Gaddy Adventures: Germany: Bike Tour to the Rhine, August 1-3

After Thomas went to camp, we (Cliff and Kerstin) rented bicycles and set out on a three-day trip from Simmern to Boppard, which is an idyllic little town on the Rhine. On the first day, we biked 38 km (25 miles) from Simmern to Emmelshausen. The trail we went used to be an old railroad track that has now been converted into a great hiker-biker trail which goes through small villages, fields, and forests. And... this being Germany, there is a Biergarten about every 10 km or so. We stopped off at this one every chance we got - they've converted some old train cars into hostel-like accomodations for the bikers. We just took the beer.

Once we arrived in Emmelshausen, we took the real train straight down the mountain to Boppard. Here we are waiting for the train at the Emmelshausen station. The first and last cars on the train were reserved for bicycles.

Before we left Simmern, Kerstin had reserved a room for us at a hotel in Boppard. It was called "Shinderhannes and Julchen." Schinderhannes is a character from early in the 1800s, apparently a dashing brigand a la Billy the Kid or Jesse James, who went around robbing people (and apparently killing a few). Julchen was his wife. Don't know exactly why he's supposed to be a romantic figure - maybe because this part of the country was under French occupation at the time and his bad deeds were their worry - but he's good for the tourist industry. In fact, the rail-to-trail route we took from Simmern to Emmelshausen is named for this guy, too. But it was a very nice hotel. Our room even had a view of the Rhine.

Here are some views of the city (town) of Boppard from the city museum's tower.

Nice just to sit at one of the riverside cafes and have a glass of beer or wine.

In a more energetic mood, we went on an afternoon bike ride on the wine slopes. It was really great biking there with beautiful views of the river and the valley.