Gaby Book 27 Smell of the Crowd by Maddy Bell Copyright© 2022 Madeline Bell Life has some certainties, birth and death of course, but the rest is a mix of Minestrone and Spaghetti, some of which we have no direct influence over. We can however decide whether we want Parmesan or other seasoning, we can give Gnochi a try, doesn't mean we'll like it but at least we'll know. Gaby has reached just such a point in her life, she knows she likes Pizza, she's not averse to Spaghetti or Lasagne but is Gnochi for her? The Gnochi in this case is doing the singing with BlauHase on a more serious level, as a 'hobby' its fine but could this be a change of career? Well you don't find out without trying so that's just what our heroine is about to find out in this, the 27th book of the Gaby saga.

 
I dragged myself down to the breakfast room just after nine, Mist and Anna Louise long departed and only Stefan in evidence of the rest.

"Good night eh?”
"My drink was spiked,” I stated helping myself to coffee from the machine.
"Spiked? Drugs? You sure?”
"Well sort of, I suppose it was technically spiked,” I admitted.
"Now you have me confused.”
"Well I thought I was drinking lemonade.”
"But it had a kick eh?”
"Vodka apparently.”
"You okay?”
"Bit hung over, i'll live.”

I sat myself opposite our frontman before going on.

"I was thinking.”
"Ot oh.”
"Ha ha, seriously, is it okay if I ride to this Bad Nauheim place today, I could really do with a ride, clear my head a bit and I'm supposed to be racing on Sunday.”
"Can't see why not, I'm not your keeper Erd. You okay finding your way?”
"I'll get a map on my Handy before I set off.”
"Changing the subject, i'm glad we're here on our own, Robert spoke to you about this backing singer thing?”
"I'm listening,” I advised having slipped over to the buffet to grab some food stuff.
"Well I'm game to give it a try if your friend is up for it.”
"What about the others?”
"She won't be in the band as such so its not stepping on anyones toes.”

Well it didn't answer my question but I sensed it was all I was gonna get. I finished raiding the food and returned to the table.

"When do we start her?”
"Robert is keen to do it as soon as,” Stefan observed.
"He said the same to me but she'll need some practice and we need to decide where she'll come in and stuff,” I pointed out.
"Hmm, you're right of course, you think Freitag is too soon?”
"We can try I guess.”
"Okay, I'll speak to Robert, we can try a run through later.”
"Sounds like a plan,” I agreed, loading my Brötchen with cheese, ham, tomato and lettuce.
"You want more coffee?” he offered.
"Please,” I allowed, "So you were talking to that Arnold bloke a lot last night?”
"Yeah, he's a good bloke, used to be in a band like twenty years ago.”
"Before I was born.”
"Anyway, they have a sort of festival thing later in the year, he's keen for us to take part.”
"Like Moselfest?”
"I don't think its as big as that but it is outside in some park place.”
"Cool.”

Well Moselfest was pretty good and what's not to like with a festival? My mind went off on a holiday, back to the exchange visit with the Americans

"That Sheryl Crow,” Mad whispered in my ear.

"Shush,” Brit put her finger to her lips.

Miz Crow did a few older tracks including ‘My Favorite Mistake’ before she launched into "Some tracks from my new album”. So we got ‘C’mon C’mon’ followed by ‘Abilene’, ‘Hole in My Pocket’ and ‘Weather Channel’. We were boogying along on the floor quite happily. The only downside was the annoying cameraman who kept getting in the way, I think he was even starting to annoy Sheryl because she kept giving him dirty looks. It was confirmed when after ‘Weather Channel’, she stopped for a moment.

"You American?”

"Yes, Ma’am, we’re on an exchange trip,” Brit supplied, this conversation was doing nothing for my embarrassment as the whole tent was straining to see who she was talking to.

"Nice to see you here in Leeds, she started picking at the chords, "This one is for my young friends down here, it’s called ‘Lucky Kid’ and she started to sing:

‘I want to take you down to the river,
I want to wash the blood from your hands,
I want to make you see,
You belong to me…’

The crowd went wild at the end, she did another couple of tracks before ending the set with another ‘oldie’, ‘Oh Marie’. Well it was inevitable there would be an encore, the crowd kept whistling and cheering for a good couple of minutes before Miz Crow returned to the stage. First we got a moving rendition of ‘Sweet Rosalyn’ then the grand finale was an enthusiastic and crowd assisted ‘Steve McQueen’.

"That was brill,” Mad enthused.

"Erd?”
"Hmm?”
"Coffee?” he pointed to the fresh container of caffeine by my plate.
"Oh right, thanks.”
"Max?”
"Um?”
"You had a faraway look just then.”
"No not Max, I was just remembering the first festival I went to.”
"Oh?”
"We had one of those school exchange things, Americans, we ended up at Leeds Festival, up in Yorkshire.”
"Yowkshire?”
"Near where I used to live in England.”
"Ah, so this Leeds Festival, it was good?”
"Yeah, saw the Chilli Peppers, Sheryl Crow.”
"You didn't sing with them?”
"Be daft, I was like thirteen.”
"And you were sixteen when you first joined BlauHase,” he stated.
"A lot has happened since Leeds.”

