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Found the River
Wandered all around until we hit the River Rhein Feeling a little more adventurous today, Brian and Amy hopped on the bikes and set out for the River Rhein (Rhine for us in the USA.) Thanks again to Britta and Osse for the loan of their bikes and some tips for interesting sights! Originally, the plan was to just ride a short bit to visit the Rhein and have a picnic at a little lake close-by. After a 15 minute ride to find the river, we were standing and looking out over the water and, from around the bend, up swam a border collie right to Brian at the beach. So, of course, we had to stay awhile. There were several people walking along and we saw nice dogs and owners playing and walking near the water. They inspired us to to strike out the same way and head north along the river. We rode along a small trail that looked like a very old path - cobblestoned and teeth-shaking - we used our imagination to pretend it could have been an old Roman road. We continued to take the path less traveled by and ended up on a single track with the Rhein on one side and farms and
Dog Out Of Nowhere
Dogs swimming up - soon he had lots of friends. horses on the other. The tiny trail eventually ended and we hopped on a bigger bike path toward the city of Worms, pronounced “Vurms” (not like the wiggly things you put on hooks). Near the city, we rode through a huge park with clay tennis courts, a little zoo and beautiful sports areas. With more time to explore, we could have camped out there awhile. You emerge from this beautiful park and suddenly, Worms!
Worms is one of the oldest cities in Germany and is associated with the "Saga of the Nibelungs", an epic 12th Century tragic poem of Siegfried the dragon slayer. The bridge is called Nibelungenbrücke (bridge of the Nibelungs) and was built between 1897 and 1900, to honor Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Darmstadt (named Ernst-Ludwig bridge in those days.) The tower is called Nibelungen Turm and one part is a hostel today. One of the towers was badly destroyed during WWII and made crossing the Rhein here impossible for almost 5 years. We didn't enter the city like the Duke - we kind of slunk in, trying to walk the bikes through traffic and read the map at the same time. Once in the city,
Amy Biking Around Rhein
Beautiful day along the River Rhein it got kind of crazy - we saw a little tiny girl running around in traffic all by herself. After nearly getting hit (twice!), she was taken back to the kindergarten from whence she apparently escaped. Yikes! We finally made it to the River Promenade after some pretty dicey city maneuvering. We stopped for our picnic there, even convincing a restaurant, with some interesting sign language and begging, to sell us some take-out Cola Light (in glass bottles!). We took a “Coke Ad” picture, some shots of the statue and park, and then set out for our return to Eva’s house as rain clouds were threatening. The trip to Worms was about 25 km and was a nice ride. We made it back to Eva’s in a much speedier than the first leg of the journey and were home safe and sound after a very enjoyable day. Eva took the Chinese leftovers and added a whole new meal to them to make us some of her own Chinese. Being born in China, she has the touch and it was better than the first time. We all ldearly ove the hot stuff!
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