Frankfurt to Seligenstadt: Minor Hiccups Getting Started

September 3, 2015

We had a terrific day despite some minor hiccups this morning and technical difficulties with Keith's phone. It won't take us long to get into the routine again, we are sure.

We slept longer in the morning than anticipated, perhaps because 7 AM in Frankfurt is 1 AM in Montreal and our bodies haven't had time to adjust yet. That meant a later start than we had intended. Once awake, we headed into the airport for breakfast and a SIM card. We sat in a fine dining establishment (OK, it was McDonalds, but they have free wifi) longer than we wanted because Keith was downloading an offline map. Once that was complete we went back to the room to pack up and couldn't get in. We were locked out of the room because we had said we would check out by 10 AM, and it was now 10:05. Darn that sleeping in. Back down the elevator to the lobby, and lesson learned. Always give the latest check out time possible when asked.

Once into the room the packing was easy and familiar and we were retrieving the bikes from the storage room in no time. Then Keith noticed his front tire was flat. Damn. How could that happen? The penny dropped when he realized his back tire was flat too. He had forgotten to pump up his tires when he assembled the bikes. The bike rolls much better with air in the tires, so the pump came out of the box and all was well. We picked up ice water from the friendly folk at the hotel coffee shop and were finally on our way. By now it was 11 o'clock.

As soon as we were outside I realized I had put on way too many clothes in the air conditioned room. So another stop while I shed a couple of layers. I earned my keep as the 'Go This Way' navigational aid when Keith tried to bike into a parking garage while I stood under the bike route sign calling him back. My navigational skills are weak but I am a great sign reader.

We were out of the airport proper and into the wooded area surrounding it without any hitches. We rode on the lovely paths we remembered from last year and found the Main River with little difficulty. Unfortunately, all too soon we managed to lose it. How do you lose a river? We are not sure where we went wrong, and Keith's phone chose this particular time to lock up, and so we were without the GPS. As a result, we didn't get as far as we would have liked in the first hour, with all the necessary navigational stopping and starting. Once we found the river again it was easy riding.

Keith mentioned that the Main in this direction is not as exciting as going the other way. We had been booting along the bike path without meandering off to check out the towns to make up for our slow morning. We were at a spot called Seligenstadt and he suggested we poke our noses in. Unbelievable place. This was not good planning, we just stumbled on it, but we highly recommend it as a place to stop. The town centre is gorgeous. It is one of the towns on the Fachwerk route and is one of Germany's oldest. Its history goes back to 100 AD. We toured the church, which was begun in 832. The fortifications and tower were built in the 12th century. We made a decision in about one minute that we were stopping for the day and doing more exploring.

We went exploring and stopped for a great dinner of flammekuchen at Cafe Leander on their outdoor patio. We are staying in a Bett and Bike, Frankfurter Hof, which is right on the town square. It feels great to be on the bikes and on our way.

We have spent a lot of time in this airport and we still get lost.

The Sheraton Hotel in left center of the photograph.

Walking back to the hotel through one of the tunnels that connects another hotel to the airport.

The forested bike path outside the airport.

We found the Main! Too bad we misplaced it shortly after we took this picture.

Wolfgang, Keith thinks the two of you should buy this bug for a 43rd anniversary trip to Mexico.

A boat named after you Joanne. A fine yacht.

Frankfurt from the Main. We found the river again.

When you accidentally fumble these maps they get away on you! I was just trying to switch to the next page.

Coming into Seligenstadt. The main square.

Our view from dinner. Beautiful inside. There was a mass just beginning so we didn't take any pictures.

Our beverage of choice after a day on the bike.

And then the sun started to set. Beautiful.

One of the fachwerk buildings on the square.

Taken while we were walking after dinner.

Today's ride: 61 km (38 miles)
Total: 96 km (60 miles)

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