Neckar Barge/Cycle Tour

Saturday 8 June (cont'd)

So it is Saturday afternoon here - very hot! Can you believe it? I think it would probably be 30 deg C or so.

We have been wondering whether or not our barge would arrived due to the floods here in Europe but it has - just now. So we will put our stuff on board in about an hour or so and then not have to worry about luggage (hopefully) for a week.

Our plan B today was that if buses arrived to take us upstream, that we would put our stuff on board and ride - very pleased not to have to do that. The rumour was that it might be Heidelberg which would have been 80 kms.

Anyway, in the meantime, we relax. There is a Medieval festival here this weekend so there is plenty happening.

We had a walking tour with a guide this morning around the Old Town for about 1.5 hours. Some interesting history as well as opportunities to top up on photos!

Overlooking the River Neckar, the small fortified town of Bad Wimpfen was the imperial residence of the Staufians (a dynasty of Germanic Kings) in the 13th century. There have been settlements here since the Celts (at least 5th century BC) but it is during the Roman invasion that the area became a real city. During the second half of the 1st century AD, after defeating the Gauls, the Romans arrived and they created the German line (a frontier between them and the German tribes). After the destruction of the roman city, the Francs took over. Little is known of this period, only that they probably brought Christianity under the ruling of the Bishop of Worms.

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We boarded barge as scheduled about 4 p.m.; there was a welcome cake and coffee and sekt; then a briefing at 5 p.m. (exactly - German time!); followed by dinner at 6 p.m. which was surprisingly good along with decent wine.

It appears the captain has sailed from Mainz overnight to get here! They have been ‘holed up’ in Mainz for 5 days due to the floods - not allowed to sail and photos they showed of the huge pieces of debris explain why. Anyway, clearly the captain is a champion.

After dinner we wandered back into Bad Wimpfen to partake of the Medieval festivities and the streets were crowded with locals having fun in processions, street theatre, dancing, singing, eating (and despite having had dinner, some of us had MORE!) - and drinking. We particularly enjoyed the singing of a group of choirs. 

We returned to the barge for our first night on board.

Sunday 9 June

Slept in a bit today. But got to breakfast on time - pretty busy with 60 people descending at once! Hard to cope with ...

And guess what? It was raining! And got wetter right up until we left a bit before 10 a.m. (we delayed leaving hoping the rain would ease...); not a good start especially for those not used to riding and those just starting their holiday (us "old hands" are used to this weather by now).

We decided to go; and at 5 kms pulled up for a coffee; by the time we had finished, the rain had eased and before long it was clearing. By midday, the sun was coming out and this afternoon it is actually quite hot!

It was very pleasant riding; there were several castles up high that we bypassed; we crossed locks and bridges; stopped again for coffee and cake (which I MUST stop eating!); a few ups and downs.

We arrived in the very attractive town of Eberbach after about 35 kms of riding (and where the barge is moored for the night) and had a couple of drinks before arriving at the barge for coffee and (dare I say it?!) cake; hot shower; then a walk around town before dinner.

Monday 10 June

Rain again ...

Rode 40 kms today to Heidelberg. Slushed around in the wet and,  in places, the mud. First town along the way was Hirschorn which was very pretty. We had coffee (a nice one for a change!) and - despite my best intentions - cake: apfelstrudel (and icecream! but no cream ...) which I'm glad I did because I think it was the best applestrudel I've ever had!

The rain eased; and then it started again. It wasn't drenching - more a wetness which lasted on and off all day. Second town was Neckarsteinach with its 4 castles (I only remember seeing 3).

There was some nice riding until Neckargemund and then some tedious riding the remainder of the way close to a busy road to the city of Heidelberg with its big university student population.

After a cold (!) shower, we walked into the old town to the 2 main churches: the Church of the Holy Ghost and the so-called white church.

A 1.5 hour guided city walking tour followed and we got to see the Heidelberg Schloss and the Pharmacy Museum. Our guide was a retired attorney with a mind like a steel-trap. His English was excellent and he was very entertaining - quite a performer (in fact I would say he ‘had tickets on himself ‘ I rather thought).

Heidelberg escaped bombing by the US in WW2 primarily because it wasn't an industrial centre, unlike Mannheim further downstream (through which we ride tomorrow).

Dinner followed and then a walk through the Old Town along the 1.6 km pedestrian-only area, the longest in Europe. Have retired to bed with quite tired legs.

Apparently the plans for tomorrow require alteration due to significant flooding in the area.

Tuesday 11 June

Well, we awoke to rain. To be quite honest, I was secretly pleased and hoped it wouldn't stop; my knees are achey and I felt I could justify a day on-board - reading, blogging, chatting, cups of tea - and just generally ‘catching up’.

