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.