Day 6 Speyer to Pittersdorf to Gambsheim

Yesterday we had an "emergency" tour briefing in the lounge at 5 pm.  Turns out the river has flooded again and most of the bike path we were to take in the morning is flooded.  Plans have changed, and the morning is now for a leisurely boat ride down the Rhine and the afternoon will be our ride.  We are told we need to choose the French or German side of the river and we opt for the French.  

That means George and I get to have a lie in as lunch will be served on the ship.  And we did just that.  As long as I had the morning off, I also did some studying for my Patente.  At 11:45 we dutifully went down to lunch.  I remember a salad.  Oh yes, blue cheese sauce spaghetti (it was delicious hot, but terrible cold).  and George had a burger.  The waiter brought our meals while I still had the soup course that's why I know about the sauce.  

Of course we did observe a few of the sights as we traveled down river.  

Big floppy hat to the rescue from the hot sun!

After lunch we took off again.  We stopped in Plittersdorf Germany long enough to unload bicycles and riders.  Once more we were joined by George's new friends from Ohio.  We started out riding along the German side and came to a ferry crossing.  What luck!  The ferry was docked on our side.  How unfortunate though that it decided not to run on this day.  German side it is!  

We all took off down the path only to discover that our path ahead was still flooded.  We all did a giant U-turn and headed down a different road. Oskar had us all wait around 15 minutes though because there was such a large group of bikers he felt it dangerous.  As it turned out, there was an accident ahead.  One of the ladies fainted and required medical attention.  When we came to the area they were in, there were around 30 bikers all bunched up waiting.  Oskar did the sensible thing and traveled through them and carried on.

We came to yet another ferry crossing and this time hopped on quickly before they could change their minds.  

Along the path we saw much beauty.  The way we were to take in Germany was rough going.  We had to have great concentration to just stay upright as the path was so narrow.  Add to that the grass cutting and my allergies starting to cause a drippy nose and a slight headache, and I had had enough.  Oskar did right by changing sides.  The French side was more wild with tall grass and beautiful paths.  On the ship they told us we would find biergartens and WC's in Germany, on the French side we would see nature and use her toilet.  

Because of all the flooding, our rout that was to be 39 kilometers turned into more like 49. Thankfully Oskar had a map and is an excellent guide.  We stopped for a coffee and cookie next to a church for a short break and to check emails.  Good news!  The tiles have been delivered for the kitchen. 

We carried on until we hit Gambsheim where we once again returned to our ship.  George and I opted out of afternoon tea (not that we took much of it on this cruise).  Instead we went to the room for a bit of a nap before dinner.  My sinus' by this time were killing me and I was ready to call it a day.

We both went down to dinner, but George was feeling so bad, and the service was incredibly slow.  they served and cleared all but 3 tables and were bringing out the dessert before we were finished with our main course.  It was a shame because this was the captain's farewell dinner and was the best meal we've had on the cruise.  

Dessert was Baked Alaska, and had I not felt so poorly, I would have had some.  It's been a long time.  I followed George to bed and called it a day.

Day 2 Mainz to Nierstein to Worms

Ok, do you all feel as cheated as I do?  Day 1 was nothing more than checking in at 4 pm, having dinner and sleeping. Now the fun begins.  

This morning we woke up in Mainz and headed down to breakfast at around 7:30.  We didn't know what to expect so up we got.  We had a bit of food, but this is not the norm for us. Usually we just do a glass of milk for me and an orange juice and banana for George.  We made our lunch and got ready to start the first day of our a bicycle trip.  This cruise is unlike any other we have been on.  The boat sails by day and stays docked over night.  I guess this makes sense.  We are riding our bikes along the river and need somewhere to rest overnight.  The room is comfortable enough.  

When compared to our Around the World cruise, the room is smaller but made up so much better.  There is a rather large closet with shelves built into it. A hidden cabinet behind the mirror, a nice table with under-top shelves, two sets of drawers under the beds, a couple of hooks on the wall and shelves above both beds.  The downside?  There are two single beds.  George and I haven't slept apart since the first day we have been together...no, that is a lie.  The first night we shared a room we did have separate beds, but that was ages and ages ago. The beds are comfortable enough and if we wanted to, we could turn them into sofas by day.  

The bathroom has a shower and a cabinet under the sink.  It's nothing to write home about, but it is big enough to do the job.  Although I'm sure there are a few on the ship who will have problems.  

The ship has the usual dining room where dinner is served promptly at 6:30 and a lounge with a bar.  There is a sundeck upstairs where the guys played chess the other day and where they store our bikes when they are not in use.  2 decks worth of passengers and there you have it.   

So now that you know what our ship is like, it's time to take off for our first day of riding.  Even though I went to see the cathedral yesterday, we went again this morning.  I wanted to see the ammonites. They did not disappoint. 

The cathedral itself was pretty enough. I enjoyed the square outside the church as well, but what really struck me was a monument in an out of the way corner carved of wood.  It was simply stunning.

A few other things in the area caught my eye as well.  

We left town and headed out across the bridge.  

