Days 65- 68
Day 65 07/22/23
Another sunny morning to be thankful for. Our neighbors were having a birthday party for one of their daughters and they we singing happy birthday while we were packing up. They were from Switzerland and we ended up giving them most of our Swiss Francs since we would not be able to use them. They were very surprised!
The temps were perfect for riding and the whole day was very beautiful. It was Saturday and we were surprised at how few people were out and about. The only thing we can figure is that they had all left for vacation. Strasbourg, which is a big city, had very few people. Maybe that was because we skirted around it. We had decided we didn't want to ride through it even though we heard it was beautiful. You have to make choices.
On the way out of Strasbourg we saw an amazing church building. It appeared to be Greek or Russian Orthodox. We decided to stop and have a look. A young guy opened the door and let us in. As we were standing in the foyer he told us that Sarah needed to adorn a head covering and wear a skirt to go into the main sanctuary because a service was in progress. Sarah was wearing both so we were good with that. Then he looked at me, saw my shorts and said that I needed to put on some sort of skirt covering which he could provide, that was when we decided to pedal on!
Arriving at our campground we met a fellow rider from the Netherlands. He was on holiday and making the rounds. I mentioned him for no other reason than to point out how tall the people are over here. The Germans are burly and tall and the Hollanders are thin and tall. Either way this is the land of the Giants. No kidding! If you are under 6'5" you are a little on the short side. My next trip is to Japan to boost my self esteem!
Keep on rolling
Scott and Sarah
Rode 47 miles
Day 66 07/23/23
The day was nothing out of the ordinary but in fact it is all out of the ordinary. How often do you get to slow travel for three months and experience other cultures, food and landscapes as part of your daily routine? One thing I can definitely report is that it was nice to not have to go grocery shopping. We had a short day of riding (48 miles) with no shopping and that was fantastic. Instead we chose to get a hotel in the village of Germersheim and eat a nice meal out.
If I told you that the riding has been easy I would not be lying. The surfaces are mostly asphalt, very smooth and completely flat. So we are now concerned that we will show up in Calais too early. We are thinking about other options. We have kicked around the idea of finding a Warm Showers host who will store our bike for a few days while we take the train into Paris. Neither one of us are particularly fond of big cities but what would a trip to France be without seeing Paris? We will decide that once we get a few more kilometers down the road.
We had our first real incident of indifference last night. We made reservations for dinner at an Italian restaurant and when we showed up we got the cold shoulder. The woman who greeted us told us she only spoke Italian and made it clear we were not welcome. My Napoleon complex rose up and wouldn't take no for an answer. Finally, the owner came over and we were quickly seated. The same lady was now taking our order and started to warm up. The food was not the greatest but we left her a descent tip to encourage her to be a little more friendly to foreigners the next time.
Back at our hotel room we watched the final event of the Tour de France in German. Seems odd how there was not one mention of team Dontanville making their epic Tour de Europe. It must have been overlooked somehow.
Keep on rolling
Scott and Sarah
Rode 48 miles
Day 67 06/24/23
We ate breakfast at our hotel. There was rain forecast for the day so we got on the road. Today was definitely not in the brochure. We spent a good bit of time riding through industrial areas. We kept wondering when we would get back to the Rhine. It was not to happen. We did get to see a beautiful cathedral in Speyer and rode by an aviation museum boasting a fullsize exhibit of a jumbo jet.
Early in day we arrived at Worms and checked into a hostel. The accomodations were pleasantly surprising and only 60 euros a night. Worms plays a seminal role in history for many reasons but the most noteworthy has to be the struggle Martin Luther faced with the Roman Catholic Church at the Diet of Worms. We took some time to walk around and see the sights. Tomorrow we plan to walk the self guided Luther tour. Should be an interesting time.
After our walk, it was nice to be able to go back to our room and have some down time, in other words, take a nap. Woke up from that nap with a hungry tummy and we filled that with a nice dinner at a nearby restaurant. It was the first time that I have had ice in my drink since I left the States. Oh what a simple pleasure.
Keep on rolling
Scott and Sarah
Rode 49 miles
Day 68 06/25/23
It was sooooo nice to stay in bed this morning as it gently rained outside our window. But in time we managed to pull it together and head out to get some coffee and bagels for breakfast.
We ended up wandering around the downtown going from one site to another following the self guided tour of Martin Luther's 10 day ordeal in Worms. At one point we wandered into the church that now stands in the place where Luther chose to hold his ground and not recant. While we were there they were tuning the massive pipe organ. The notes filled the sanctuary. It was quite impressive as the organist played and we felt the movement of the music from such an enormous instrument.
At one point we visited the oversized bronze shoes that sit in a park which at one time was the Bishops palace to which Luther was summoned. It was fun to slip into them and say you have walked in Luther's shoes.
Lastly, we visited the Cathedral of Dom Saint Peter. It had suffered extensive damage during WW2 but undergone renovation. Very ornate at the one end and very simplistic at the other. We crept back to our hostel and spent the rest of the day trying to plan the weeks ahead. We are hoping for good weather tomorrow.
Keep on rolling
Scott and Sarah