Well, at least it is a dry heat!: Frankfurt to Mainz
What a pair we are. Knowing how hot it was going to be today we had decided on an early start. We were both wide awake last night from about 2 AM to 5 AM, a symptom of jet lag. It was a bit early, even for an early start - daylight is a nice feature - so we just lay there. Next thing I knew Keith was waking me up and said it was 8:30 AM. I honestly thought he was teasing me. I checked my phone, watch and the hotel clock in disbelief. Bye bye early start.
We had breakfast at the airport McDonalds. I have stopped feeling embarrassed about this as it has become a tradition. It is also a novelty as we never go at home. So bacon and egg mcmuffins and a North American size coffee it was. You can't beat the price at 3.29 Euro each. There was a wee doggie in McDonalds, and a very strange lady who kept threatening the dog which caused it to bark. We felt sorry for the dog and owner. You never know what you are going to see. Then back up to the room to put on our biking gear and we hit the road at 10 AM. Sheesh. Some early start.
What a fantastic ride. The first year Keith's navigation skills were at embryonic stage and we were a bit lost at times. This year he led us out without a hitch. It was a fantastic ride, never on the road and always something to look at. European bike touring is so great for that.
And so it begins. At this point the heat wasn't too bad. We were often in the shade and it hadn't hit 36 degrees C yet.
We saw many people out on their bikes and three different groups out on their horses. We met two lovely women on the trail, Norah and Jenny. Keith really enjoyed his conversation with them.
A shady section. We followed route 8 until the sign for the Main Radweg, route 3 if I remember correctly. It was unbelievably well marked.
On our way again, we almost immediately stopped to watch the planes on their way to Frankfurt airport. We were cycling directly beneath them and they were quite amazing really. One after another for as far as we could see and as long as we cared to watch.
It was a day to drink lots of water. We had both emptied our water bottles by the time we got to Mainz. This looks like we are on a road, but never fear, it was closed to vehicles and for bikes only.
I started to really feel the effects of the heat sprinkled with a little jet lag. By the time we got to Mainz I was pretty droopy, so much so that when I was watching the bikes outside the Vodaphone store while Keith bought a SIM card I had two different people ask me if I was OK. I was pretty much on the verge of fainting. How ridiculous is that? Keith moved the bikes right in front of the store and moved me inside and brought me a chair to sit in. I was able to sit in air conditioned comfort while standing guard. That solved the problem because we were there for a long time. Cell phone matters seem to take an inordinate amount of time, in any language. Add a line up to the mix and it can be pretty frustrating, but it was a godsend for me today.
The SIM card purchase was so important because we were told at tourist information that their were no rooms in town due to a wine festival. When Keith came out of TI and said 'fully booked' I simply didn't believe him yet again. As it turns out, the town was not fully booked because as soon as we had data Keith found us a lovely hotel.
Well, our lovely spot turned out to be just around the corner from the wine festival. The Weinmarkt Im Stadtpark to be exact. There were 88 different wineries and food stalls, and an entire artisan section with 65 vendors. Oh my goodness, it was amazing. I think half the population of Germany was there. The live music was superb. As a result we still haven't seen the old part of Mainz. We were too busy partying. The pictures will tell the story.
Downloading pictures just slowed to a crawl. Suffice it to say that the evening got busier and busier, and we just had a great time. If we see and do this much every day of the tour we will need a rest day every 48 hours!!!
Weddings! We love weddings too. This was on our way to the hotel.
We had a long chat with Thomas and friend over yet another glass of wine. They were wonderful company. Thomas has promised us two more weeks of good weather.
