Riding the Rhine

When I left off last time I was just outside Bonn, popping in and out of the city to try and sort a couple of bits out - no real problems, and it was lovely to have a couple of days rest on a lovely part of the river, and lovely it is. As I've said before, the Rhine is a beautiful part of Germany. It's very green, and often very tranquil. There are very good cycle paths going the whole way down, both next to the river and more inland if you want to cut a bit off the distance between A and B. Needless to say, having no real time constraints, I've been mainly following the meandering path of the river down-country (or up-hill as I near the Alps). Thus far I have been mainly lucky with the weather - the latter parts of Holland ushered in some beautiful sunshine, which has followed me most of the way down the river, however the last couple of days have been slightly less kind. I have a new addition to the bike - I stopped off at a bike shop to replace a coupe of broke spokes and decided to invest in a mirror. It's not particularly elegant or stylish, but it's a real help when riding on roads, something I am once again doing more of. As I've mentioned to a few people, I had the misfortune to see the after-effects of rather a nasty accident - if you don't want the particulars, skip over the next paragraph, but at least take this message with you - when cycling, ALWAYS wear a helmet. I was just past Remagen in the early afternoon right on the river - there is a high wall on the land-side of the path due to the changing levels of the Rhine over the seasons and on the other a couple of feet of brush before the river itself. As I was passing the scene, I noticed a bit of commotion and a couple of old chaps looking down the side of the path. I stopped to see if I could help, I carry a basic first-aid kit at the top of my pannier in case of minor emergencies, but I quickly realised that this wouldn't be much good. In the bushes were two men giving CPR to a third, one working on his chest and the other providing artificial respiration. I offered my services, but there was clearly little I could do - both of these men knew what they were doing vis-a-vis CPR, so I ran up the road to direct the Ambulance which had been summoned some minutes earlier. Once it arrived the Paramedics were extraordinarily efficient, taking control of the situation immediately, taking over the CPR and starting defibrillation. Unfortunately there was nothing that could be done. I spoke briefly with the paramedic who reckoned that the man had suffered a heart attack or similar whilst riding. The quick CPR provided by the two members of public and the quick response of the Ambulance would likely have saved his life, but the fact that he had crashed without a helmet, resulting in severe head trauma had wiped out any chance of survival. At the time it was a pretty horrific event as you can probably imagine, but if I can take any positives at all from it it is to encourage everyone that I know to take serious care when cycling and to ALWAYS wear a helmet, without exception (when cycling that is). YOU CAN START READING AGAIN. After the accident I spent the night in a lovely campsite, right on the Rhine near a place called Boppard. My pitch was almost on the river, beautifully sheltered but unfortunately shared with a couple of thousand mosquitoes. I am still sporting multiple wounds from them. I haven't tended to eat out too much on this trip, surprising maybe to those of you that know me well, but it's not all that easy. First is the price, which when you compare it to another night on a campsite seems a high price to pay, then there's the timing. A large meal at lunch-time is a no-go, as cycling on a full stomach is a recipe for disaster. In the evening, more often than not I am simply too tired to want to go through the rigmarole of sitting down and being fussed over. That evening however, my hunger overtook me, especially when I noticed the local speciality - a kilo and a half of ribs, served with bread and a pretence of a salad (sweetcorn, beans, sauerkraut and a chilli - mmmm). It went down exceptionally well, and a large part served as the next day's lunch as well - happy days! After Boppard I headed towards Mainz and spent a night surrounded by English voices! Besides me there was a Geordie (Alex - GeordieOnABike.com) the writer of a blog I have read a few times previously, an English couple on a motorbike on their way home and at least two other English (speaking at least) couples in the campsite overnight! The following days ride was a killer - headwinds all day and a long chunk of riding. I was heading towards Mannheim and the ride took me up and down hills, through winding roads (when all you want to do is go straight on), through a few very large industrial sites (including one owned by BASF that seemed about the same size as Jersey) and then through Mannheim itself. I don't know if I just saw a bad side of the city, but it was easily the least pleasant I've been to yet - impersonal, complicated traffic systems, dirty and noisy. Not what you want in a holiday destination. The campsite however, extremely close to the city as it happens, was charming. There is a large headland separated from the city, and composed entirely of woodland, with the campsite making up the very tip. I spent a very enjoyable evening in the company of a German lady who was into the last couple of days of a three-week tour, and then a couple of lovely lazy days sitting by the river (or in my tent thanks to the sodding rain) relaxing and waiting for a delivery from Jersey. The package arrived yesterday evening, so this morning I set off towards Karlsruhe. The ride today was fabulous - the scenery was great, changing from farms to small towns to river-side paths frequently and, although the wind was in my face most of the day, it wasn't too strong and my legs felt great for their rest. I had my first taste of the Black Forest - ignoring my GPS which wanted me to take a main road was an easy call on this occasion, and I spent a fantastic hour and a half cycling through the cool shade, watching streams and joggers flow past with an equal rapidity. As for now I'm sitting in a campsite just outside the city. I've just arrived, my tent is up and I'm looking judiciously at the restaurant, though it's more likely that my stove will be called into action again tonight. The next main target is Switzerland, but I'm told there might be some little hills in the way. I'm trying to work out a reasonable path at the moment, and will be off first thing tomorrow. Speak soon.