The weatherman was right again – it was like summer; warm, sunny and dry with cool winds, perfect conditions for cycling.
It was still beginning of the trip and I was not very efficient at packing up yet. Although Bonn was 70kms away and I started late at noon, I estimated I should be there way before dark at 7.30pm.
The road out of the campsite led straight out to cycle path next to the Rhine and very soon, I got into the rhythm. It was an uneventful but absorbing ride. There’s always something to see, and the Rhine, including the riverbank was quite busy … probably more so because of the fine weather.
Once out of Bonn, the cycle path took on a very pleasant outlook
In many places along the cycle path, benches are provided for the public. I stopped here for a quick bite and just to enjoy a quiet moment.
2This was a disused crane of some sort that seemed to date back at least a hundred years ago.
Immediately after the crane, the cycle path took a sharp turn inwards, through this tunnel under railway tracks and, above that, an elevated highway.
The cycle path was now higher than the railway tracks. Trains would zoom by every 15 minutes or so.
while cars zoomed by overhead
More twists and turns followed ...
until I came to this an antiquated wooden bridge across an estuary.
Except for racers in training, no one else rides fast along this cycle route, least of all me. There's just so much to be enthralled with...
including scenes of colourful denizens of the Rhine banks -- like this mom and baby out for an evening ride.
When I reached Bonn, I realized there were no nearby campgrounds marked on my GPS, so I did a quick search on Googlemap, and with its GPS directions, I ended up at Max Hostel, a super-clean hostel manned by an almost bald friendly guy with a small pigtail. Everything was quite efficient in typical German manner – from the electronic front door to the electronically locked door of the 8-bed dorm I was assigned to.
It was a real bother hauling up so much baggage up to the dorm. Camping was certainly much easier — I simply threw everything into the tent. Privacy is assured and one is always close to nature.
One of the first buildings one sees upon entering Bonn -- DHL, the German giant of couriers
In the centre of Bonn
Here in the city, some cycle paths are sandwiched between car and bus lanes. Can be quite intimidating at first but with the Germans, you never have to worry ... they always give way to cyclists.
Tomorrow, I’m off to Cologne, or Koln, as the Germans call it, and a visit to the most famous of Germany’s cathedrals — Cathedral Dom.
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Distance today:: 77km
Distance to date:: 259km
Playback today’s ride on Garmin Connect
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