Day 13: Bacharach to Koblenz
This is the second half of the "Romantic Rhine". An amazing day of biking right on the river. I'll be planning on doing several side trips up the side of the canyon throughout the day.
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Thursday, September 17, 2009
Plan for Day 12: Mainz to Bacharach: 30.7 miles
Day 12: Mainz to Bacharach
This is a short day, but the plan is to take a lot of side trips throughout the day. I'll be entering the "Romantic Rhine", the section where the Rhine valley narrows down to not much wider than the river, with steep terraced vineyards on both sides and castles all along the crest. Since any side trip will be *up*, I figured a short day would probably be a good idea.
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This is a short day, but the plan is to take a lot of side trips throughout the day. I'll be entering the "Romantic Rhine", the section where the Rhine valley narrows down to not much wider than the river, with steep terraced vineyards on both sides and castles all along the crest. Since any side trip will be *up*, I figured a short day would probably be a good idea.
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Plan for Day 11: Mannheim to Mainz: 47.9 miles
Day 11: Mannheim to Mainz
Finally, the Rhine returns to a single channel with no side lakes, meaning I can actually bike along the bank again. With the Rhine now a full size river with lots of barge and tourist traffic, this should be a very fun day of cycling.
The route takes me past the city of Worms where the famous Diet of Worms took place in 1521. This is where Martin Luther petitioned the Holy Roman Empire to allow him to continue preaching. The response, the Edict of Worms, outlawed Lutheranism in the Holy Roman Empire and forced Luther into hiding.
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Finally, the Rhine returns to a single channel with no side lakes, meaning I can actually bike along the bank again. With the Rhine now a full size river with lots of barge and tourist traffic, this should be a very fun day of cycling.
The route takes me past the city of Worms where the famous Diet of Worms took place in 1521. This is where Martin Luther petitioned the Holy Roman Empire to allow him to continue preaching. The response, the Edict of Worms, outlawed Lutheranism in the Holy Roman Empire and forced Luther into hiding.
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Plan for Day 10: Karlsruhe to Mannheim: 56.8 miles
Day 10: Karlsruhe to Mannheim
A day very similar to the previous one. The Rhine meanders a lot in this region, which will lead to some difficult route finding.
Starting from Karlsruhe, I'll cross over to the left bank and head up to Speyer. The Speyer Cathedral was famous in the middle ages and hosted one of the famous Diets of the Holy Roman Empire in the early days of Martin Luther. I'll continue on to the city of Mannheim, likely reaching it sometime in mid afternoon. That should give some time to explore the old city and the castle.
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A day very similar to the previous one. The Rhine meanders a lot in this region, which will lead to some difficult route finding.
Starting from Karlsruhe, I'll cross over to the left bank and head up to Speyer. The Speyer Cathedral was famous in the middle ages and hosted one of the famous Diets of the Holy Roman Empire in the early days of Martin Luther. I'll continue on to the city of Mannheim, likely reaching it sometime in mid afternoon. That should give some time to explore the old city and the castle.
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Plan for Day 9: Kehl to Karlsruhe: 56.3 miles
Day 9: Kehl to Karlsruhe
This day is quite a bit different than my original plan. There just aren't any towns right on the Rhine in this section. Originally that had pushed me towards going all the way to Speyer, about 80 miles. That now seems a bit long, so I've decided to stay away from the Rhine for one night and bike into downtown Karlsruhe.
The shorter distance will now give me time to check out the early modern castle in Rastatt for lunch and then explore the castle in Karlsruhe in the evening.
Even thought the routefinding for this section is actually quite difficult, I've dropped the detailed instructions. I have 2 or 3 books and maps for this section, so I don't really need the text backup.
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This day is quite a bit different than my original plan. There just aren't any towns right on the Rhine in this section. Originally that had pushed me towards going all the way to Speyer, about 80 miles. That now seems a bit long, so I've decided to stay away from the Rhine for one night and bike into downtown Karlsruhe.
The shorter distance will now give me time to check out the early modern castle in Rastatt for lunch and then explore the castle in Karlsruhe in the evening.
Even thought the routefinding for this section is actually quite difficult, I've dropped the detailed instructions. I have 2 or 3 books and maps for this section, so I don't really need the text backup.
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Plan for Day 8: Rest Day!
Day 8: Rest Day!
Today is a chance to get the clothes clean and to relax in a cafe in Strasbourg. The bike will be in storage at the hotel in Kehl. All transport around Strasbourg will be on foot and by public transportation.
Today is a chance to get the clothes clean and to relax in a cafe in Strasbourg. The bike will be in storage at the hotel in Kehl. All transport around Strasbourg will be on foot and by public transportation.
Plan for Day 7: Breisach to Kehl: 50.0 miles
Day 7: Breisach to Kehl (map included at the end)
Similar to Day 5, this is a fast day along the river. Unlike Day 5, though, this is a bit longer, so I'll probably need to pack a lunch from the hotel. Still, I'd hope to get into Kehl relatively early in the afternoon and start getting settled in for the rest day (laundry, etc).
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*) Stay on the right bank.
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Similar to Day 5, this is a fast day along the river. Unlike Day 5, though, this is a bit longer, so I'll probably need to pack a lunch from the hotel. Still, I'd hope to get into Kehl relatively early in the afternoon and start getting settled in for the rest day (laundry, etc).
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*) Stay on the right bank.
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