Graach

Yesterday we arrived in Koblenz after a very pleasant , and mostly easy 5 days cycling up the Rhine river from Karlsruhe to Koblenz. In my last blog I mentioned a night in Worms, We took a few extra hours the next day to visit this important historical town. It seemed to have more churches per square foot than any place we’ve visited and all of them with prodigious bell ringers. Maybe there’s a music school in Worms. Waaay back in about 1500, Martin Luther - a monk, wrote some provocative opinions about the power of the Catholic church and why the Pope could not really be the final authority with regards to forgiveness and who gets into heaven. That didn’t go over well with the Bishops and Pope and he was hauled in front of the Catholic “who’s who” in Worms to recant what he had written - which he didn’t do and was summarily excommunicated from the Catholic church. His ideas were the genesis of what we know as Protestantism. So Worms is considered by many to be the birthplace of Protestant religions. Hence the draw for tourists. Nice spot.
We cycled to Mainz from Worms. That day by the Rhine reminded me that Germany is still a power-house industrial nation. We passed many large plants including Bosch, Proctor and Gamble. The Rhine River is still the main commercial artery for 80% of Germany’s inland shipping. The river is a constant stream of long barges carrying everything from coal, to gas to cars. I think Helen was getting serious barge envy (for those that don’t know, my sister Helen lives on a barge in London). The Rhine is experiencing record low water levels and we saw lots of rocks poking out everywhere. Must be tricky navigating., We had a lovely lunch stop in the old town of Oppenheim before heading into Mainz.
Mainz was an unexpected treat. The old town was beautifully lit up with grand buildings and old winestubes. We had a lovely meal at a winestube and then hit one of the cocktail bars on the way back to the hotel. The young mixologist served up a delicious aged run which he smoked with some apple wood. He reported to us that Mainz is a great spot,. Very hip. The shops were sure nice - but , darn, panniers are full.
Our 2 days from Mainz to Koblenz were easy, river-path cycling along a much narrower part of the river that is a favorite with tourists and river cruises. We barely broke a sweat over the 100 or so km along the river bike paths., The scenes reminded me of the Viking River cruise ads on Knowledge network. We saw so many castles that we stopped taking photographs of them . We passed the Lorelei rock which is a huge slate rock that juts into the river, the site of many ship wrecks often attributed to the bewitching power of an enchanting women named Lore Lay. She was betrayed by her sweetheart and then seduced men and caused their death on the rock. Another spot that the tourists flock to. Just looked like a big rock to me - ah, the power of marketing.
Last night we had a pleasant night in Koblenz sitting in the main square. One of the things that I really enjoy about our trips to Europe is the active main squares in most villages/ towns/ cities. There are always central fountains or some kind of statue, restaurants, bars, shops and people milling about or having coffees/ drinks. We often find them for our picnic lunch stops and for our post-ride refreshments. Last night we hit a very lively German Gastehaus that was overflowing with rowdy groups of beer-drinking men’s groups. People were stuffed into every corner of the place and people simply squeezed by one another, The waiters managed the whole happy chaos carrying meals overhead and serving everyone. It was a friendly crowd and we got into the spirit of things when the group beside us wanted to befriend us and try out their English. I find, on the whole that the German people are friendly and orderly and even in that beer-soaked atmosphere they remain civil and polite. Everyone is there for a good time,.
This morning we said “Auf Wiedersehen” (or as we used to say in our German class - our feet are the same) to Helen. She trained back to Frankfurt this morning and will carry on to Amsterdam to teach for a few days before her return to London to RV with my other sister Fiona.
Mike and I have turned our bikes to the west and are now headed for 5 days cycling on the Mosel., The weather has been quite cool the last few days and we have been wearing all the sweaters and jacket that we dragged around on week 1. Glad to have them now.

That’s the news for now. Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian friends/family.
HEATHER /Mom xxLeia mais