Day 3 Kobern-Gondorf to Bingen - 51 Miles




Leaving Kobern-Gondorf we had a short ride to an early brew stop in Koblenz, leaving the Mosel for the Rhine.

 Numerous picturesque villages, buildings of may types spanning the centuries, hostelries and wineries...

...with murals.
...and churches.
My fat-tyred stead. A bit of a tank but very easy to ride and great on gravel.
Our early morning brew stop at Koblenz and first view of the Rhine (see below - no below, below; not the rather impressive-looking but super sweet raspberry/blackberry sugar fix).
 Martin, sporting the more loose fitting, non-tightly-clad Lycra style.
Fenella (above) in dashing pink (also note mascot in handle bar bag).
Robert, co-ordinating red and black throughout (pedals also read - not show here).
 Mascot teddy treated to the Mosel and Rhine today.
We'd cycled along our final section of the Moselle to joint the larger Rhine at Deutsches Eck 
View above is a weird panorama with Mosel to left and Rhine to right.
The section of river between Koblenz and Bingen is known as the Romantic Rhine due to the hillside castles, idyllic villages, churches and steep vineyards. 


Traffic from all of Europe takes this water highway.

Deutsches Eck (German Corner)

 This statue of William 1st was erected in 1897 in appreciation of his role in uniting Germany. 
It was then destroyed in WW2 and a replica erected in 1993 following reunification of East and West Germany.


These are the cleats I should have bought Kathy, "Time", less popular but easier to click in and out; a valuable attribute for the wary cyclist, fearful of stoping suddenly but having both feet firmly rooted down on the pedals.

 Instead I bought some incompatible lookalikes! 
Following two days of visiting bike shops in the midday heat...
...German bike mechanics looked at the Time cleats, saying they'd never heard of them.



Instead, Kathy agreed to new Shimano pedals and the easier yellow cleats...
...only to feel super-glued to her new pedals. 
Along the route, there was an art installation, travellers being asked to contribute an offering.
 This couple have come down for a day at the allotment.


No prizes for guessing the nationality of this traveller.
 Images speak louder than words.
The Rhine included a much higher volume of ships and barges than the Mosel.
This snapshot captures most of temperature throughout the day, peaking at 35 a little later. It was still 32 on arrival at 5pm.

 Our hotel lady told us it's been their hotest summer yet.
The area was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 2002 and is the most dramatic section of the Rhine. 

We arrived in Bingen hot and ready for showers and feeling cooler. 

 This was the home of the 12th century mystic, writer of science and medicine, composer, visionary and advisor to kings and popes, Abbess Hildergard of Bingen. 
As a student I knew her breathtaking choral music, "Feather on the Breath of God". 

Hildegard experienced visions from the the age of five. 

She explained that she saw all things in the light of God through the five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. 


Hildegard was hesitant to share her visions, but later these were painted. You can see many more.


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