Today we cycle between the Spessart and Odenwald mountain ranges. Here in the 2nd century AD, the Main River served as a border of the Roman Empire, the "Limes". The Roman Limes in Germany covers a length of 550 km and was a defense against the barbarians to the north. There are some vestiges of built walls, ditches and forts scattered about the countryside.
The Main is now a border between Odenwald to the southwest and Spessart.
We cross the Main to the left bank at Freudenberg where we take a break and enjoy the view. We are again blessed with fantastic cycling weather and on this sunny Sunday and Pfingsten (Whitsun or Pentecost), a three-day week-end, there are lots of cyclists out, young and old, riding leisurely along the river.
Freudenberg. Frequently in small towns Italian, Greek and Yugoslavian restaurants have replaced the traditional Bavarian pubs - here it's Restaurant Hellas.
Our route takes us on to Miltenberg located on a bend in the river. This little town is a gem. It never suffered major war damage or town fires. Its main attractions are the wonderful half-timbered houses that line the main street and market square. Of course, there are lots of visitors milling around which makes it feel a little like a museum instead of a place where people live and work. I'd enjoy coming here on, say, a Wednesday morning when life is normal.
From the river path, we cast one more glance at Miltenberg and its bridge before we continue. The clouds that have accumulated are more decorative than threatening and by the time we reach our destination the sky is again blue.
Our last stop today is in Wörth where we have reserved a room at Hotel Anker. There's not much going on in Wörth. For dinner we have the choice of Turkish fare at our hotel or pizza at the Italian place. We settle for pizza and a walk around town.
Our hotel is behind this wall, erected on the site of medieval town fortifications.
Wörth: This part of town is an early example of city planning with geometric street layout, constructed from the ruins of the original sandstone buildings after the flood of 1882.
