Meet Thelma McNiven

Hi! My name is Thelma McNiven (an old girl of 83). Originally from Liverpool U.K. I have been in New Zealand for 50 years living all that time in Christchurch.

Recently because of trauma I felt from earthquakes, I decided to live in Cromwell, a decision I have never regretted. I have made lots of friends and people are so kind. I am a freelance writer but due to the earthquakes I lost a lot of articles. However I still have this one of a cycling adventure that took place in Germany with a group of 10 people 2 years ago.

Bike Adventure at 81 year old!

It didn't take much persuading to accept the offer of another bike ride overseas as last year celebrating my eightieth year was so enjoyable that I decided a trip to Germany, Austria and Switzerland could be interesting too. My friend and I decided to meet up with the 12 other participants – the leader anyway – in Frankfurt but alas when we got to the meeting place in the airport she was nowhere to be found! It was 10 p.m. and we were tired after the long flight.

First Night in Frankfurt

After a prolonged search with much worrying I found the address we were to stay for the night, in my bag so ordered a taxi. We were on our way… but we'd only travelled 10 minutes when the taxi came to a halt.

"I have a puncture", he murmured, "I will have to order another taxi for you." It was almost midnight when the next one arrived and after sorting out the cost with unfamiliar Singapore dollars and how much to tip, we eventually arrived at our destination. Needless to say our tour leader was embarrassed – she had thought we had pulled out of the trip!

So that was our first night and after a good night's sleep we met the rest of the group at breakfast before embarking on a short train journey to the start of our adventure – Trier a quaint city, the oldest in Germany with a 2,000 year-old Roman history. It rests on the Mosel Valley, one of the longest tributaries of the Rhine.

Starting the Adventure

When our bikes were delivered, my friend and I decided to do a tour round the quaint old town discovering ancient Roman baths and pretty gardens. Next day on a bus tour I was impressed by the elderly tour leader imparting her knowledge in three different languages. There are 9 buildings in the Unesco Heritage List here but of course time did not permit seeing them all. The most impressive building to me was The Porta Nigra a relic of the Roman era which I managed to climb enabling me to view the Square below with all its activities.

So we left next morning on a "high" to cycle 42ks to Trittenheim passing numerous wine-growing areas. My friend and I took advantage of the "not necessary to wear a cycle helmet" rule. Weren't we naughty but we enjoyed the freedom. It was noticeable the numbers of families that cycled together on the trail particularly at week-ends – and FAST!

We discovered many picturesque villages, beautiful churches and old castles as we cycled along the paths by well-kept vineyards. The Germans are a neat and tidy race!

The first week's tour ended in Koblenz after a walk through the forest to visit the interesting old castle of Eltz. We left our bikes and guessed we'd done a leisurely trip of less than 200ks. It made a change though enjoying the scenic trip on the train to our next destination – Munich. After a couple of days on luxury boats on nearby lakes and some more sightseeing, we were ready to take another train journey through mountains and valleys to Brixen, Italy to pick up more bikes. Here we had another day for sightseeing and after a morning walk to a monastery we took the bus to the Gondola. I was excited to see the majestic Dolomites becoming closer. We were getting nearer to Austria.

Storm on the Way to Austria

It seemed hard work cycling uphill on a new bike and I'll never forget the storm we encountered as we stood sheltering under a cowshed roof. I'd forgotten what mountain thunder, lightning and rain was like in that terrain – very noisy and impressive! We'd cycled 50ks the day we arrived in Lienz, in Austria so enjoyed a well-earned beer when we got there!

The next day to Berg along old Roman trade routes only took 35ks and I enjoyed a banana cake with cream followed by coffee in a local café. This is the life I thought. We cheated a bit the next day. It was raining so we caught a train for a short ride to Spittal. At the hotel I was lucky as my friend and I were able to enjoy a game of table tennis, a pastime we enjoy in New Zealand.

Time to Go Home

So here we were cycling on our last day to Villach where the cycling bit ended. We were pleasantly surprised to come across a short river crossing on a barge at Weissenstein, a pleasant change from biking and we made the captain's day when he met 10 people on his boat all the way from New Zealand! It had been interesting country to ride through – vineyards and history on every bend, lots of churches and many castles, – never far from the river.

We had a celebratory dinner together, for the last time with the group and went to bed early to cope with the travelling next day by train to Zurich before departing on the long flight to Singapore.

We would be home in 3 days time… funny how things work out though eh? I was delayed for 4 days but my friend didn't arrive back home for 17 days! But that's another story!