DAY 15: Gorinchem - Rotterdam

Last day. We had a lot to do in Rotterdam to get organised for our trips back to Nantes and London for my uncle and I respectively, so we left nice and early, the earliest I have left in fact. Up at 6.40, we were ready to leave at 7.30, deciding to skip the motel breakfast which was only at 8. So we gobbled up a cereal bar and a cup of tea and we were off as the sun was rising. Since we hadn't had any breakfast, we stopped off at a local bakery to buy a mixture of french and english specialties to suit both: pains au raisin and chocolate muffins. We then approached our first ferry of the day. I was feeling quite nervous about today, because of the number of ferries we were relying on to cross the many channels of water. Thankfully, having passed through a peaceful nature reserve, we found that the first of our ferries was working. We hopped on and continued to the next one on the second stretch of land, to Dordrecht. The next ferry also worked perfectly. In fact, there was nothing really to worry about. As we were now starting to enter Holland's most populated area, we were not the only ones to rely on the ferries, so they were mostly all in order and on time.

We made our way to our third and last ferry and on our way, we passed through the Kinderdijk windfarm. This was a fantastic place full of old-fashioned windmills on the edge of several canals, with wide stretches of land all around. When we arrived

 at the ferry stop, we had two choices. Our preferred choice, however, was not working, but we could still make it to Rotterdam using the alternative bringing us to the North bank. Once on the other side, it was just a matter of going under and over a couple of bridges until finally, we passed the sign into Rotterdam. This called for a photo. Or 4. Wow, this felt good. I had arrived at the end of the Rhine after 15 days of cycling, 1280km. The end.

DAY 14: Nijmegen - Gorinchem

Ah, it felt good that the big 4 were out of the way. We started off at a slow pace (I think we deserve it by now after 4 days over 100km each...) but took no break for a while and we were far early. The day started grey but the sun came out late morning, which was much appreciated. We decided to buy another picnic since our itinerary didn't seem to pass through any significant places, and we stopped off on an embankment overlooking the Waal. It is worth noting that now, we are in the Rhine delta, so there are many branches, or distributaries if you like hearing your geographical terminology, of the Rhine, the Waal being the biggest. This means that there is water all over the place, so you don't want to pick the wrong route leaving you stranded with nowhere to go except back from where you came from.

I suppose you've guessed by 

now that this is exactly what we did. Our map indicated that there was a ferry which could carry us across a canal to Woudrichem, where we would take another ferry to Gorinchem, across the Waal. Obviously, the ferry wasn't working. The annoying thing was, our destination was merely 20m across the canal, yet we had to trek back 5km against a horrific wind to find the nearest bridge to cross the canal, and then 5km back along the canal to Woudrichem. We got there, just in time for the last ferry across. I don't know what I would have done if we hadn't got it. Probably cried. This would have meant going 10km back and along the Waal this time, against the wind, to another bridge to cross the river, 15 more kilometres. 5 minutes later and we would have had to do it. But we got it, so all is good. Let's hope our last day tomorrow goes okay, because there is a serious lack of bridges according to our map. These damn ferries better work...

DAY 13: Rheinberg - Nijmegen

I don't think any day could be worse than the one we had yesterday. And thankfully, for the moment, this is true. Today was normal and thank God for that. We were still edgy since this was still a long day, the last of the Fantastic Four (sarcastic of course), so we started quickly. This went well for us, so we treated ourselves to a first 'chocolate stop' (you'll know what I mean if you read the previous posts) next to a lake and a long lunch stop right on the river. It was a picnic this time, and as you may know if you have been following this blog, our picnic stops have been very successful for viewing wildlife. But this was the first with Guy. We didn't see anything. Must be his fault then.

We had seen spots of sunshine on our morning ride, and the sun was starting to break through more and more as the afternoon went on. We saw our first signs of approaching Holland in the windfarms and it was starting to become more marshy. 

We crossed the border (I didn't actually see one 

but the town was Millingen) 

and a wall of wind hit us. No, that didn't actually happen, but there was a strong wind in our face for the day, which didn't help. With only a short stretch to go to Nijmegen, the clouds blew away and out came the sun to welcome us in Nijmegen in good timing.

