Oppenheim

Oppenheim : Thurs.8^th August

After sleeping in till nearly 8a.m., we did all the usual morning stuff and then went into Oberwesel.  Mike had seen a shop there yesterday which sold bikes and thought we might be able to find one to replace mine which was stolen while we were in Paris.  I had ridden his bike in Cologne, the one that caused Kym some problems and I could understand why he was so reluctant to ride it.  I found it difficult and most uncomfortable to ride and can’t ride the Cash Converters one, so a ‘new’ bike was the only solution.  So…although the shop actually only hired bikes out, the very kind gentleman, an 80 year old Mr Fix It who only opens his shop in the mornings, showed us 4 or 5 secondhand bikes that he was willing to sell, I chose one, he accepted Mike’s bike as a trade in and even threw in a brand new basket!  I am soooo happy! 

We rode back to camp, strapped the bikes on the rack and drove just a few kms down the road, stopping at the lovely little old town of Bacharach where we spent a couple of hours strolling around.  About ¾ of the shops were closed…it must have been their ‘Ruhetag’ (closing day)…and although a few people were about, it wasn’t terribly busy…not really a ‘touristy’ town.  We enjoyed being able to wander around in the cooler weather without being jostled by crowds.  I may have mentioned once or twice that we don’t like crowds!

Now we are in Oppenheim in a quiet part of town and not far from the Rhine.  We went exploring by bike shortly after arriving here, had drinks and a light meal at a restaurant overlooking the river and then rode into town to see what we could see.  In the morning we will investigate a couple of sights that were recommended to us by a motorcycle instructor who was putting a student threw his paces in the park when we arrived…stay tuned!

Fri.9^th August : Another lateish morning…we must finally be getting used to the European hours!  After breakfast etc., we cycled into the main square of Oppenheim where dozens of workers were preparing for the wine festival weekend which starts tonight at 6p.m.  It seemed that a large crowd was expected and I imagine there’ll be some sore heads by the end of the weekend!  This lovely old, hilly town boasts an ancient Cellar Labyrinth and found by accident in the last century when a car ‘fell’ into it.  The tour we joined was a German language tour, which made it a little difficult for us but the lovely lady guide made it interesting anyway, she was so enthusiastic and obviously enjoyed imparting her knowledge to those who could understand.  After the tour we inspected the huge Katharine Church before returning to Boris to pack up and leave.  Just a few kms back up the road, we caught another car ferry back to the eastern side of the Rhine

 and headed for Aschaffenburg where we are parked by the Main River for the night.  A short bike ride across the bridge took us into the old town and the Museum of Aschaffenburg, which is situated in the Schloss Johannisburg.  

We had an hour before closing to wander through the museum which houses spectacular paintings, furnishings, porcelain, pottery, china figurines…a veritable treasure trove and it was awesome.  A wander through the town brought us to a dinky little pub which invited us to sit outside and enjoy a beer…which we did!  It was back to camp then for a quiet night, sitting by the river eating home-made hamburgers while watching the barges and other water traffic go by.

Sat.10^th August :  We didn’t leave Aschaffenburg till 11.30a.m. after yet another late  morning…one would think we’re on holidays!  Travelling less than 50kms, we reached Miltenberg, our intended overnight stop only to discover that the parking places for motor homes were closed…don’t know why…so we drove on another 8.5kms to Freudenberg, where we are once again camped by the river Main.  We’ve done little since arriving, a ride along the river and to the supermarket to buy some rolls for lunch, washing, snoozing, reading, watching the boats and cyclists go by, and relaxing.  There is a ruined castle up the hill behind us but as it’s a very steep climb, we’re content to look at it from ground level, and take a photo of course.

Tomorrow, we’re going to Wurzburg to visit Jochen and Evi who we met in Italy about 6 weeks ago, so no sleeping in!

Sun.11^th August :  We reached Jochen and Evi’s home at 10a.m. and were treated to a warm welcome and breakfast!  After chatting for an hour or so, Jochen drove us into Wurzburg to see the sights, starting with the church where he and Evi were married and which is situated on the hill overlooking the town and Main River, so…wonderful views from a magnificent church. 

Then down into town, a walk across the “old” bridge with a stop in a café for imbiss, then on to the Dom, the Residenz with gorgeous gardens and spectacular chapel, followed by a walk around town, visiting a couple more churches…just a few of the 52 churches in Wurzburg.  

Needing a thirst quencher, we headed for a café/beergarden overlooking the Main where we sat for a while enjoying the view

before heading off into wine growing country for a tour, passing through several lovely villages and acres and acres of vineyards.  “Schon”.

Unfortunately, Evi had to work on Sunday afternoon and evening so she was unable to come with us and so it was dinner for three at a local restaurant, returning to the house for coffee at 9p.m., by which time she was home and we were able to spend some time chatting before retiring for the night.

Mon.12^th August :  Jochen and Evi both had appointments in the morning, so after another sumptuous breakfast, they left and we logged onto their internet to make a few bookings for our return to the U.K., which we will write about in detail at a later date.  When they returned home we chatted for a while before saying our goodbyes

and heading off to our next destination which was Lauda Konigshofen to visit Karl and Helga, friends of friends.  We had met Karl before in Australia and it was good to see him again and to meet Helga.  Once again we were made very welcome and what was intended to be a brief visit, ended up by being a 3 night stay.  Since Monday, we have been taken on a walking tour of their town, to the forest on the hill behind Konigshofen, 

 to Bad Mergentheim and to Weikersheim Castle where we strolled through the beautiful gardens

and to the town square for ice creams, directed to the Baroque church in nearby Gerlachsheim and to Wertheim, where the Main and Tauber Rivers meet and where we climbed to the castle ruins before exploring the town.

Pam and Manfred arrived from Cologne on Wednesday afternoon so we had a lovely evening catching up and hearing stories of the times they and Karl and Helga had when living and working in Dampier 40 years ago.

Thurs.15^th August :  It was time for us to go…we said our goodbyes to our old friends and our new ones and set off on the next leg of our journey, heading north,

driving through farming country with an occasional slow down through a village and arriving in Lohr/Main mid afternoon.  The camp was just across the road from the old town so we cycled in for a wander around and found yet another gorgeous town with many old buildings, flower boxes everywhere and narrow cobblestoned lanes…has Germany cornered the market??

Fri.16^th August :  The weather has changed, summer is over I think and the extremely hot days have gone, replaced by warm, sunny days with cool nights and mornings.  It’s much kinder weather for travellers and we don’t even mind the occasional rainfall.  We are now in Hunfeld, camped by a lake and it’s very peaceful.  We’ve had a lazy afternoon, after the last few hectic days we’re enjoying doing nothing for a while.  Tomorrow is another day!