Day 2 – 10 November – Mainz to Bacharach
It was a reasonable night’s sleep at the Hotel Schwan. I literally dropped into bed after dinner, but the body being confused between Canberra time and now Mainz time, I was awake often during the night.
Speaking of dinner, I dined in the restaurant next door which is owned by the same nice couple. I chose ‘Pork Chops and Gerkin’ from the menu, my mouth watering just at the thought of a well cooked pork chop German style. Even the strangers sharing my table saw the look of utter disbelief on my face when the plate was put in front of me. I honestly thought the pork chop was raw! It wasn’t raw, but it was stone cold. It was a cold ham chop! No kidding, it was an inch thick and stone cold, as were the gerkins. Needless to say I didn’t enjoy it as much as my ‘dopplecurrywiener’ earlier that day.
I thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast though in the beautifully ornate eating area. The day had dawned. The bike survived the night outside. The weather was looking rather cold and bleak as I devoured the freshly cooked eggs, muesli and yogurt, crispy bun with ham and camembert cheese, washed down with the usual freshly brewed ‘kaffee’.
It has been very frustrating without access to wi-fi. The Schwan Hotel wi-fi was too weak to connect with Google, so once I paid the bill, I cycled up through the beautifully cobblestoned centre of this very historic city, past the magnificent Dom of St Michael (Cathedral) and found my way to good old Maccas! Cutting to the chase, I lost a precious hour trying to muck around with the ‘free Hotspot’, being thoroughly confused with the instructions in German. I gave up and headed for the River Rhine.
The Rhine was resplendent, its magnificence stretched out to the north and the south, with the long bridge now filling my view. I cruised over the bridge, which I crossed the evening before, and turned to the north to make my way to the village of Rudesheim, some 40k along the right hand back of the great river.
The weather was a cool 8C degrees, which stayed much the same all day, but it was bleak and overcast, somewhat ‘soupy’ which made it very difficult to get decent photos at a distance. The bike path started off close to the river, but within a few kilometers it not unexpectantly wound slightly away from the river, the next 20k or so being through a drawn out section where industry was close to the bank, the bike path taking me through suburban streets but never out of occasional sight of the river.
Once I cleared the built up areas early in the ride, the path opened out with long stretches of forest on one side or the other, or lovely trees that lined the river, or small lakes and ponds where the ducks were very visible, and occasionally crossing the path in front of me. The kilometers ticked over ever so slowly, mainly because there were so many photo opportunities, that I decided it was time to put the camera away and get the bike rolling. The path opened up, and for quite some time I was able to maintain 24-26kph which is amazing considering the 45kg of the weight of the loaded bike.
Eventually I rolled into the beautiful ferry port of Rudesheim, which stretches along the Rhine, but almost one front street, which then gives way to steep vineyards up behind it, and stretching for many kilometers either side of the village. On a good day, the scene would be stunning. There were many ferry dockings – it is obviously a port for ferries that would prove very popular in the summer. I needed to right ferry which would take me across the river to the historic town of Bingen. I stopped an Asian fellow who was walking his dog, who proved to be fluent in both English and German. Within minutes I rolled the bike on to the waiting ferry, feeling very relieved that it would get me to the right place.
I stopped in Bingen for lunch, a lovely crispy baguette with ham, cheese and tomato. Also gerkin. It seems the Germans don’t each much without gerkin. The weather was getting bleaker, which made me feel that I needed to get going and get in before it really closed in on me. It actually flet like rain, although that never ecentuated.
I headed away from Bingen in what now was officially the beginning of the UNESCO listed 100k of the most breathtaking part of the entire Rhine river. Breathtaking it proved to be, as the photos will show. Sadly the soupy, foggy day detracted from would have been magnificent for photos. The opposite side of the river was continually lined with either the colourful centuries old buildings against a steep backdrop of endless vinyards which lined the steep hils that ran alongside both sides of the river.
This was the shortest part of the day but which took the longest because I just had to keep stopping for wonderful, breathtaking photo opportunities. The kilometrers, however, climbed despite the frequent stops, and I must say when the GPS was about to hit 55k I was not unhappy to roll into my stop for the night at the beautiful historic village of Bacharach, with the magnificent Burg (Castle) Stahleck looking down over the river from its very high perch above the village.
This place has to be seen to be believed. I cautiously rode the bike through a tunnel from the river’s edge under the railway into the cobblestoned historic village, a museum of ancient German architecture. It was glorious. The narrow cobbles lanes were lined with ancient houses and hotels. The shops were small and narrow, but each one had its own inviting appeal. The village seems just like it was 500 years ago, although I am told that much of the original village was destroyed by fire some 200 years ago, rebuilt in the same style as the original.
Frustratingly, I found my way to the Rhein Hotel, my room for the night but it was deserted of staff. I explored some more, and came back repeatedly for more than an hour, but no one was home. I was so close to finding another hotel when I came across a small café, so decided in favour of kaffee. The lady in charge of the café assured me the hotel was staffed, and phoned for me. Happily, the fellow had just arrived, and could not have been more helpful when I finally arrived. He carried all my bags to my room, and was actually enormously warm and welcoming.
The Hotel Rhein is a home away from home. Centuries old, the timber winding stairs told of the thousands of feet over the centuries that had walked the oak stairs. I was in, the weather also closed in. It was cold outside, and as the church bells tolled for 6pm, the darkness crept over the magnificent Rhine River which I could see from my upstairs window.
I totaled 55k for the day, but seemed to ride hard for that 55k. The surfaces are slippery, especially the cobblestones, cobbled bricks and also the many kilometers where the path is covered with thick wet leaves from the late autumn.
I returned to the nice lady at the café for her famous dinner of sliced beef and gravy with dumplins, apparently the local specialty. At least it was hot and cooked!
Tomorrow is a big day. I ride from Bacharach for 50k to the large river town of Koblenz, at which point I leave the Rhine and enter the beautiful Mosel River, up which I will ride for some 30k to the tiny village of Moselkern. Tomorrow promises to be all beauty, but I can’t afford to waste much time because it will be a full day of cycling.
Until then, with all my love from the edge of the Rhine River in Bacharach.
Kelvin
No comments:
Post a Comment