Remagen To Xanten Germany

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June 21^st



Xanten, Germany



Happy Father's Day to our sons and friends!



We ended up spending 3 nights in Remagen. Then on the 19^th we left for Camp Berger just south of Koln. So far, we have had quite a bit of rain and wind. It is so much better on this trip since we have the right equipment for the weather. We had planned to jump on the train in Koln and go to Dortmund but, we decided to head to the Netherlands first because of weather. That means we will do the reverse of the planned trip.

A typical day starts about 8am with breakfast which is usually coffee, yogurt, crossiant and fruit. It's hard to sleep in because the sun and birds are up at 5am. We leave the campground between 9-10. We have lunch on the road and generally get to the campground by 3:30. We set the tent up, put the paniers inside and go to the store for dinner and breakfast the next day. We are in our sleeping bags by about 9pm but, it's hard to get to sleep because the sun doesn't set until 10pm.

We ran across some Americans in a restaurant on the Rhein. They were hard to pick out because the woman was talking pretty loud. She came up after their lunch and said that she heard us talking and wanted to know where we were from in the states. We really speak very quietly while abroad so, I'm surprised she heard us. Anyway, turns out they live in Germany and work as missionaries. Nice gig.

Our next stop was just north of Dusseldorf after a very long, windy, cloudy day. The trip was about 5 ½ hrs. We have traveled this area before and that helps.

Today was another very long day, riding 74kms. It rained on and off, so we were always stopping to put on or take off our rain gear. For the most part, grocery stores here are closed on Sundays. Today we had Donner Kebabs for lunch and they were so good. Xanten is the site of a Roman Amphitheater and the largest Roman open-air museum in Germany. Tonight we are treating ourselves to a night in a hotel. We will be able to charge all of our electronics. Maybe tomorrow we will try to see the sights.

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