Yep, a lot indeed.
 

"So I'll see you in a couple of hours,” well that was my guestimate of my ride time to this Bad Nauheim place after perusing my road atlas.
"Be careful,” Misty admonished as I clicked in and pushed off across the hotel car park.
"Always,” I called back, giving her a little wave, "Tschussie!”
"Tschuss!”

The weather was fine for the time of year, about fifteen degrees and whilst a bit grey, the RTF forecast suggested it could brighten up later. I learnt long ago to be prepared so whilst it was warm enough for short sleeves and shorts, there was a race cape in my pocket and arm warmers currently insulating my er, arms. Being my parents daughter, I had been paying attention on the drive from the Motel to Speicher yesterday so finding my way back into the centre of Bad Homberg was straightforward.

According to the map I needed the four five six to some place called Usingen, I spotted a sign as I approached the Stadtmitte, hung a right and started climbing. And climbing, not steep but a drag away from the Altstadt all the way to a set of traffic lights where I joined the main road. Not that it got any better or easier, indeed as urban was replaced by rural, the road tilted more steeply up into forest.

Even I was puffing a bit when I spotted a strange building ahead, I wasn't exactly going quickly so I was able to get a good neb, the sign by the roadside claimed it to be Roman – interesting, must remenber to tell Dad later. That however was trumped a minute later when another sign pointed off to the left to 'Saalburg Römer Kastell'. It was signed for a bike path to Usingen too, a quick glance behind, wait for the truck coming down the hill and over.

The roadway climbed away from the main road, although by the looks of it, it was the original road, there were a few bits of like, foundation type stuff in a bit of a clearing, so much for a castle. A school party were being herded away from the road and it was only as I watched the busily chatting group move away along a dirt roadway that I spotted another big sign and whoa! That is huge!

Yeah I know I'm supposed to be on a training ride but that doesn't mean I can't stop does it? There, about a hundred metres up the track was a big double gate and stretching away to either side, massive walls. A quick one eighty and a bit of 'cross took me up to what I'm guessing is the Saalburg.

Dad would love this, a real Roman fort, i've been dragged to enough remains to see that this is something different, The school party crossed the bridge and through the gate which gave me access to one of those information board things, you know, with a map and stuff. The map suggested it was complete including most of the buildings inside Dad would really like this, I got my Handy out and took a snap of the board and the gate and sent a quick text.
 

No time to dally now though, I re mounted and jounced back down to the tarmac and spotting a sign for the bike route to Usingen, headed up through the car parking to continue my journey. It was clearly the old main road, a bit overgrown but then I was directed off and over a bridge spanning the new four five six in its deep cutting. The bike path turned to parallel the road or so I thought.

I don't usually use bike routes as they often switch about a lot, if I'm training the roads are better for the job, the exception is along the Ahrtal, the bike track is well surfaced and can be quicker as it takes a more direct line along the valley. Anyhow, this path seemed fairly straight with decent tarmac which started to tilt downwards through the trees. And then it was tarmac no more, shitza, okay it was rideable even on the roadbike but it wa-a-s-s-n't v-e-ry co-m-mf-o-or-t-ab-le.

Do I stop and go back? At a guess that'd take a good fifteen - twenty minutes, this can't go that far can it? I slowly descended the track, crossing a couple of hikers huffing their way up.

"How far to the road?”
"S bout a kilometre.”
"Tha- a-nks.”

Well I'm commited, come on Gabs, just stay upright. There was a sign pointing to a 'Römerturm' off to the right and sure enough, there in the trees was the stump of a stone tower – bit of a weird place to put it. I jounced on down, eventually the track returned to a smoother surface and less gradient before chucking me out onto a road, a road that was clearly not the four five six.

Bum, bum and bum!
 

I pulled up the snap I took of my road map and tried to find where I was, there appeared to be a railway over the way so I must be about there! Phew, not so far off course and when I actually looked, the bike route was signed to my left for Usingen, left back up hill, grrrr. With a sigh I crossed over and started the climb however the bike route headed off on a flatter trajectory – what the heck.

It was a good packed surface until it reached a tarmaced lane, the signs then leading me through a couple of villages before running the last couple of K alongside the main road into Usingen. I pulled up by the main square to check where I'm headed next, the sign board suggested Bad Nauheim was seventeen kilometres away and whilst i'd been on the go for an hour, I only had eighteen showing on my computer.

Thirty five kilometres is a bit weak, Sunday will be about a hundred, I need a bit more really. Have you ever tried using a Handy to map read? Okay you can enlarge the image but then you can't see the bigger picture and as for scale, well good luck there. Obviously I don't know this area, well duh, instead I looked for a loop on the yellow roads, main roads but not Main roads if you know what I mean.

Yep, if I go along the four five six to Grävenwiesbach I can loop over to Bitzbach and drop down to Nauheim, should give me about an extra twenty K. I snarfed half of the banana I filched at breakfast and was about to set off when I spotted another bike route sign, direction Grävenwiesbach. The main road said it was nine point five kilometres, the bike route is twelve and I'm after more distance so there's some straight off.
 