But guess what? The bloody rain stopped! Arrgh! So off we set: about 40 intrepid souls, following Gottfried the tour guide like a long multi-coloured snake meandering along the bike trail paralleling the Neckar River through the streets of Heidelberg, miraculously avoiding knocking over any other trail users and emerging out the other side of the city heading towards Worms (pronounced "Vurrrrms") - the oldest city in Germany.

On we meandered, chatting happily with regular interjections of "bike up", "jogger up", "walker up", "car right", and (less frequently thankfully) "truck back", etc.

We cycled into the village of Ladenburg along its cobble-stoned streets into the marktplatz where a :) :) market was in full swing - lovely produce: spargel (white asparagus which is in season now), strawberries (of which several punnets were purchased and shared around), beautiful fresh rhubarb, capsicums, etc. We grabbed a coffee & some very yummy pastries from a backerei.

Sun is out.

We took a ferry across the river from here and cycled on to Mannheim where there were many birds wading along the swollen river banks - storks, ibis, geese, ducks, etc. We navigated Mannheim very efficiently with the volunteers on "point duty" and the back "sweeper" making sure no-one got lost and Gottfried plugging along up front ensuring we were on the right track.

From here the Neckar becomes the Rhine which is indeed a mighty river. We twisted and turned through industrial areas, up over bridges, down spiral stairways, past railway tracks, along potholed bike tracks, splashed through water, rode along dykes & sprinted along concrete past spargel farms busy with workers picking.

Sun is well and truly out now - even hot!

A few "truck back" calls and around 2 p.m. we saw the Nibelungen Gate soaring ahead: the entry to the City of Worms on the other side of the bridge over the Rhine River. "Nibelungen" is the Germanic name for the royal family or lineage of the Burgundians who settled in the early 5th century at Worms.

A great day's riding.

Our barge M.S. Patria was moored just downstream of the bridge with the water racing by (200,000 cu m per second My Friend tells me).

Some of us pulled into the bar just before boarding to have a beer; for some of us girls: a delicious sekt.

Worms is famous for the Diet of Worms, to which Martin Luther was summoned in 1521 to Emperor Charles V. He refused to recant his beliefs, saying the famous words "Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen".

Everything in Worms revolves around the famous saga of dragon-slayer Siegfried. There are numerous colourfully-painted dragon sculptures throughout the city.

We had a nice hot shower, ate our lunch and then MF and I walked into town to the Worms Cathedral (interesting for its Catholic altar - very ornate and golden - at one end; and the much plainer Protestant altar at the other); also the interesting and tranquil Jewish Cemetery which is the oldest in Europe; and a longer walk along the Ringstrasse, passing the main shopping area and crossing the city to the very Gothic Liebfrauenkirche (a very important pilgrim church) set in a vineyard and, today, the afternoon sun drenching the side aisles through the stained-glass windows.

Tired feet took us back to the bar near the boat for another beer and sekt, shortly followed by dinner onboard: another good meal and lots of chat. We retrieved our washing which had been drying in the sun on the top deck, and were off to bed! Tired!

About 50 kms riding today.

Wednesday 12 June

Peeled the eyes open. Not raining yet ...

We cycle a detour again today due to the building of a dam - to Nierstein, about 37 kms.

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Didn't take very long - within half an hour the sun was out and we had some nice cycling with fields on either side: swathes of green interspersed with red poppies, some other purple flowers, spargel (asparagus), and the still-swollen Rhine with picnic seats almost completely covered by water.

Mishap with one of the riders at a bollard in the centre of the track. Andrew had to attend injured rider and a local woman out walking her dog (and as it turned out had studied Marine Biology in Brisbane for a year!) kindly drove Anne to a nearby hospital.

A further incident involving a mis-navigation which had a number of riders on a road with speeding vehicles did not make for a happy day overall. We stopped at Oppenheim and enjoyed a very nice glass of the local Riesling. Also wasted our money on a tour of the supposedly interesting "cellar labyrinth" under the old town.

Arrived into Nierstein about 3.30 p.m. For coffee and - yep! - cake. Raced to get ready for an outing to a local vineyard. "Dinner" was included - the tour was fun but the food was bloody awful. Views of Nierstein were great though.

We hadn't had lunch, so we needed a real meal. We set off to find somewhere else to eat.

We had a wonderful meal at a great restaurant opposite the boat - a lovely pasta and some lovely Rieslings. The wine list even had wines dating back to 1921! - for 7500 €!! (no, we did not have this one). The perfect antidote to a trying day.

Paul R. especially loved the Trockenbeerenauslese 1992. Back on board, after showing off the prized bottle (empty!), we watched in amazement when the captain chucked the empty bottle into the river!!!

