September 11, 2012
We start along the Middle Rhine: Our shortest day
The weather has been extremely hot and sunny, in the early thirties which is about 10degrees hotter than is usual at this time of the year. That is a bit hot for me but at least on a bike you make a bit of a breeze. Today was cooler, it was overcast and dribbling rain every little while. We were travelling along the Middle Rhine which is the part that is spectacular with a castle on every headland. This meant that although riding was very easy it was a bit disappointing as far as visability was concerned and nothing showed up really well in photographs.
It is hard to know which towns to call into as all are gems. At Boppard (we had to go in there Bop because it made us think of you) there were a number of cruise ships tied up and American accents in evidence. It looked inviting and was a reasonable size. What we really wanted as well as the usual coffee was a bike shop. Here we hit the jackpot and found an absolutely amazing man in one. My gears have been playing up a bit which although not vital are annoying and Ken’s bike had a strange noise in time with the wheel going around. Usually bike mechanics just twirl your gears around, change them completely unloaded and announce them OK. This guy was different and he gave mine a thorough going over and they are now perfect. Ken still has a slight noise but it doesn’t sound too sinister.
On then to St Goar with its spectacular castle. We stopped for our picnic and Ken can report they have excellent Public Toilets. He wasn’t feeling particularly well so we decided to call it a day in Oberwessel even though we had only done 34km. We have found a great place to stay, had a poke around and in particular were stunned by the early art in the church from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. We have bought up large in the supermarket and will have our meal in the room tonight.
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Today's ride: 34 km (21 miles)
Total: 2,331 km (1,448 miles)
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