As yesterday, a beautiful day to be out on our bikes. The air remains cool, in the morning there are patches of frost in the shade, but the sun is glorious.
On our way out of Schweinfurt: Reconstructed city fortifications
On the left bank of the Main a few kilometers outside of Schweinfurt we see the nuclear power plant Grafenrheinfeld. Its 143-meter cooling towers can be seen from afar.
From Schweinfurt the Main curves to the south, forming one side of a triangle before it doubles back to the north. The area in this bend of the river, the Maindreieck or Main Triangle, is wine-growing country.
Here, where the route follows the road for a short distance, there is an excellent bike path. Vineyards of the Maindreieck in the background. The area is nestled in the fertile watershed between the Main River and Steigerwald. Almost half of the wine stocks in Franconia grow here.
The vineyard slopes are incredibly steep - glad I don't have to cycle them. Special vineyard tractors, strong enough for the gradient and narrow enough to fit between the rows, prepare the soil.
Kitzingen is our goal for today. According to legend it's the site of Count Dracula's grave, and during the Cold War it was a staging area for the US European Command's (USAREUR) air defenses against possible Soviet air and nuclear attack. But that is history. Three years ago the last US Army facilities were closed.
End of the day in Kitzingen: The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the tulips are in bloom.
After enjoying the late-afternoon sun in an outdoor cafe, we find a room in Hotel Bayrischer Hof.
Hanging sign at the Hotel Bayrischer Hof: This type of bottle, a Bocksbeutel, is commonly used for wines from Franconia. Within the European Union the Bocksbeutel enjoys the status of a protected bottle shape.
