To Oppenheim

August 30, 2021

First off, let’s correct an important omission from a few day back: he video of the ride to Mesenich, one of our favorites:

Video sound track: Aeolian Tale, by Oregon

Another day where the threat of rain dominated our thoughts as we looked ahead to it. Better conditions are just around the corner, but light rain throughout the day is threatened at last check before turning out the lights. We’ve done about all we can to prepare for it: we identified the main train stops along the way for our 45 mile ride in case we decide to bail somewhere, we’ve set the alarm early so we can catch an a fortuitous early break if one occurs. And we’ve unpacked and repacked all four of our panniers looking for the missing fourth pannier cover that went missing yesterday. No luck, so I’ll leave one of mine uncovered and wrap its contents in plastic bags as the next best thing.

We wake up at six, check the weather, and see that magic is in the air again. The onset of expected rain has pushed out until noon, which gives us enough time if we act fast. So we act fast. But not so fast that we don’t have time for some essential viewing (and thanks to Andrea for reminding us of this, probably the first thing people think of when they think of Bacharach).

Walking back from a rushed breakfast at a nearby bakery that opens at 6:30, even on this Sunday AM. We could have waited until 8 for the free and better breakfast at our hotel, but we need to hit the road.

We check the weather one last time before derooming and see that we’ve gained an extra hour over breakfast - now rains aren’t expected until one. And, when we retrieve our bikes we find the missing fourth pannier cover laying on top of my rack. We have no explanation for this strange phenomenon, but it leaves us feeling optimistic about the day as we bike through the Marktturm to the river and turn south.

The first fifteen miles, to Bingen, are like the last two days as we follow the left bank of the river south beneath overcast skies with the occasional castle sprawling a ridge line above. As we advance south we leave the Rhine Gorge the landscape gradually opens up and the sky lightens up. Surprisingly it’s turning into a fairer day than yesterday. It’s warmer too - 60 degrees already when we wake up. Pushed along by a tailwind on completely flat roads again it makes a very enjoyable ride.

We puzzled over these when we saw them upriver from our overlook at the castle yesterday. They appear regularly every few hundred yards for about five miles, jutting halfway across the river. What’s their purpose? Erosion control? To ward unsuspecting ships away from the shallows? Perches for the herons and cormorants?

As we move south the sky lightens up ever so slightly.

Look across the river. There’s a patch of sun on that slope!

Entering Bingen, crossing the mouth of the Nahe River.

The ride changes character beyond Bingen. The route no longer hugs the shore, and for most of the next twenty miles to Mainz we bike on the flats below a dike, the river blocked from view. It makes for a pleasant change of scene as we bike past small wetlands, shorn pastures, fruit orchards, and vegetable acreages. Plums and apples look near harvesting, autumn is in the air.

South of Bingen the route stays beneath a dike most of the way to Mainz.

The view from our table on the cathedral plaza, Mainz.

The enormous Mainz cathedral dates back a thousand years. I’m sure it’s amazing inside but we can only speculate. Outside it’s certainly spectacular enough.

The sky grows darker and more menacing behind the Mainz Cathedral.

A colorful but so far unidentified monument, Mainz.

The darkest of the clouds move south ahead of us, and we enjoy a dry ride the rest of the way to Oppenheim. The last few miles are through a sea of vineyards, up above the valley enough to give broad views.

It looks like we’re doomed, but this is on the other side of the river. It’s passed us by.

Video sound track: what the World Needs Now, by Dionne Warwick/Burt Bacharach

We settle into our room in our palatial hotel and then walk back down to the small altstadt center for a look around. It’s an attractive place, but by far its crowning attraction is the awe inspiring Katherine Church, an immense gothic structure. We’re lucky to get inside as it’s just past the posted closing hours, and we have the place to ourselves.

Which is as good a segue as any for pointing out that we seem to have many places to ourselves lately. Here, at the end of summer on what is undoubtedly a much loved tourism trail, we’re encountering few crowds and fewer tourists. It’s starting to feel like our experience last autumn when we were blessed to see Croatia at such a quiet time. It’s well worth the inconvenience of masking up and showing our vaccination cards (now a universal requirement) whenever we check into a hotel or enter a restaurant. I wonder how long it will be until tourism returns to anything like its pre-pandemic levels.

Entering the walled altstadt through the Gautor. Dating to the early 13th century the tower has been rebuilt several times and spent some years functioning as a prison. The name comes from Gau, the old high German word for landscape, and referred to its connection of the city with the surrounding countryside.

In the old city. Ahead is the Katharinen Church, the centerpiece of Oppenheim. We’ll get a better look at this wonderful church later in a separate post.

The view from our dinner table, Oppenheim. The sun is just starting to come out, ushering in what promises to be a five day spell of fine weather.

Returning to our hotel, which is easy to locate. It’s that large brown structure with the stepped facade just outside the tower gate.

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Ride stats today: 44 miles, 900’; for the tour: 637 miles, 16,200’

Today's ride: 44 miles (71 km)
Total: 682 miles (1,098 km)

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Bruce LellmanWhen I think of Germany I think of Ortlieb.
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3 years ago

Keith KleinI was going to suggest a tribute to Dionne Warwick on the previous page, but I see you’ve done it yourself without prompting, or going to San Jose.
Cheers,
Keith
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3 years ago

Keith KleinHi again,
Upon further reflection, “Raindrops Keep Fallon’ on my Head” might have been an appropriate choice for entering Bacharach.
Cheers,
Keith
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3 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Keith KleinYes, that would have been perfect. I’d forgotten that was his too. Quite an amazing songbook he gifted to the world.
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3 years ago