Guillaume est un Francais.

Ik ben Nederlander.

Wir fietsen*) in Deutschland.

Communication in English.

And the Saxon dialect is helpful when asking the way in the Euregio (border area). It's a cross-border 'language'.

*)fietsen is an official cross-border word, also used in the newspapers, though in German it normally is: radeln (mit dem Fahrrad)

Guillaume, my guest for one day via internetsite http://www.warmshowers.com is on his way from Paris to Copenhagen.

By bicycle.

We're in Twente now, the Dutch side of the border area near Hengelo/Enschede and not far from German Münster.

Dortmund-Emskanal bij Lingen

Arriving there when the Global Warming Conference is going on, about 6 December. And if reallyconcerned about the global warming you don't get into a plane to go there but you walk or cycle.

Guillaumetells about it and shows pics here: CDG2CPH.over-blog.com

(Just read on his website HOW he's going back to Paris...)

Cycling in November and December, that's really challenging the weathergods. And the weather & climate branch in Heaven was aware of him, the first cycling week through France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Much rain but the tailwind was helpful.

The longest stage, Amersfoort to Borne (Hengelo) and arriving in the dark (19.30 h.) after a rainy and windy day: but still positive about the nightly scenery in the Twickel Forest where the moon was glooming through the bald trees.

Today (30 Nov.) we rode together to Lingen in Germany.

Lingen: Haus Hellmann, nicest civil house in Emsland,from 1641. Nowadays restaurant. A hesitating try to start a Christmas market in Lingen

The canals were our guide. A brown carpet of November and Decemberleaves on the adjacent narrow roads and paths. And hardly any traffic.Another lonelyhiker or cyclist enjoying ths late November gem, sometimes too much contemplating in the rural areas and almost getting a heart-attack when the cyclists come close unexpectedly.; we're a dangerous factor on the road.

In Lingen, just after the nuclear plant, we 'divorce'.

(for this most adventurous part, see his website CDG2CPH).

The five canals:

1. Kanaal Almelo-Nordhorn (small detour to village Ootarsum is worthwhile)

2/3. Ems-Vechte Kanal and Dortmund-Emskanal (fromNordhorn to Lingen). A nuke plant south of Lingen.

4. Picardiekanal,(Georgsdorf - Coevorden, NL)There are some remnants of forced labour camps from World War II.

Asmall shortcut through the moorish wood near Georgsdorf was nor advisable...

Though the directions have been signposted perfectly you should be alert for funny people, turning around them 180 degrees, like hee. But as for the right direction, the canal and sun did their job...

5. Coevorden to De Haandrik. There are some locks to make the crossingwith the smallriver Vecht possible. The road and canal's name changes into...:

6. Kanaal Almelo-De Haandrik. From here ships use the canal to transport industrial hardware, especially from and to Coevorden and Hardenberg where Wavin (plastic tubes and crates for beer a.o. Grolsch)transports bulk goods.

The greater part of the trip was in Emsland; together with adjacent Münsterland and Dutch Twente it's one of the best and most extended regions to cycle. Signposts and a numeric system or following a itinerary are very accurate.

Total length 64 miles (102 km). Almost flat, elevation is between 16 and 460 feet.

http://www.geheimoverdegrens.nl/brochures

with free flyers for cyclists:

GartenTraumTour, Friedensroute, EuropaRadweg R1, Vechtdalroute, Fietsersbus, Römerroute etc.

and hikers:

Tödenland, Handelsweg, Münsterland walking etc.

Good and healthy activities for cyclists though not all cycles survive...an artists' impression, seen in Borne (Twente region).