Apparently this is part of the 'Hochtaunus Radweg', well that's what was on the sign as I left Usingen anyhow. I got myself into a good rhythm, the road dodging between woodland and pasture with a hint of uphill to a level crossing, the route then running the same direction as the railway to the next village and station at which point it was directly at my side. By now I was getting quite warm so I pulled my arm warmers down to my wrists, I'll stop in a bit and put them in a pocket.

There was a bit of a climb before the next station, the railway then diving away from the road, my route now on a single lane road. Of course I should've guessed it couldn't last, the sign said Grävenwhatever was a kilo away, the lane it pointed to was uphill and a dirt surface. In for a pfennig as Herr Thesing is wont to say, glad I'm not on my best bike.

After a couple of steep pitches I was in the village and helpfully at the crossroads with the four five six it was signposted for Waldsolms and Butzbach, yay. I paused long enough to stow the arm warmers then set off on what turned out to be a draggy climb through more trees. Up and up, down to my right I spotted what I'm guessing is the same railway apeing my ascent.

The rails and road came together and I rattled over another crossing by what looked to be the terminus station, least ways, trains don't go any further, a car park blocking any further travel. So engrossed in looking at the station and the railcar thing parked at the platform was I that I somehow missed my turn, not that I knew it. My suspicions were only raised when Butzbach didn't appear on the next junction sign, bugger.

A look at my one in five hundred thousand map, well it might as well be, didn't offer a lot of a clue to where I actually was, I guess its keep going until I see a sign. It was about four K further on that I picked up a sign giving me a clue, another look at the Handy suggested going next right would take me the right sort of direction, towards Giessen, I should get a sign for Butzbach off of that road.

I took the next right, it didn't say Giessen but that doesn't mean much. It was a nice wide road, sweeping down through the trees then up again before the trees gave way to fields and shortly after, a village called Oberkleen. I'm sure its on the map but I couldn't see it, nor was there anyone about to ask so I took a chance on staying on the same road.

Relief flowed through me when, at the next village about a K further on there was a sign for Butzbach, phew. To be honest I was getting a bit worried, one wrong turn and who knows where you might end up. By my earlier reckoning theres about twenty kilometres to get to Bad Nauheim from here, call it an hour, the others will be wondering where I am.

When I reached the busy main road I stopped and pulled out my Handy to find half a dozen missed calls and a text from Nena – maybe I should change that to Misty. Oh bum, trees, mountains(!), I bet there was no signal, I was only looking at a photo so I didn't notice.

'? r u trd 2 call M'

I rattled off a reply, 'got lost b Nheim 1std G'

A reply came straight back, 'k c u soon M'

Well thats the search party called off, now to follow through. The road didn't look appealling, a fairly constant stream of juggernauts along a two lane road, not my idea of fun. Clearly the local authority are of like mind, I turned onto the bike path and restarted my odyssey.
 

It was clearly gonna be one of those days, there was a diversion in Butzbach, some building work by the look of things, anyhow I managed to miss the turn again. The good news was that I picked up a signed bike route to my destination on the other side of the autobahn, yay ten kilometres to go. It was a good road and after the hustle of Butzbach, the lack of traffic lifted my spirits and I started to sing to myself.

"I want to ride my bicycle,
I want to ride my bike,
I want to ride my bicycle,
I want to ride it where I like...”

Well what else would it be but Queen's ode to riding velocipedes? My mood stayed bouyant the rest of the way to Bad Nauheim, now all I have to do is find the Villa Maria, our accomodation in the town. I had the address and the directions Stefan gave me but neither are much use without a suitable map to get orientated with.

A sign for tourist information caught my eye, that'll do. Under the railway then past some fancy palacy type place, the tourist office was in a sort of mini mall at the edge of a big park, opposite what appeared to be the main town. There wasn't a map outside but the woman inside was very helpful and armed with my destination marked with an X on a town map, I remounted to find the rest of BlauHase.
 

I'm guessing you won't have heard of Bad Nauheim, I certainly hadn't before the Tour, they are just a list of names so I was a bit taken aback as I made my way through the town. First one, then two, three, four, huge wooden structures stood within the parks and villas by the river, the last even has a windmill on it. I've seen one of these before of course, last summer on our camping holiday, there was one of these 'gradierwerk' in Bad Durkheim.

I turned alongside Number III and found Kurstraße and a few metres along it, the Villa Maria. It was clearly the right place, as I turned into the drive my presence was detected.

"We were about to send out the search parties,” Little Jo told me from his seat on the patio thing.
"Yeah, sorry about that, I got a bit lost and there wasn't any signal for the Handy.”
"No signal? where were you?” Marcus queried.
"Which bit of lost don't you understand,” Anna Louise admonished her boyfriend.
I eyed the drinks on the table, "How does a girl get a drink around here?”
"Mist is fetching you one,” Stefan grinned, "We saw you across the park.”
 
Maddy Bell © 24.01.2022