We both feel refreshed from our night at Hotel Mangold. We enjoyed 3 cold showers each in the brief time we were there. As with anything in travel, the people make the difference. The family who run the hotel are gracious hosts who thoughtfully provide good service and amenities. Cleo, the tabby cat, was an unexpected delight for us. She eats her food with her paw - eating milk was messy but obviously satisfying for her. As well, when she was happy, her tail vibrated visibly. A lovely cat. Hotel Mangold has been run by the same family for 60 years - most recently, the daughter (a chef) took over the business and we thoroughly enjoyed her breakfast buffet. As another cyclist staying there said to us, everything here is made with love. We agree - everything was house made - including the made to order hot breakfast, croissants, rolls, jam, etc. As we were leaving, she gave us a jar of her jam to help us on her way. It was a very constructive morning in Schweinfurt - we walked in to town and found a Maui Jim dealer who fixed Barry's sunglasses!! We walked in with two sad looking pieces and came out with a pair that looked like new. In their lab, they fixed the rough edges that had been damaged and somehow made the two halves back into a whole. A great job and at no cost. He also provided Barry with 2 additional screws and his email address in case we have any more trouble. As a result, we didn't get on the road until nearly noon - but it was worth it. We stopped for a break at Hassfurt and found a great bike shop. We have been wanting to add another Abus frame bag to our Seavo and luckily they had exactly what we needed. Slowly, our bike is being converted into a bi-national Canadian/German bike. As well, we turned in to a Norma (we don't remember seeing any Norma grocery shops other years - are they new?) and bought our usual treat - fresh strawberries and plain yogurt. After Zeil am Main, we were so distracted by the amazing views of the hills and a spectacular monastery - we missed our turn. We ended up going the wrong way for some time until we met a mother and her daughter cycling the same way. She confirmed that we should turn around - but she did kindly offer to provide the hospitality of us camping at their farm a little ways on, We were tempted until she told us that the hill to her farm was an 18% grade. The hills that I had been admiring no longer looked so attractive when we considered riding up them! Eventually we made our way to an attractive village - Sand am Main and we were pleased to find great camping on a lake: Bagger See. A vast tenting area with many large trees, new immaculate bathrooms, etc. We were surprised to only pay 9 euros for this understated but comfortable place. At the campground, we met some interesting people - our first Canadians of the trip: a couple from Thunder Bay Ontario and a man who was on a 4 day walking holiday, Josef, pulling a trailer that he had designed.
This family portrait was done with a sense of humour by a local artist. The current owner/chef is on the right, her parents (former owners) are beside her, her husband and brother.
Neither of us spoke a common language, but we seemed to understand each other. She was very proud of her brand new bike with a very sophisticated "motor". On Eco she could travel 200 km and on the fastest setting, Turbo- she could last for 60 km. Very impressive.
Charmaine RuppoltIt's always interesting to check out different bike stores...each can have something different to see/buy. :) Reply to this comment 7 months ago
