Day 51 Sightseeing in Frankfurt

Day 51. Sightseeing in Frankfurt.

Like all major cities around the world Frankfurt is a major metropolis, but thanks to local knowledge gained from Joel and Linda I was able to easily see all its highlights.

  What I found fascinating was the fact that most of the city is a new/old city. It was totally destroyed by Allied bombers towards the end of World War 2, but was rebuilt using original plans to look just as it did before the war.

  And many buildings - particularly in the old city  - that were built in the 60s and 70s that did not recreate the look of the area as it was before the war are slowly being demolished to make way for faithful recreations.

  The result is a stunning new/old city that draws tourists from around the world right next to the modern Frankfurt of today.

  In the Emporer’s Cathedral there were photos taken of Frankfurt at the end of the war and the only building left standing was the cathedral itself.

  Whether on purpose or by divine intervention the entire city was destroyed, but the cathedral was spared … amazing.

  With a city tourist guide and Linda’s what to see tips, I literally walked around the city from one end to the other.

  One of the main streets in the centre of town was closed off at lunchtime, with dozens of stalls set up selling all types of cooked German sausages, pastries and other goodies so it was a great opportunity to try a variety of different foods. 

  Linda’s knowledge of the train system was also invaluable, as I was able to get into and out of Frankfurt without any dramas.

  Tomorrow it is off to Weisbaden and possibly Mainz … this sightseeing business is really hard work!!  

captions Pic 1: The cathedral was the only building left standing in the city at the end of the war. Pic 2. The cathedral today. Pic 3: The centre of the city was closed for lunch Pic 4: The old town centre square Pic 5: The central city area Pic 6: Modern Frankfurt behind old Frankfurt. Pic 7: Looking down the river.

Day 50 Worms to Bischofsheim

Day 50. Worms to Bischofsheim. 59.83 kms cycled. 3.32 hours cycling. 27.69 km/h max speed. 16.89 km/h average speed. Weather – perfect for cycling mid 20s.

Finally I am getting to the ‘interesting’ part of the Rhine that I came to see. To be quite honest from Strasbourg to Worms was basically pretty boring, with massive industrial areas doting both sides of the river.
But from Worms onwards the countryside has started to change, with wineries and small picturesque towns along the river now dominating the scenery.
And looking at the map, there is lots more touristy stuff about to come from Biscofsheim where I am now, going north.
After enjoying two nights in Worms, yesterday’s riding took me along the banks of the river just about all the way.
It is now good to know that I have plenty of time to finish my ride and can finally relax somewhat.
As a result I decided to contact an American couple Joel and Linda that I met at the campground at Plittersdorf a few nights earlier.
Linda works for the American Army in intelligence at their base at Weisbaden, while Joel used to work for the Army but is now retired.
They invited me to stay with them for a couple of nights at their home in Bischofsheim which is ideally located close to Weisbaden, Mainz, and Frankfurt.
After initially being non-committal, they were insistent, so I thought I would take them up on the offer so I could go sightseeing in Weisbaden, Frankfurt and Mainz over the next couple of days without my bike.
The local train line to Frankfurt in one direction and Weisbaden in the other direction is just 300 metres from their house, so they have given me a list of ‘must see’ things to do at both destinations. So it is off to Frankfurt today and Weisbaden tomorrow.
After arriving at their home yesterday afternoon Joel took me over to the huge American Army base at Mainz to show me around and also said he will take me to the even bigger base at Weisbeden tomorrow.
The camps are like small American cities, with supermarkets, sports stores etc etc, with American dollars, not Euros used in transactions.
Both camps are used by the army as a transition point for soldiers going to fight in the Afghanistan, so they are very strategically important.
So it was a unique opportunity to look around as the camps are generally off limits to all civilians. Unfortunately taking photographs is banned, so no happy snaps I’m afraid.
Anyway, I’m about to go to Frankfurt for the day, which should be very interesting from the size of the itinerary Linda has prepared for me.

captions: Pic 1: A huge tourist boat on the Rhine. Pic 2: Oppenheim Pic 3: Wineries everywhere. Pic 4: A weird house .

