Day 36, 2 7 2014, Gemunden to Miltenberg
Well, today was our last full day of riding. We have two more days to get to Frankfurt airport, which is just around 100Km away. Very easy to do in these conditions.
A fair bit of today looked like we were riding through a park, avenues of planted trees and mowed grass. The river winds its way through a series of narrow, low gorges, much of it so narrow that there is no farmland, just forested hills.
The number of cyclists on the paths increased, but not so much as to be an issue.
In all other respects, quality of the path, signage, town services, were the same very high standard we are getting used to.
Today was as much as anything about the towns. They continue to be beautiful in a typically German style, brightly painted half-timbered houses, extensive cobbled pedestrian streets, and lots of street life, markets and cafes. While I have no doubt that this town structure may be inconvenient, I also have no doubt that the locals will be forever thankful to those who insisted that the towns retain their old buildings and historic structure.
We had a change to tail winds this morning and it makes an astonishing difference. It almost feels like the bike has a motor. We rode along in considerable ease at around 28Km/hr for a good part of the morning, before the twists in the river cancelled the wind.
It is way to early to make any summative statement about this trip. We are both a bit travel weary and looking forward to getting home, but we have done things on this trip that we have never done before, and done them in new places. We have been excited and thrilled about some of the things we have seen and done, and we have worked for it.
This evening we were wandering around the town, when a stream of tourists came towards us. We guessed correctly that one of the tourist riverboats must have arrived, and were suddenly thankful that we are able to choose freedom over this sort of organised tourism.
96 easy Km today.
Roz says: Last nights hotel had a brochure advertising a ‘Tour of German industries from here to Frankfurt”!! OMG there are enough industrial areas on any bike path getting in and out of cities but all the way, oh no!! There were only the usual today and some very pretty towns, eye candy!!``x
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