Had a good day in Saltsbourg and Gilly and Di sussed out a laundrette. Great to put on machine washed cycling undershorts, not the hand washed still with a bit of yesterdays sudocreme shorts I have been wearing for the previous 10 days. Refreshed from walking and not bouncing along gravel paths, my BTM feels good.
We had a good day today, belting along with the wind behind, strengthening as the day went on. Tarmac all the way, through small towns and then on the polder of the Rhine for the final kms. It is a big river now with barges ploughing their trade, i wondered if it was cost effective pushing into the fast flowing river and they seemed to be only making a couple of knots.
Pat had our first puncture today, just as the rain came - not straight forward as he messed up his back brake pads refitting his back wheel. There was a bike shop 200m down the road who sorted out the problem and after a cuppa we were on our way.
We are in Lauterbourg - seems a pleasant little town. Dist 74.66km Odo 668.2km.
Thursday 7th
Speyer was our objective for today. 66 kms mainly along tarmaced cycle paths. There have been some flood defence work going on along the west bank which has effected the route. Our guide suggests using the east bank through Karlsruhe - a modern city. This did not appeal so we set out along the west bank. About 10 to 15kms along an old German guy chatted to us and thought that the 'official'route was rubish and invited us to follow him as he knew a better route. Off he set on his electric bike and we followed - the Pied Piper of Hamlin came to mind as we duely followed in single file - it was a good route. He was unusual for a German as he had a sence of humour and smiled a lot - thanks old boy, it was a pleasure to meet you.
The Rhine is a fast flowing (maybe 8 knots) with a growing comercial use. We passed a container port - this is about 500 miles from the sea. The vessels going up river seem to crawl up whereas those going with the flow overtake us and we cycke atv20kph.
As we entered Speyer there is a 747 parked on top of the techno musem - we are ensconced in the Techno Hotel just by.
Friday 8th
What a change - 3 power stations, 10sq kms of BASF producing chemicals and plastics and city after city on the banks. The BASF place employes 32,000 people, has it's own transport system of busses, trams and loads of bicycles. There is some agriculture in between but not a picturesque day. There was a group of German folk - maybe 12 or more, all elderly couples who were on our trail. They had tags on their bikes, we think they were having their baggage transported from stop to stop. They were belting along and kept getting lost, we would meet again and go our separate ways just to see them again. They stopped in Mannheim - the home of the motor car, Karl Benz produced his first petrol powered car here.
Wind behind again but much cooler today - jacket weather - some rain expected tomorrow.
Di is still a camp follower, she arrives by train, goes to the Tourist Office and sorts out our accommodation. Tonight we are in an appartment right by the Rhein - very good and well priced.
Worms Distance 55.52km Odo 792.02km.
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