Our trip today wasn't that long only 29 km, but it was enough to exhaust us.  We stopped at a biergarten so George could have a beer.  We much prefer to have a lunch and a beer around 12:30, but because of this packed lunch thing, that did not happen.  An earlier lunch suits us because we use it to break our fast.  We ended up having our lunch back on the ship when we returned.  But boy that ice coffee we had was delicious!  And George enjoyed his beer so all is good.

We took a ferry across the river and of course George fell down.  His wrist was swollen and his knee hurt but he's fine now.  José gave him some advil and he now swears by the stuff.  

Along the way, we spent a lot of time reflecting on the recent flooding. We were fortunate in that the water receded far enough so we could continue with the cruise as planned.  Just 2 days before Oskar would have been covered in water.

The storks are smart: 

When we finished our trip, we retired to the front deck of the ship, had our sandwiches and watched the river go by.  Of course, I look like a lobster from the sun I got there but all in all, it was a great day!

We docked in Worms for the evening, and after dinner George took to the bed to recover from his fall while the rest of us took a walk around the town a bit.  We saw a beautiful rose garden and a few intersting buildings. 

Tomorrow is another ride...

Rhine River cruise Day Leadup: Day 's Minus 4 to 1

Say what?  Days Minus 4 to 1? Has the girl lost her mind?  

Well duh!  But just follow along anyway please.  😉

We started out leaving home on the 3rd (day minus  4) to head to Milan to meet my friend Stephen from Hong Kong.  You see, he was there for a Springsteen concert (that sadly got cancelled, but he did go to a concert in England before the tour was cancelled).  We took a hotel south of Milan as it had parking and the first night, all we did was go get some dinner, and study for that damned driving test.  I managed to finish 2 more chapters worth of videos and it is all coming along.  I'm ever hopeful I'll pass when I finally take the test in August.

On the 4th (day minus 3) we took a walk around Milan, looked at the duomo, saw the shopping center we both remember from our younger (not together) days, had a light lunch, and of course stopped at the Lego store for a custom Lego figure.

A young girl got up for George

That night we met Stephen at a very nice Tuscan trattoria for dinner and a long overdue catch-up.  sadly, 3 hours isn't enough time but we were exhausted and stuffed so off to bed we went.  

The next morning (day minus 2) George and I arose early and headed to our favorite hotel in Baden Baden.  Here we took the baths again and had a nice dinner at the Löwenbräu Biergarten just around the corner before passing out.  

After having a 12 hour sleep!!! I awoke the next morning well rested. I did another video lesson for the driving test and took a few more of the quizzes before heading out to Strasbourg where we would leave our car for the week. 

First stop though was to a Ravensburger outlet where I purchased a few games for the Casa dei Giochi (More on this at some point in the future).  I also got some more ideas for the "public puzzles" in the castle.

Along the way, George and I decided to have a picnic in a park somewhere in France between Baden Baden and Strasbourg.  It was a very underused park that had probably once been a beauty.  Sadly, the grass was overgrown and the picnic tables rotting, but the trees were majestic and simply being with my lover is wonderful.  

We arrived at our hotel (day minus 1) where I dropped George for his midday rest and I went out in search of the main train station, a lego shop and a cathedral.  The ordeal of getting a train ticket was simply too long so I didn't make the cathedral.  Note to self: Buy train tickets online and don't bother with the French system.  As in the past, the people were unhelpful and I could have saved a great deal of time by using the DB app.  

From the main train station, I walked a few blocks to the Lego store to get my passport stamped, then wandered back to the train station to return to George.  Along the way I found an asian grocery and bought a few bottles of Pai Pa Koa for the next time I get a terrible cough. 

The next morning (day 0) we took off for Mainz where we would meet up with OJ (Oskar and José) for our trip down the Rhine.  It all started off well, but typical of the trains lately, there was a delay, then a change of platform, then another delay, then we finally got on the WRONG train.  No matter, we got off in Mannheim and boarded the next train which took us to Mainz (It was the one we were supposed to be on).  On the train we met a nice young pilot who works for Fedex and struck up a conversation.  At the end of the hour, we finally arrived at our destination and took off for the hotel.  

We checked in, had a shower, then headed down to meet Goetz for a chat and dinner.  

My king

On the morning of the 7th (day 1) we met up with Goetz again for a visit at his home and a nice lunch in the park.  Wow!  His collection is lovely and his display is incredible.  Like us, he has the display and play philosophy and everything (well, almost) is within reach.

I liked his collection so much that I used it as a shopping list.  I spent a bit of time ordering puzzles while everyone else puzzled away.  George and I attempted a coordinated motion assembly puzzle, but I got too frustrated and gave up.  I saw some of Tracy's early works and Oskar played with a few puzzles as well (I forget the designers name). 

Around 3 we took our leave and headed back to the Hilton to pick up Oskar's mother Heidi and then we headed over to our home for the week.  

While waiting to check in to our rooms, George and Oskar had a game of chess.  

When finished, George went for a nap, and I had a quick run to the cathedral to look around.

When I returned to the ship there was a captains reception before heading up to dinner.  I think this will be a nice change of pace. 

Can you tell what country the ship is from?

Tomorrow the trip really begins!