FRIDAY, 18th AUGUST : ASCHAFFENBURG to MILTENBERG

After an excellent meal last night at Oma's Kitchen, a couple of hundred metres up the street from our hotel, we had planned to walk down to the river for a stroll before retiring for the night but both felt worn out so left the stroll until this morning.  The river is about as far from the hotel as is Oma's though in the opposite direction, and we ambled along in the cool of the morning, enjoying the serenity, for about half an hour or so before returning to the hotel for a very satisfying breakfast.

Not long after leaving Aschaffenburg we were riding through farmland

and stopping opposite a cafe in Niedernberg, which we believe we recognised from a previous trip, we met and chatted to a bike riding couple from Frankfurt who were heading in the same direction and were out on a three day trip.

We're on the right road to Miltenberg!

An arch in Worth am Main where were called in hoping to find an ice cream shop, which we did but it was closed, so we stopped at the cafe where we'd dined once before but there was a communication problem with the owner.  However, a very friendly customer overheard the conversation, spoke rather good English and gave us directions to an ice cream parlour a couple of kms down the road.

It was a struggle but we managed!!  The ice cream parlour is quite modern, quite large and quite popular.  

Crossing the river via the Klingenberg Bridge

we watched a barge go through a lock

always a source of entertainment and on reaching Miltenbeg we were greeted by this very popular and much photographed 'fountain'.  

Once we'd found our hotel, stored the bikes, showered and changed, we went for a stroll around this lovely town, had a snack and beer before calling it a day....it has been quite warm and our rear ends are suffering.  

 THURSDAY, 17th AUGUST : FRANKFURT to ASCHAFFENBURG

There was a storm last night, thunder, lightning, heavy rain, the works and we were a bit concerned that we might be getting a bit wet today but fortunately, when we left the hotel at 8.30am after an excellent breakfast, what little rain there was, was so fine it was barely visible, but we donned the rain coats just in case and set off for the ride to Aschaffenburg.  First, we had to ride through the morning traffic which is not as difficult as it sounds as there is a very good bike path system in Frankfurt and motorists are courteous to cyclists.  It was an 8.5km ride through suburbs, parklands and industrial areas 

before reaching the car ferry crossing at Rumpenheimer, where for 1.40 euros, the two of us and the two bikes were taken across the Main River to begin the ride along the river path.  Unfortunately, the path was closed for repair work so we had to detour through the town until we'd gone past the closed section.  Back to the river, we enjoyed the ride, stopping every now and then for the obligatory photos,

and ducking into a couple of villages in search of an open cafe but had no luck so resigned ourselves to going coffee free until reaching the town of Steinheim, where a couple of hundred metres off the cycle path was an open Ferdinand's Bakery Cafe!  

We swooped in, ordered coffee and because today was our gorgeous granddaughter's 18th birthday, forced ourselves to have a slice of cake each in her honour!  

Happily, we were able to ring her while at the cafe and after a chat and a good rest, we continued on, stopping for more photos along the way,

                                                                          a church,

another church

a lock

a memorial but no plaque  

 

                                                              a gaggle of geese

On reaching pretty, historic Seligenstadt, we parked the bikes and went for a wander through the town, along with many others, it was a popular place with plenty of eating and drinking places from which to choose.  

As we had coffee and cake not long beforehand, we weren't ready to choose any of them and even declined an ice cream!  

Further along we crossed over the river via St Killian's Bridge 

St Killian's Church

and for a while our river view was obscured by corn fields.  About 7kms before reaching Aschaffenburg, we stopped at Biergarten Marienhof 

f0r a rest and refreshing cold drinks 

Schloss Johannisburg, a grand 17th century Renaissance palace which houses a large and impressive painting collection, which we visited on a previous trip.

There were many people riding along the river path today, all of them passed us at great speeds and quickly disappeared into the distance but did we care?  Not a jot!  We're in no hurry and are happy plodding along at our own pace which enables us to admire the surrounding scenery and stop often, which is why we came.  We left Frankfurt at 8.30am and arrived in Aschaffenburg at 4.00pm having ridden 52.87kms in a total time of 4.03 hours, averaging a leisurely 13kms an hour.  The only downside is the sore backsides, which need resting regularly but we shall overcome that problem somehow!

 WEDNESDAY, 16th AUGUST : In FRANKFURT

After breakfast this morning, we sorted out our belongings, transferring those we need for the next couple of weeks into the panniers and those that aren't necessary back into the suitcase, which will stay at the bike hire shop until our return to Frankfurt.  Having done that, we then walked the 2kms to the bike shop to collect our bikes for the ride along the Main River to Bamberg.  Along the way,  we passed a 'mobile school' 

which we found interesting, and the American Consulate where Mike had taken refuge from the rain yesterday when he walked to the bike shop to check that all was okay with our booking....the manager had not answered his recent email and when our receptionist rang the shop for us, there was no answer which concerned us, but not to worry, all was ready for us when we arrived and we are now in possession of  two bikes.  Before returning to the hotel we went for a trial ride on the bikes, they are slightly different from our own bikes which presents no problems,  stopped at a cafe for coffee  and on our way back to the hotel saw a building with interesting murals on its walls

 unfortunately, there was a skip bin and a large tree obstructing the canera view of the murals which were wonderful....the painter/s are very talented!

Back at the hotel, Mike got the tools out and fixed the mirrors to the handle bars and adjusted the panniers to fit the bikes

which are now ready for the off in the morning and are stored for tonight in a little space under the hotel entrance stairway.  

EUROPE 2023

 MONDAY, 14th August : PERTH to FRANKFURT

Here we are again in Germany, or more specifically, in Frankfurt.  Although we've been through the airport here three or four times on previous visits, we 've never actually been into Frankfurt itself.

The flight over was long, as always (it doesn't get any shorter) but we survived and are very glad to be here.  Our flights all left on time and arrived at their respective destinations a little early.  On arrival in Frankfurt we had a long wait in the queue to go through immigration but they eventually allowed us in and we taxied to our hotel rather than catch public transport, which would have entailed a couple of transfers, something neither of us was keen on handling, being extremely tired and just a little bit grumpy.  Our hotel room is small but with very comfortable beds and a respectably sized shower with plenty of hot water to wash away the travel grime.  

TUESDAY, 15th August : In FRANKFURT

We're having an easy day today.  The tram stop is across the road from the hotel and to purchase tickets, we enlisted the aid of a very pleasant young man from Iran (who spoke English with a North American accent which he'd acquired while living in Canada for a couple of years) as we were unable to read the instructions, the sun shining on them made it impossible to decipher.  After a minor hiccup, we made our way to the Main River, found Die Frankfurter Altstadt (Frankfurt Old Town), bought tickets for the noon boat cruise upstream & downstream, then had a satisfying brunch in La Perla Cafe.  The boat cruise was enjoyable and relaxing but after the almost 2 hour trip, we began to realise that we're not totalling de-jetlagged as yet, so made our way back to the hotel for a rest.  The day began in bright sunshine but it has been raining on and off for the last couple of hours, it's currently 23 degrees and we're in shorts for the first time in a few months, a happy situation.