Now that we have left the good ol' Germans for good, I thought I would mention some of their eating habits and likes which I have noticed, especially when with my dad.

1. They love apples. The number of apple tarts, cakes, parcels, juices (there are indeed several types of apple juice you can get in Germany) one can get is crazy.

2. They love potatoes. I remember in one brasserie near Bonn, the side dishes to choose from were only potatoes. Of course, there were 7 different variations: potato salad, oven-baked potatoes, fried potatoes, rösti (fried strings of potatoes, really good) to name a few.

3. They love jam. I had the choice of about 9 different jams one morning. Pfaulenmuss is a big favourite of my dad's (I think it's some sort of plum purée but one can never be sure)

4. They love cabbage. From rotkohl to sauerkraut, the mixed salad you are often given has the lot. Drowned in sauce.

Mmmm. Delicious.

DAY 12: Köln - Rheinberg

The Big One. The Mother. Pain in the Cycle Lane. The Monster. All references to our longest day of the whole trip: a planned 108.5km. I bet you're all dying to hear how it was. Well, it certainly lived up to its expectations, that's for sure. We overslept slightly (I told you Köln was a great place to rest!) so we had a slightly late start. Not a great way to start the day, however, we went straight to Kölner Dom, a remarkable cathedral nearly right on the river. This was where Guy, my uncle, unearthed our first problem, merely 1km max from our hotel: a screw was missing from his luggage holder, causing it rub on the wheel. But, after a slight panic, some lost time, a phone call to the dad and a cunning suggestion to use an unimportant screw on my uncle's bike, which fit perfectly (why didn't I think of that?), we were off again.

We approached Neuss, and we decided to take two different paths from each other. Incidentally, I just thought I would mention that I took the right one, yet I had to go back to make sure. Once we were back on track, after more time wasted (remember, this was our longest day so time was of the essence...) we cycled on, but after 3km, Guy realised he had left the map book a.k.a. the Bible back in the place we got lost. So Guy, the Bible's guardian, made the journey back and came back EMPTY-HANDED. NO. NOT THE BIBLE. 

This was a big blow. We had to find a new one. We went into the centre of Neuss, found a book shop - nothing. At this point, i was actually smiling on my bike at the situation of everything. We were still many kilometres away, it was late in the day, we had just realised we had lost the book and literally a few seconds later, it started to rain. We had it all to do and everything was going wrong. Well, I found it funny. But, looking into a second bookshop, we found a replica of the precious booklet. I snatched it, paid, and it was ours.

After a hurried lunch (it was no 3 o'clock by this point and we had done 45m, not even halfway) we really didn't want to arriver before dark and this encouraged us to step up a notch. But we had trouble finding the cycle path again, having gone into the centre of Neuss, and although we got closer to our destination as we searched, we found the path an hour and a half later. I stopped to take a photo and as I moved off, my foot got stuck on my bike bag, dislodging a piece of it. I had to fix i, and did, but our time was rotting away. This was getting ridiculous. it was nearly 5 o'clock and we were only just over halfway. And it was raining. And the wind was blowing harder than I have seen it yet. Bloody great. 

I have to say, at this point, I was feeling pretty discouraged. But we had to make it to Rheinberg and there was no giving up. Things got better after then. The rain stopped and got heavier at different times, but the wind was changing and started to help us finish the ordeal. Finally, just after 8, we arrived in Budberg, just outside Rheinberg, as it was getting dark. Glad that one's over.

DAY 11: Koblenz - Köln (Cologne)

I have to say, I was a bit tired after yesterday. So we started off slow, having a look at the meeting point between the Rhine and the River Moselle in Koblenz first, but picked up speed gradually. As I mentioned on yesterday's post, the surroundings were becoming flatter around Koblenz. But we found ourselves re-entering another steep-sided valley. But this one was short-lived, and as soon as the land flattened out again, the heavy industry started to appear. This was to be our main view from our cycle path today, which wasn't great to be honest. 

