Overview day 245 - 255
5 July - 15 July 2023
Rhineroute part 2 - Poly
Storm Poly is keeping people talking and is a source of constant concern in the Netherlands. Gusts of wind up to 150Km/h and heaps of rain are heading our way. We have not chosen the most ideal weather-conditions to leave. But as we say in the Netherlands “we are not made of sugar”. So we get on our bikes, It’s July 5, 2023 and we leave Schaijk for the second time. Poly causes problems especially in the north of the country, here in the south “only” code yellow is in force. We wait for the worst rainshower and at 10:00 am we get on our bikes. It is rainy but there is a strong westerly wind blowing us towards Germany.
Growing pains
Are we doing the right thing? leaving again. That thought resonates with both of us. It was good to see everyone again. Now we’re cycling through a storm towards Germany. Isabelle’s bike wobbles slightly, we still have to adjust the saddles properly, the Garmin won’t start, it’s raining – maybe the universe wants to tell us something?
We paddle on. We will solve those growing pains along the way.
The further we get from home, the calmer we become. Slowly that carefree feeling comes up again. The weather clears and, under a lovely summer sun, we pitch our tent. The next day, the first stop is the bicycle repair shop. That wobble in Isabelle’s bike needs to be fixed. We also buy new pedals, and a few days later also a new saddle. We have to find our rhythm again, step-by-step.
Rhineroute
We like the choice for the Rhine route. We have to get used to our new set-up and that is now possible, without further worries about a place to sleep or a supermarket on the way, because there are plenty of them. We cycle along and through the vineyards, Riesling grapes of course. The grape vines are on the hills, sometimes quite steep. We’re glad we are not the ones harvesting them…. Meanwhile, we overtake cargo ships that work their way upstream against the strong current of the Rhine. During our breaks we see them pass by again.
Via Düsseldorf we cycle to Cologne and the rain of the first day gives way to scorching heat. The Rhine always by our side. Daytime temperatures rise to 38 degrees. Unfortunately we cycle through the grain fields with a weak headwind and little to no shade. The driving wind that we generate ourselves cools us down somewhat. Sunscreen, a lot of water and taking breaks under the trees, make sure we find it doable. A campsite with a swimming pool or swimming lake also helps enormously. We also get into the Rhine when we are far away from industrial- and port areas. But swimming in the Rhine is too dangerous because of the strong current.
It's warm
The heat ends with a great storm. Luckily we are spared the worst of it. The storm not only provides cooling but also beautiful skies. At night, lightning illuminates our tent as if someone is walking by with construction lights and the thunder literally shakes the earth! It cools down to about 28 degrees the following days. Still hot.
There were so many campsites the first few days, at our halfway point it is difficult to find a campsite. The campsites are either very close to each other or very far apart. Fortunately, Rob takes care of the necessary preparation, so that we know every day in advance how far we can cycle until we come across a campsite.
German efficiency
The campsites themselves are very simple, little attention is paid to make it a bit cozy. German efficiency comes first. A lawn with the motto: “Put your tent where you want, as long as we can mow again later”. We meet more and more cyclists on the tent field. Mainly families on a cycling holiday or pensionados. Some cycle around with the smallest tent, a toothbrush and spare underpants. This type of cyclist is also called gram-hunter. They are capable to quarter their towel to leave every ounce of weight at home. Still others drag along a tent of 6 kilos, a table, chairs, an induction plate to cook on, a tarp, they only miss a refrigerator on the back of their bikes. We are somewhere in between. Everyone does it in their own way. There’s no right or wrong. That is also what makes cycling holidays so much fun.
Isabelle 28, hooray! –>
Finding our rhythm again
We cycle steadily on and take our first rest break in Kehl. It took a few days but we found our rhythm again. We are especially happy with the thicker tires, the Rohloff hub and our new tent. It was a big investment, but it pays off (at least so far).
During our rest day we visit Strasbourg. Time to switch to French again. For lunch we look for the local speciality: Flammkuchen, or in French: Tarte de Flambée. In German, Tarte means pie. In Dutch pie is ‘Taart’. Confusion all over.
The center of Strasbourg is very beautiful, everything around it is very impoverished.
Now that we have found our rhythm again, we are also working on future plans. We already have that feeling: “We want more adventure”. But first we cycle on to Bregenz for a birthday and then Italy is still on the schedule. Slowly we are already making plans for the winter, but it is still too early for that now. First let’s see if we can cross the Alps with the new bikes.
Welcome to Deutschland, & auf Wiedersehen! The Rhine atea is really nice, though as well with very busy traffic. We wish you less rain, less heat, more scenic skies and cozier campsites!