September 8: Mainz to St. Goar
Click on small photos for a full size picture.
Now the tour begins... we pick our way out of Mainz, on a nice sunny day,
passing the local Wal-Mart 
,
then spend a bit of time on a dirt road before hitting the bike paths.
The bike paths are packed with people, young and old, enjoying the fine weather. People are generally friendly, though they do give the trike a few odd looks.
This is castle country. As the Rhine has been used for commerce for hundreds of years, someone figured out how to make a fast buck. If you set up a strong point on the river, you can charge tolls to boats moving past. Result - a castle at nearly every bend in the river.
Though most of the castles you see today were originally built as much as 800 - 900 years ago, most were destroyed during warfare in the 1400's - 1700's. In the mid-late 1800's there was a boom in castle renovation. Many of the old ruins were rebuilt, much more lavishly than originally designed, as homes of the rich. Today, these castles serve as hotels, museums, and occasionally, private homes.
| Jayne's view - Castles and the back of Steve's head... One
advantage, and disadvantage, of being the stoker on a tandem bike is the
view. On the plus side, since you're only responsible for pedaling,
you can take in the view as you roll along. On the down side, your
forward view is always blocked by the big head of the captain, as these
views of Rhine castles attest (note: most of the castles shown are located
along the Rhine between Mainz and Koblenz):
|
Though a small town, St. Goar is full of tourists, who hit the souvenir shops
that proclaim to have the largest selection of beer steins in the world, or the
largest Stife bear. We take a short stroll down the main drag, 
then
over to the river front to see the tour boats - there's even a paddle
wheeler. 
Our hotel is typically German - neat, clean, and compact - and we can store the
trike in the basement. 
"Ich bin ein... jelly donut?... We're all
familiar with JFK's famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" quote.
Though Kennedy's intent was to show solidarity with the citizens of
Berlin, in German, a "Berliner" is actually a jelly-filled
donut. And you can buy one in St. Goar for only 80 Euro cents -
cheaper than apple strudel, or the pastry that looks like a pig's
head.  |