To make matters worse, a wind arose after lunch blowing straight into our faces, strengthening as the afternoon went on, and finally, after several days of glorious sunshine, the inevitable happened: the rain was back. Not an amazing day, 

but I am very happy to be in Köln, my dad's hometown, for the evening. A modern yet traditional place, perfect to rest for our biggest day of the trip tomorrow, a planned 108.5km.

http://www.justgiving.com/therhinebybicycle

DAY 10: Mainz - Koblenz

This was it. The first day of our 4 days of pain. Or so we thought. We had to get the spokes of my dad's bike, used by my uncle, tightened after 300km since he had had it replaced following our crash... This held us back until 10.15. This was not good. We nearly had 100km to do today so we had no time to lose. But off we went, and we went surprisingly quickly. We got halfway at 13.30 and stopped to eat at Bacharach, but we felt great.

This encouraged us for the rest of the day, leading to us allowing ourselves a 'chocolate stop' in St. Goar (this involves sitting on a bench in the sun on the banks of the Rhine and eating Lindor chocolate eggs and chocolate marzipan. Yum). Following on from yesterday, the landscape was becoming more impressive, as the land either side of the river was becoming steeper and higher again, as if we were going back towards the source. This section of the Rhine is home to amazing castles sitting on cliff edges overlooking their vineyards on the edge of the river. After spending the whole day along the winding river, getting variable wind as a result of the meandering, we reached Koblenz 104km later, rather than the predicted 95.5, situated where the land starts to flatten out again. I wonder what's in store for us tomorrow, the second of the 4 days of pain...

DAY 9: Mannheim - Mainz

I really hope this weather continues. My dad left us on another sunny morning and the three of us, my uncle,

my godfather and I, headed north. The scenery around the Rhine is again beginning to change as we move up towards the source.

Today, our main view was rows and rows of sun-dried vineyards along the growing bluffs on the banks. There wasn't a cloud in sight (well there were a few but that doesn't sound as good) and we continued to Oppenheim in the heat, where we were treated to lunch by Moritz, my godfather, on a cafe terrace.

We were in a slight rush since Moritz had to catch the train at 17.20 in Mainz, our destination, so we pressed on and dodging the locals, making the most of this glorious day on the riverside, we reached Mainz with enough time to have yet another drink in the sun before Moritz's train left. Now for the toughest 4 days of the trip all in a row starting from tomorrow...

DAY 8: Karlsruhe - Mannheim

We left Karlsruhe with our new companion in full sunshine again. Having left France and its border for good, we were going to spend the next few days only in Germany. It was another lovely morning along the river and we finished a good morning’s cycling, 50km done and dusted, with a picnic in the shade next to a small lake. We got our daily dose of wildlife again, seeing frogs, stalks and a water snake (our lunch stops are getting very successful, maybe it’s the food we buy…).

A few kilometres away from where we stopped was Speyer, a town with an impressive cathedral (and a nice café) which we visited. A friendly south German cyclist approached us to ask us if we knew where we were going. As soon as we mentioned our destination, Altrip, where we would take the ferry over the river to Mannheim, he erupted into a long spiel, the very beginning about how to get there, and the rest completely irrelevant babble. There was no stopping him. Well, it was very hard. Although I make it sound negative, it tells us something about the southern Germans. As I have found out, they are very cheerful, outgoing and helpful, and these are the people I will be spending the next few days with.

We have past halfway! We are now four together tonight: my uncle arrived in Mannheim this afternoon to take over from my dad who has to return to London tomorrow. Moritz will cycle with us tomorrow but from then on, it’ll be my uncle and I until the end.

DAY 7: Kehl - Karlsruhe

  

We left Kehl almost escorted by all sorts of police, patrolling the area as the NATO summit took place There were crews of policemen on black zodiacs clad in black armour followed by jetskis racing down the Rhine as we quietly made our way upstream. We were convinced we saw Obama waving at us from one of the helicopters but we didn´t have time to stop for him so we pressed on. The Rhine´s surroundings have become more marshy at this stage, leaving us cycling through wetlands teeming with life. The sun was poking through the clouds and there was a light warmishbreeze in our favour, making the conditions near perfect.