Day 49 Sightseeing in Worms

Day 49 Sightseeing in Worms

Well, I have walked Worms from top to bottom and loved it. With a history dating back over 1600 years, there is plenty to see – and as a bonus they have their tourist information in English, which believe me makes a huge difference comprehending that history.

  Right up there as the town’s focal point is the Imperial Cathedral of St Peter, a massive and impressive church built in the 11^th and 12^th centuries.

  Being Sunday there was a service on in the morning when I was first there and was unable to go inside, but I returned in the afternoon to marvel at the incredible interior.

  But probably the most interesting part of the town, I found, was Europe’s oldest Jewish cemetery that is full of over 2000 graves dating back to 1076.

  It was like walking around a horror movie set, such was the aura of the place.

  However, while the history and architecture of Worms is fascinating, the big story for the town today is the World Cup soccer match between Germany and Australia.

  The town’s centre square has been specially set up with a big screen, corporate boxes and food stalls for the telecast of the game. And it is all right over the road from the hotel I am staying in.

  I joined the huge crowd that turned up to watch the game and to say that I felt like an outsider is a statement of monumental understatement.

  Patriotic these Germans certainly are!!

  I was wondering whether I would show my colours if Australia happened to win, but didn’t need to ponder the question for long. Germany scored soon after the start and it only got worse for the Aussies, losing 4-0.

  To say the local Germans were ecstatic after the game is certainly an understatement. Horns, bugles, trumpets, flags they were all making as much noise and colour as possible as everyone went wild. I can’t imagine what it would be like if they actually win the World Cup, not just a first round match!!

 Me, I thought it prudent to go back to my hotel room to listen to the chaos outside. All in all, another interesting experience along the way.

 It's now onto Mainz, Weisbaden and maybe Frankfurt and beyond. Just love this cycle touring!!!!!!!!!!!!

captions: Pic 1: The Jewish cemetery Pic 2: The town's medieval church. Pic 3 Central Hotel where I stayed for 2 nights. Pic 4: The town square and soccer celebrations

 

 

 

 

Day 48 Lingenfeld to Worms

Day 48. Lingenfeld to Worms 81.97 kms cycled. 5.07 hours cycling. 32.4 km/h max speed. 15.99 km/h average speed. Weather – overcast with sunny periods.

Travelling along the Rhine Route is very similar in many ways to a child’s join the dots colour-in book.
You have no idea where you are heading, just follow the signs and see where you end up!
That was basically the story of the cycling today, with my aim to stay away from big, confusing German cities and just stick to the track.
And once again with very few campsites along the way, I racked up bigger kilometres than I had planned before finally arriving in Worms where I have booked into a hotel for 2 nights.
With the World Cup soccer on and Germany playing Australia in the first round, the town’s main square has been converted into an open air venue complete with huge screen for broadcasting the game live.
And it’s right outside the hotel where I am staying, so it promises to be quite interesting – unless Germany loses and then I know who won’t be the most popular guy in the crowd.
Worms is my sort of town. Not too big, right on the Rhine Route, has lots of history going back more than 1000 years and has plenty to see. So it wasn’t difficult to make the decision to shout myself a couple of nights at a nice hotel for some R&R so I could check the town out properly.
The fact that the town doesn’t have a campground also had a big bearing on the decision. German campgrounds, when you can find them, are not like campgrounds in any of the other countries I have cycled through.
They are more like mini villages with hundreds of people living there in small caravans with very basic facilities. Certainly the two I have stayed in so far didn’t have a very good vibe.

