We gathered outside the youth hostel in Heidelberg at 8:30 this morning all ready to go again. We gathered in a circle to give thanks for the day and to pray for safety on the roads. The route was through many small towns and mainly on the roads. The van was to stay close to the riders all day and we all travelled through lush farm land and vineyards. The roads were busy…..trucks were out on the roads again today.
Fascinating building for Youth Hostel - way up on top of the hill |
Happy Hour right in the hall way tonight! |
In Europe you have to get used to having stores/cafes closed on Monday afternoons – so different from what we are used to. At 2:00 we were in a town that was designated our stop for lunch and we found an outdoor café with enough seating for all 16 of us. We had hoped for a cup of coffee but coming to the door, we read the sign that they had closed at 12:30 already and all the cafes around it were closed as well. We did enjoy using the furniture and ate our “bag lunch”. Here the group decided to break into 2 groups – the faster ones and the slower ones. The van would stay with the slower ones and get them into the final destination. The faster ones could manage on their own….I do have to let you know that the slower ones beat the faster ones in tonight at the youth hostel. The van was first because the last part was on bike paths so we couldn’t follow them and lo and behold the slower group showed up 15 minutes after the van did. I should mention that the slower group was the 4 ladies and the 3 “Johns” – we do chuckle about the term “Johns” from time to time. Wow, they sure gloated when the faster ones arrived a half hour later….there’s always a reason why this happened of course. They got lost and being all men, don’t like to ask for directions…..We had thought they had gone for a beer first but that was not the case.
Tonight we are in youth hostel that is shaped like a castle – a fascinating place to say the least – winding staircases all the way up to the 6th floor. We are very impressed with the youth hostels we have been in so far. Tonight’s menu was authentic German fare – Maultaschen-Gemuse-Auflant mit tomatensosse – delicious, served with German potato salad and a cold red cabbage salad. Dessert was warm griess pudding topped with home made applesauce! The pudding brought back memories from our youth a.k.a. cream of wheat.
Distance cycled 115 km. Flat tires 1 Total Flats 12
Margaret/Joe/Uncle Adrian:
ReplyDeleteHope all is well.
Love reading the blogs.
Wish I was with you guys. (Remember even a bad day cycling in the rain is way better than sitting in my warm office working!)
Makes me want to plan a Eurpoean Tour one day!
Hope all is well!