Remich to Metz: A boogeyman in the ditch and bats in the hotel
We had another delicious breakfast at the hotel in Remich this morning. It was a full ten jammer. This one even included champagne for our orange juice. We gave that a pass though, deciding it might not be best for bike riding.
The outdoor pool. There were also saunas, an exercise room (we skipped the stationary bike), an atrium overlooking the river and a full spa. And of course robes and slippers to wear to and from. Bliss.
The proprietor. Our room carpet was a wee bit damp under the window. We let him know, thinking perhaps rain had blown in through the open window. This was while enjoying the wine in the lobby. He was charming, explained the carpets had just been cleaned and declared we must have compensation. Out came the most delicious cheese imaginable. What a delightful surprise.
The other day I mentioned that I thought the weather gods had hurled everything they had except snow in our direction. I forgot about wind. The forecast today was for 27 km winds in the wrong direction. So we were riding up river against a headwind. Perfect! It was a bit like riding uphill all day. Most of the day anyway. By the time we were approaching Metz the wind was more of a beam reach, although I didn't particularly like that either! We have been remarkably lucky in our travels not to have had to deal with much more than a head breeze. It was a beautiful ride regardless.
We stopped briefly in Sierck les Bains to admire the castle and then carried on down the trail. Despite the wind it was a beautiful ride. The pictures illustrate it best.
Shortly after Sierk les Bains. Keep those feet on the ground! My French is hopeless, but I can read most of the signs. It took me two years in Germany before I figured out 'radfahrer absteigen' meant cyclist walk your bike, not cyclist caution.
The pictures illustrate ithe ride the best. We stopped in Thionville for lunch, picking up a sandwich and a pain au chocolat (for me) and a beignet (for Keith). We had a wonderful chat with the lady in the bakery, headed to the nearest bench and woofed down the baked goods in a very unFrench fashion. I was starving.
One of the unexpected sights of the day. Optimists! Our kids sailed these and then on to bigger things. This was a fabulous facility.
We continued on into Metz, meeting Wilma and Astrid from the Netherlands for the second day in a row. We had a long and fun talk trailside. I loved Wilma's story of working as a nurse alongside her colleague Fred. She really made me laugh. They are off to Nancy for more cycling, and then a week long hiking adventure in Switzerland
A great visit. Note the North American sense of what is needed to go for a bike ride sartorially speaking versus the much more sensible (and attractive) Dutch version.
Then it was the last few km into Metz. What an amazing old centre the city has. It is so interesting to cycle through the modern industry on the outskirts and then into the pedestrian zone and old town. We have a hotel right in the heart of the city. Under the unexpected and unusual category, when we came back to the room after dinner we had bats in the hotel corridor. That is a first for us!
Today's ride: 80 km (50 miles) Total: 453 km (281 miles)
