September 3, 2022
Day 12: Eurovelo 15 - the Rhine river (source to sea)
Karlsruhe to Speyer
Another early start with a visit to a bakery for breakfast… “ein Buttercroissant und ein Schokocroissant, danke” (one butter croissant and one chocolate croissant, thanks). Healthy, I know! I quickly rode that off with a self-guided bicycle tour around Schloss Karlsruhe, a palace built in 1715, and its gardens. Absolutely beautiful!
The morning ride was once again through a forest on the smoothest bitumen bike path I’ve ever seen. The aggregate used is so small - maybe from the stockpile I had to carry my bike over yesterday! I stopped to take a photograph, and as I started off again, I was overtaken by a young girl cycling. She set a great pace, so I sat in her slipstream and was actually dragged along … it felt quite effortless … for me. I did feel a modicum of guilt, but she's young; she'll learn! With this newfound knowledge of physics, I will look at peloton riders in the Tour de France differently … slackers!
I eventually overtook the young girl as guilt overtook me. I had to actually pedal now! Embarrassment meant that I had to work hard to pedal away from her so that she didn't overtake me again!
There were other cyclists heading towards Karlsruhe. Some were in exercise gear; however, many were in office clothes, so perhaps they live in the small towns near the city and ride to work.
Soon, I was out of the forest and back onto country laneways. These roads always seem quiet. One thing I've learned to enjoy about both France and Germany is their citizens' respect for - and even love of - cycling. It's not really my thing, cycling; however, I’m sure it would be if I lived here. Firstly, there are bikeways everywhere, connecting towns and villages, and the infrastructure is excellent. You could stay in one region for weeks, and I'm sure you still wouldn't be able to cycle every path. Secondly, the genuine acceptance and respect motorised vehicle drivers have for cyclists - probably because they cycle as well! Drivers always make sure they give way and slow down for cyclists, even when they have the right of way. This just wouldn't happen in Australia.
Another interesting observation (for me, anyway) is that the kindergartens in Germany that I ride past seem to be much less "secure" than in Australia. Perhaps German toddlers are more compliant; however, with the low fences and unguarded gates, Australian kids would have escaped before morning tea!
Unlike the past couple of days, today goes close to or through some towns and villages. I really enjoy travelling through built-up areas - weird, I know! But seeing where and how others live is interesting to me. Families out and about, workplaces, shops, and houses - the back streets are usually incredibly quiet, so you can really observe how others live as you ride.
Just after riding through one small town, I stopped to check my bearings and looked up to see two dogs running straight at me, one bearing large teeth! Heart in mouth, I then heard yelling. It wasn't until later that I realised the owner was letting me know his dogs don't bite! They stopped at my bike, sniffed my legs, decided I wasn't worth it, and moved on. My heart did, too - about 30 minutes later!
I had my second ferry ride in two days. On this trip, there was no Dutch family, but a German cyclist dressed in Lycra, looking like she was out on a long training ride. She was actually just cruising across the river to get to school - a schoolteacher. We talked about where I was heading, and she gave me some ideas on what to see and do, particularly that Speyer, Mainz, and Worms had a unique Jewish history that I should take time to see.
I'm really looking forward to the next few days in particular. The segment from Speyer through to Koblenz will be some of the most interesting for me. I've loved the whole trip so far; however, when we cruised the Rhine in 2019, it was these upcoming stages that were most memorable.
The paths today are mainly bitumen, with only a few segments of gravel, and these were well-formed and exceedingly rare. The signposting seems much better here in Germany than in France, at least for EuroVelo. Today's paths ran through forests, mainly on top of the dikes used for flood mitigation when the Rhine floods. They seem to run the length of the Rhine; without them, you can imagine the havoc the floods would wreak on local communities. There is a small section of the ride that runs directly alongside the Rhine today. It's another smooth bitumen path with seating along the way and information stands (in German) explaining various facts about the Rhine. Interestingly, it also features a number of wooden carvings positioned along the river. The standout is one that looks like Atlas holding up the world … without the world! The water levels seem a bit low here when you look at the high-water mark on the banks of the river. However, there is a large barge travelling downstream, so at least some commercial transportation is happening.
As I moved closer to Speyer, I began to ride on a paved road - literally a few kilometres of hand-laid paving! The effort it took to do this instead of bitumen or even concrete seems incredible. It's obviously been laid for some time, yet there are only a couple of spots where subsidence has occurred … otherwise, it’s a stylish street!
I arrived in Speyer around 12:30 p.m. and first checked the weather report. Rain is predicted to start around 2 a.m. tomorrow morning and continue for most of the day, so I may take my second rest day of the trip here in town. It's a beautiful place with plenty to explore.
The most disappointing part of the trip for me has been the lack of camping. I really enjoy it and had intended to spend three days camping for every one day in a hotel. The reality has been the opposite. Partly because city stays often find camp grounds too far away, but mostly it’s been weather-related. I dislike setting up or packing up in the rain. Riding in the rain comes with the territory - go tour cycling, and odds are you'll eventually ride in the rain. Camping is different if you have the choice to remain dry. Understandably, some travellers don't, for budgetary reasons, but I'm sure no one would set up, sleep in, and pack up in the rain if they had a choice. Plus, I'm getting too old for it!
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