Thursday 13 June

Sunny before breakfast - a first!

Only a short ride today into Mainz. I'm sure there are longer options but I will take the easiest option. Looks like a few are interested in going back to Oppenheim and also to have a bit more of a look around here in Nierstein too. So that looks like a plan.

Absolutely great day. We rode back to Oppenheim and the St Catherine's Church at the top of the hill in the old town really was amazing. I know we have seen lots of churches but the stained glass here really was special. Interestingly, Albert Schweitzer played the organ at this church a number of times in order to raise money for his hospital. Apparently he was an accomplished organist.

Had a coffee at the cafe where we had the lovely reisling yesterday (cafe run by Italians so actually got a good coffee).

Returned to Nierstein and had a nice run into Mainz via the vineyards and good bike paths (after working out a detour due to horst wasser - "high water"). Lovely day. Lots of sun and good fun.

After nice hot chips and bratwurst at the biergarten where we watched our barge moor, we had a cool shower and then walked into town to see the sights of Mainz.

A bit about Mainz: The Franks united the Celtic and Germanic tribes of Europe. The greatest Frank of all was Charlemagne (768–814), who built a new empire in Europe, the Holy Roman Empire. Mainz from its central location became important to the empire and to Christianity. The first books printed using movable type were manufactured in Mainz by Gutenberg in the early 1450s. During World War II, more than 30 air raids destroyed about 80 percent of the city's centre, including most of the historic buildings.

The highlight really was the Church of St Stephan with the Marc Chagall windows. Absolutely breath-taking. The Mainz Cathedral was immense but not a patch on the beauty of the windows in St Stephan's which were designed by the Russian Jewish artist to facilitate Jewish and Christian reconciliation.

We also visited the Gutenberg Museum which had an original Gutenberg Bible amongst many other printed books from the 15th century and later.

Overall, Mainz had a good vibe. A long cobble-stoned pedestrian mall with lots of nice shops and delightful fountains & sculptures and an immense Marktplatz. Lots going on.

No cake today.

Friday 14 June

The sun is out. Today is the last day of the Neckar Barge/Cycle Tour. We ride about 40 kms to Bingen and then the barge takes us to Koblenz where we spend our last night on board.

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The ride today had several detours required because of water over the trail. But there was some lovely scenery!

We had a very nice morning tea in an area renown for its champagne houses. There was some pretty riding although a fair bit of traffic and we were no longer on bike trails due to the high water.

One of the detours was through a small town to avoid the busy road (!) but the bike trail we picked up had a big orange truck parked midway around which we could not pass so we had to climb up into the vineyard adjacent to the track to avoid the truck (which was pumping water out of the yards of nearby homes).

We had a human chain of arms pushing bikes up the embankment, others pulling the bikes from the top of the embankment and others helping riders up - all to be repeated at the other end of the truck blockage, this time helping to lift bikes and riders back down onto the path.

At times, where the bike path was not under water, there was lots of debris: stones, weed, big logs.

Sometimes a large shipping vessel would sail past and the water would wash across the path.

At Rudesheim, we crossed the river on a large ferry with other vehicles including a huge tractor and made it to the boat with just 10 minutes to spare for the 1 p.m. departure to Koblenz.

We sailed along the Rhine marvelling at all the castles on the hills that stretch steeply up from the river and the pretty, coloured river-side towns.

At Koblenz, we appreciated the skills of the captain and crew as they carefully docked the barge in tricky conditions owing to the high water. We are now on the Moselle River. The Captain rounded the Deutsches Eck and so we have left the Rhine.

We wandered through town; visited the Liebfrauenkirche church; admired the St Kastor church which dates back to 1200 but was destroyed in World War II (and its pretty garden); and walked to the point where the Rhine & Moselle Rivers meet: this confluence is known as the Deutsches Eck and is marked by a park and a gigantic statue. There was a beer festival being held here for the weekend also.

It was the Captain's Dinner tonight and the cook continued his good reputation with a lovely dinner. Afterwards, one of our fellow travellers, Annie, entertained us with many songs and we had a great night singing, dancing and laughing. What a great voice!

She even managed to get the Captain (who has taken up the moniker 'The Grey Wolf') up for a dance or two! What a delightful fellow! And it was a beautiful sunset - a magnificent blue sky with pink clouds - at 10 p.m.!!

A few of us walked down (after all of this!) to the beer festival. I went back earlier. Am over it! Off to bed for me ...

In the morning we will set off once more - but back on our own - on our fully-laden bikes to cycle to Cochem upstream on the Moselle River; then to Bullay where we are sharing a house with others for a week.