Another hot day of riding: Langst-Kierst to Dormagen
We set out determined not to get lost today - The heat hasn't broken and we don't want to be in a position like yesterday. We could see the large modern and industrial city of Dusseldorf across the river. After enjoying a lunch buffet in the Youth Hostel, we met a local man who recommended that we ride across to Dusseldorf and follow the river on the other side. He thought that we would enjoy the proximity to the river, plus we would avoid a large (and confusing) industrial area. That was all we needed to hear - no more industrial wastelands for us! The views were lovely and we appreciated seeing the iconic "leaning" Geary buildings up close. As well, as promised, the path was for the most part, tree lined and along the river. We envied the many people escaping the heat swimming in the Rhine. Flower nurseries lined the trail -a pretty sight. This fell apart however, at Himmelgeist. Well intentioned people tried to help us and we ended up many km. out of our way and lost. We asked different locals, and they all gave us different advice. The signage didn't make sense, so after seeking refuge in a Tabac (Corner shop) and having ice cold slushies, the owner recommended that our better route would be to backtrack and cross one of the impressive large bridges to the other side as it would be faster and easier. This proved to be good advice. Our intent was to camp at Sturzelberg, but as we approached the village, large hot gusts of wind and thunder and lightning darkened the sky. We pulled in to a cafe and the locals told us to go to Hotel Stadt Dormagen. This also proved to be a good idea - a cool shower, an ice cold Wiessen beer, internet and a surprise Facetime chat with my mom and sister made this a good ending to another day in Germany. Tomorrow, we're off to Koln(Cologne) and visit the old town and the famous cathedral. Perhaps we'll try camping again.
This gentleman next door to our tent had a tiny tent that we saw last summer in France. It is designed to be set up in seconds. However, it took a long time to attach it to his bike.
As we were going through Dusseldorf, the trail was blocked by an amusement park that was being taken apart and loaded on trucks. It started to rain so we took refuge under a bridge and watched the activity
