The Bike Lodge Hotel had everything a cyclist staying overnight needed, including washing machines and driers which we were in dire need of. Washing clothes in showers and basins only gets things so clean. As soon as we hit the room we filled a bag with clothes (including the days riding clothes) and took them down to set on a wash cycle and then back to the room to relax. Some time later an alarm went off and persisted. After about 10 minutes there was a knock at our door. The manager was there saying that an alarm on one of our bikes (mine) was going off. With horror I realised I hadn't taken my alarm fob out of my pocket before throwing my shorts into the wash. It must have shorted and set off the ... read more

The skies looked threatening before we left Frankfurt, and with good reason. The forecast was for rain starting from around 8am and thunderstorms possible from midday through to 5pm. No time to take chances, we dressed for the weather and just as well. We left about 8:15am and had travelled less than 3kms before we were sheltering under some trees along the Main River while the rain pelted down around us. Oh dear! While the rain persisted, at least it wasn't cold. Our ride today was to Aschaffenburg (Bavaria), and a relatively short 51kms. The ride was actually very scenic and enjoyable, apart from the rain. We were riding along the river as much as behind green vegetation which hid the river from us. We also cross onto the west side of the river today. We ... read more

Let's start with the night before. As I mentioned, we were meeting up with Baerbel and Michael for dinner in their home town just across the river from Bingen. We caught the ferry over and were taken to the top of the hills behind Rudesheim which afforded great views over the Rhine (see photo). We then went on to have dinner in a local restaurant that served authentic German food. There was live music playing and the place had a great vibe. We had an amazing time with our hosts, the meal, conversation and company were all perfect. We caught the ferry back to Bingen at about 11:20pm and didn't get to bed until after midnight. This morning we both woke about 6:30am and began the ritual of packing up again - it is already getting ... read more

Prologue: Forecast: 19C with showers from 8am until 12pm with local thunderstorms Destination: Koblenz Distance: 36kms Leave from Hotel at approx: 9am Approx arrival at Koblenz: 12pm (very conservative) Scene 1 Act 1 - The Beginning Since it's a short days ride and breakfast isn't served until 8am we take our time getting up and getting ready. Breakfast is OK without being grand but we did manage to grab a roll with meat and cheese to take with us for lunch. Scene 2 Act 1 - The Departure We load up the velos and head off in light drizzle which is likely to accompany us all day. First stop is the ferry to take us to the other side of the river, 1km down stream. Before we leave I decide to give my rear tyre a ... read more

Rest Day in Cologne. Sleep til you wake - any time is fine. Well, my body clock said 6am was fine. I lay in bed until 7:30am trying to get back to sleep and finally got up, had some breakfast and went to explore. Jeff still had some things to tidy up with his lost wallet. I love Cologne on a Sunday morning, this Sunday morning. There's a light drizzle, it seems to have cleansed the city from the Saturday night festivities the night before. All that noise and music of people enjoying themselves is the exact opposite of the calm, peaceful, empty streets I'm now walking. I walk in a preplanned direction soaking in all of the sights I had wanted to see. In the background the church bells are ringing, but now they are ... read more