Day 14 - A tale of 2 rides - Six weeks in Europe

July 4, 2023

Day 14 - A tale of 2 rides

Now in Cologne

LToday was scheduled to be the longest ride of the tour which did not thrill me or several of the other participants. Hence we opted to ride to Koblenz, take the train from Koblenz to Bonn and then ride from Bonn to our final destination in Cologne. Our little band of 6 riders decided that we wanted an easier day so we could actually see something along the way. Patti rode it all and in the end completed 130km/81mi. She did manage to cruise through Bonn on the way by but that was pretty much it for her.

Our group spent a considerable amount to time taking photos along the way and enjoying a little of Koblenz which is where the Mosel and Rhine rivers converge. Koblenz actually translates into confluence in English because it is the confluence of the Mosel and Rhine.

Once done in Koblenz we took the hour long milk run train to Bonn. Bonn is the former capital of West Germany but when the country was unified the capital moved back to Berlin. Many of the old government buildings are now offices for the UN. Once off the train we had a lovely lunch at a bakery before touring the town. Our first stop was an Haribo store famous for gummy bears. Next we found Bethoven’s statue and his brith place. He was born in Bonn but spent most of his life in Vienna. Finally we hit the road again for tonight’s destination, Cologne. We also have a rest day here tomorrow.

I love the look of the boats on the Rhine with the castle in the distance

A monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I in Koblenz.

The confluence of the Mosel on the left and the Rhine on the right. This photo was taken from up on the Kaiser’s statue.

One of the old gates into the centre of Bonn.

The Cologne Cathedral that is massive. It took over 650 years to complete and is so big that I can’t get a good photo

Today's ride: 81 km (50 miles)
Total: 548 km (340 miles)

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