It’s amazing what great people you run into when cycling along a dedicated cycle track such as the Rhine Route. Yesterday it was an elderly Swiss couple who I cycled with for 30 or 40 kilometres trying to work out which way to go together.
Today it was Jaap from The Netherlands who was cycling in the opposite direction towards Basil in Switzerland. He was sitting in a bus shelter eating his lunch and could see I was confused after I missed a vital sign and quickly put me straight.
We ended up talking for quite some time and he even gave me the great maps he no longer need for the next leg of my trip. Unfortunately I had already thrown mine out – anything I don’t need gets thrown away straight away to try to keep my weight down.
After basically comparing travel notes, warning each other about confusing areas ahead we exchanged email address to keep in touch basically to find out how the remainder of our respective trips went.

captions: pic 1: I thought this was a particularly good shot. Pic 2: Its an old joke, but I am still finding plenty of signms to that town Ausfahrt!!!!!!! Pic 3 Jaap, the Dutchman I met along the way Pic 4: There was a veterans tennis tournament on at the Worms Tennis Club Pic 5: The engrance to the old bridge over the river at Worms

Day 47 Plittersdorf to Lingenfeld

Day 47. Plittersdorf to Lingenfeld 94.11 kms cycled. 5.34 hours cycling. 36.94 km/h max speed. 16.85 km/h average speed. Weather – Overcast with sunny breaks high 20s.

Germany, I have quickly discovered, is so different to the other countries I have pedalled through.

  Everything is extremely expensive for a start. Food, accommodation and just about everything else costs more which is not good for the budget.

  Also, along this section of the Rhine there are very few campsites, hence the big number of kilometres I cycled today – somewhat reluctantly towards the end, I must say.

  And when you do find one, they want an arm and a leg – 15 euros where I am now in Lingenfeld – plus you have to pay extra to have a shower.

  I have also discovered that this part of the Rhine is very industrial, hence there are huge factories along the river and basically very few places of interest to stop – another reason I cycled so many kilometres today.

  My morning started out well enough with a visit to Rastatt to have a look at the town’s huge castle. Unfortunately I was there at 10am and they didn’t open until 11am, so all I could do was take a picture from outside and continue cycling.

  Next up I decided to visit Karlsruhe. Good idea, the only problem was the map I was using did not have enough detail, so basically once I got into the outskirts of the city I had no idea which was to go.

  I thought I was right at one stage when I started to follow the zentrum (centre) signs, but they petered out and quickly becoming lost I thought it was a smart move to retrace my steps and give Karlsruhe a miss.

  Big cities are really hard work on a bicycle when you have no idea where you are going. From now on I will only visit the ones where I am able to leave my bike safely somewhere.

  Another thing I have found in Germany is that it is near-on impossible to find internet connections. In Portugal, Spain and France it was difficult at times but I could always track it down somewhere. Not here though.

  I even went into a McDonalds which is meant to have free intenet connection in all their stores worldwide – but not in Germany. They wanted 8 euros to sign up to some wifi website with my credit card details and there was no way I was going to do that, so I even missed out there. I’ll keep looking, but it is a pain and very time consuming.

  Anyway, tomorrow it is off towards Heidelberg and Mannheim. I will see how many times I can get lost again. The Rhine track certainly needs a sign upgrade. In sections the signs are everywhere, but once you get to a town there are none and you are left to your own devices which can be very frustrating.

  I am quickly getting pretty good at asking specht ze english!!

captions: Pic 1:The palace at Rastatt Pic 2: One of the many obstacles along the path. This Swiss couple helped me pushed my bike and all its gear up over this very high ramp. Pic 3: yours truly. Pic 4: A particularly good section of the Rhine pathway. Other sections are nowhere near as` good.

Day 46 Strasbourg (France) to Plittersdorf (Germany)

Day 46. Strasbourg (France) to Plittersdorf (Germany). 68.72 kms cycled. 4.44 hours cycling. 27.36 km/h max speed. 14.51 km/h average speed. Weather – sunny and hot with a persistent northerly wind.

