Koln to Koblenz - Day 66

Date: October 23rd, 2009
Distance: 113
Country: Germany
Song of the Day: Congratulations - Traveling Wilburys

I can't believe how quickly the morning went by. Just woosh. I didn't even get started on the bike until about noon. The path I was on was pretty easy though. It pretty much just followed the river. Plus because it is along the river, there aren't really any hills. So I had no real complaints.

I kept having to cycle around the plants on the water's edge, though. This area truly is Germany's industrial heartland. It is pretty wild to see just all the stuff going on. Factories and refineries working away. The cycle path leads through some of the access roads to the plants, which seems a bit weird. It is just you and a bunch of trucks. South of Bonn though, the heavy industry fades. Big hills start appearing and you get mostly these wonderful little towns crowded along the banks of the Rhine.

In the afternoon I went through the town of Remagen. Again, one of those places you hear about, but don't think much of. I thought it was a lot farther north, actually. It is just a small town along the banks of the Rhine. There isn't even a bridge there anymore. (It collapsed only 10 days after being captured.) The bridge towers are still up, though. On the Remagen side, the East tower is now a freedom museum.

It did start raining on me in the afternoon. The scenery was still great, so I didn't mind too much. I was just wet while looking an rolling hills and cute little German towns. Really, it is pretty amazing. If you really want to impress a girl who fancies herself a bit athletic, take a cycle tour of the Rhine. If your pocket book allows, you don't even need to camp. There are tons of little hotels along the river. I bet you could get away with a bike and a small backpacks if you packed Rick Steves style. For those a bit more sedentary in nature, they also have river cruises. You might book ahead though. Things looked pretty empty now, but I bet everything is just crowded during the summer. (I know, I probably shouldn't start selling tours to everyone. But it really has been a pretty cool day.)

When I finally rolled into Koblenz, it was after dark. This always seems to happen. I think that is why people cycle tour in the summer... The first capingplatz I went to was closed. The second one I looked up was about 6 k down the Mosel river. I did find it though, eventually. It was open and there were a ton of people there. They even had a cafe, where I got two bratwurst. Finally some good German sausages.

-Dravis