We found a perfect place on the side of an embankment next to a canal to have our picnic, and swans, deer and a beaver all strolled past. After a quick power nap, we were off again in this deceptively perfect day. Something must have been wrong. Indeed, there was. We found a ferry to bring us over the river and over the border into Germany, and after going along the worst path to date an finding out it was a dead end, we retraced our steps through mud, knee-deep puddles and over cobbles and pebbles, finding our way back to the main route. And that was when I realised I had lost my jacket. In it: mobile, 30 euros and my passport. After splitting up (my dad offering to redo the terrible path)I found it again, honestly hung up on a branch, with all its contents in it. I had paid on the ferry ride and, in a rush to get off the 3 minute crossing, I forgot to put my jacket back properly, leaving it fall off further along. Apart from this, the day was fantastic and we met up with my godfather Moritz in Karlsruhe, who will join us for the next two days of cycling.

DAY 6: Breisach - Kehl

Finally, sustained sunshine. While it was cold outside, the sun was bright and this was more than enough to make us enthusiastic about the day ahead. One problem though. We managed to have an accident between ourselves the day before, leaving my bike with basically nothing (a reversible handle bar twist) but my dad's with a dodgy bent back wheel. Therefore his bike needed a visit to the repair shop. It took an hour to repair and when it finally came out the shop, I, noticing that my dad had newly pumped up wheels, decided to blow mine up slightly. And yes, the tubing broke (I maintain with my dad's defence that this was not my fault but the quality of the tubing and the very heavy weight I have been carrying on the back of my bike). But what luck, right in front of a bike shop. Another twenty minutes and twenty euros later, my bike came back with the newly pumped up tyre as I wanted it.

At last we could enjoy the sunshine but we encountered a head wind which slowed us down significantly. Having left at noon, we had to stop soon for lunch in a meadow, leaving a long part of the journey left 

for the afternoon. We continued into the strong wind until we reached the Rhone-Rhine canal, a perfect spot to cycle. We followed it, and continued to follow it, wondering if it ever ended, until bang. My dad's tyre popped open, but unfortunately this time it wasn't quite near a bike shop. He managed to fix it but his bike would need another visit to the doctor before tomorrow. So we rushed to make it to Strasbourg in time before the closure of the shops, and indeed we did.

I thought I would mention the coincidence of our attempted stay in Strasbourg an

d the NATO summit occuring tomorrow. With Barack Obama, Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel all present tomorrow, the city was being shut off by thousands of police. We were deemed not important enough to stay in the French city, hence why we had to cross the border into Kehl, just on the other side of the Rhine.

DAY 5: Möhlin - Breisach

Hello, this is yesterday's blog and it is posted by Broker Senior. We had a long day in front of us so it did not take too much convincing to get Paul out of the sack at a reasonably early time (7.30!) Mind you, our brave landlady in our village B&B was up 2 hours before us to fix breakfast, use the only bathroom before us and be off to work before we had even made it downstairs. This was going to be our last half-day in Switzerland and it had me thinking about what it is that makes the Swiss Swiss. Here I need to tell you that many people who first meet me think that I am Swiss and I have never been quite sure what to make of that, so here are a few thoughts gathered at 20 km/h on average (forgive me if I offend anyone): 1. The Swiss are proud- there is many a swiss flag floating above even the smallest garden patches, something which one understandably rarely sees in Germany, or in France for that matter. 2. They are relaxed and polite: they make eye-contact when you bike by, give you a brief smile, and have their pet german shepherds sit so that you don't end up with a piece of your calf missing 3. They are traditionalist, yet modern: cosy wooden houses sit comfortably next to glassed-up modern structures. 4. They are clean- that we knew 5. we had no encounters with bankers/lawyers or the like so we will leave that bit out 6. Finally and most importantly: do they have a sense of humour?? On my last evening in the local "Gaststube" I had a "Cordon Bleu", imagining the top creation by the establishment's Chef and so I did: pork filet mignon with breadcrumby crust and with melted cheese inside, as light as any dish one could ask for, perfect for cholesterol watchers... So next time someone labels me as Swiss, I will not deny but happily accept that this means I embody all these fabulous attributes. I wonder what Paul thinks of this...and now back to Germany!!