Well, my French adventure is over and it is on to Germany. Another language to get my head around, more confusing road signs and maps to try to work out and much more amazing scenery and cities to explore.
France was everything and more than I was expecting. Although my stay was somewhat shorter than I expected after hitching a ride from Blois to Strasbourg on the train, I enjoyed 95 per cent of my time there.
The only blot on my memory bank will be the horrific traffic and crazy truck drivers on so-called secondary roads. I have to admit that after that terrible day where I came all-too-close to becoming another road statistic, I basically lost my nerve on French roads.
Trains where there were no traffic-free tracks suddenly became very appealing.
But all that said, France is an absolutely beautiful country, with friendly people, so much to see and do and it is just so diverse.
From the amazing crossing of the Pyrenees to the Atlantic Coast, Loire Valley and French/German border I saw so much from the seat of my trusty Trek 520 bike.
I just loved St Jean Pied de Port in the Pyrenees foothills; the Atlantic Coast reminded me so much of the Australian surf scene 30 years ago and I enjoyed discovering the quaint picture postcard surf villages; the Loire Valley is an amazing destination that anyone who visits France must see and Strasbourg was a fitting conclusion to a great 3+ weeks.

Now Germany. After working out Strasbourg’s circular road system for the last time to actually get into Germany, my first port of call was the first tourist office I could find to see if I could get more detailed maps of the Rhine route.
And not only were great maps available (much better than the ones I paid nearly 20 euros for the day before in Strasbourg), and they were free.
The day’s cycling was basically split between riding along the levy bank on the bank of the river to cycling along quiet country roads through quaint little villages.
As always the signage left plenty to the imagination so there were a number of wrong turns, but with a bit of head scratching and help from other cyclists I managed to work it out.
I had intended to cycle to Baden Baden, a town I know mum and dad visited a number of times on business, but it was 20km off the track which meant a 40km round trip. I’m afraid at this stage of the trip I just do not have the energy to go so far off the track in front of me!!
First thing tomorrow morning I will visit Barock Residence a huge castle in Rastatt which is about a 5km from where I am camped for the night.
It will be then off to Karlsruhe and maybe Heidelberg (it’s on a tributary to the Rhine, so hopefully there will be a bike track).
As I think I said about France, everything here is just so German. I just love the vast differences between all the countries.!!!!!!!!!!

captions: Pic 1: The best you get as far as France into Germany sign. Pic 2: Lunch overlooking the Rhine. Pic 3: Finally made it to Germany Pic 4: There are hundreds of white swans all along the river

Day 45 Sightseeing in Strasbourg

Day 45. Sightseeing in Strasbourg. Cycled 19.91 kms

Strasbourg is town absolutely full of tourists, and for good reason. It is an absolutely beautiful destination, full of history, magnificent 12^th to 17^th century architecture and with plenty to see.

  And into the bargain the weather has come good for my visit and turned on a warm, sunny day.

  The only problem was trying to find my way around. The whole city is built on roads that seemingly go around in circles, so it is incredibly easy to get lost which I did on numerous occasions.

  But then that is part of the fun of exploring such a beautiful city, at every turn you discover something else unexpected. Basically it was hard to know what to photograph, with canals, the city’s huge 12^th century gothic Abbey, a district appropriately called ‘Old France’, and generally beautiful maintained buildings everywhere.

  I must have been so tired when I arrived on the train the previous night from the Loire Valley, that I could not remember how to get back into the city and spent an hour and about 8 or so kilometres riding around in circles trying to find the town.

  So it should be fun tomorrow when I have to go right through the centre of town to find the one and only cyclist-friendly bridge over the Rhine into Germany and the start of the next leg of my trip north.

  One of the tasks I set for myself today was to purchase maps of the Rhine through Germany. I don’t know what to read into it, but I went into numerous stores that sold maps – including a specialty hiking shop – and none sold maps of Germany.

  I think I finally found what I was looking for in about the 5^th shop I went into. I guess the French don’t want their tourists defecting and taking their money over the border!!!!Or does it go deeper than that? Surely not.

 Anyway, I will let the photos do the talking for me. Strasbourg is a stunning destination, right up there with the most picturesque cities I have seen anywhere.

captions: General pics fromaround this beautiful city.