelled from home was dictated by the distance you could walk in a day,… Continue Reading
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You can see the Hoher Hagen and the Gauß Turm across the Leine Valley from almost anywhere in the Göttingen area. This Gö Gravel informal gravel ride takes us out of Gö to the highest height and we think about Carl Frederick Gauß, who might be the patron saint of GPS and Strava. Gauß was… Continue Reading
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Winter wetter (and cake) is an existential matter for any cyclist. What is the meaning of it all? I was not to be a hostage to my angst and motivated by the company of Sandra and Andrea we rode a variation of the Gö Feldweg Omloop 40km. Angst The weather is a major matter for… Continue Reading
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This was a scouting and GPS setting ride for a coming Gö Strade Bianche – Love of Mud Winter Series party ride. We visit the Kopfsteinpflaster Karussell and the Bürgertal Canyon plus the Rosengarten at Reinhausen. This route features several stiff climbs including one gravel ascent I walked up (25% plus) – the ride rocks… Continue Reading
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The ground had been swollen in the days before my ride by rain plus snow and the weather was bleak in attitude offering a taste of the winter yet to come. The trails will now become increasingly sodden until they freeze and then return to being a quagmire in places during the subsequent thaw. The… Continue Reading
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During a flying visit to Germany by Tom and Irene from the Netherlands, we ate lots of cake, toured Göttingen and then went walking in the Harz Mountains (close to Gö). I have visited the Harz many times but after a year’s gap it was shocking to see large swathes of dead trees. It is… Continue Reading
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With just a few days before the end of the nine Euro ticket valid on all regional transport we decided to cross state lines and revisit Kassel some 50 kilometres from Göttingen. Tickets deals for internal travel within my home state of Lower Saxony will remain. Kassel sits upon the Fulda River in Hesse (some… Continue Reading
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The plan was to make use of our nine Euro rail ticket and visit Hannover, but the train was delayed because of a defect, and we opted to go instead to Kassel as that train was scheduled to leave much sooner. Hann Münden On board the train we decided spontaneously to jump off to visit… Continue Reading