Biking at last!

Today was day one on the bike tour.  Our plan is to head east from Mainz on the Main river to Wurzburg, then turn south and follow the Romantische Strasse through Bavaria.  From there, we will probably take a train to Basel and start heading north on the Rhein.  But, all is subject to change: the only fixed point is returning to Mainz July 4 to retrieve the rest of our gear, pack up the bike, and catch a flight July 5.

We had a few errands in the morning, so weren't ready to bike until late morning.  By then it was dumping rain, so we opted to wait for it to let up.  We were rolling a little after noon.  The route from our hotel to the river is on a bike path that is basically one half of a (extra wide) city sidewalk.  Not half a mile out, someone walked right in front of us.  A very sudden stop left us both quite surprised, but no one was hit and we didn't fall.  A little adrenaline to get the day started.  Soon we were at the Rhein, and then riding a bridge across.

bridge across the Rhein, Mainz in the background

Our route turned south along the Rhein for a short while with several interesting twists and turns, then picked up the Main along its north bank.  The cycle routes are very well marked, and even though we spent most of today near or in a large city (Frankfurt) it mostly didn't feel urban at all.



We passed some vineyards, wheat fields, and asparagus.  Rode along the edges of several small towns.  We crossed the Main to its south bank on a beautiful and newish bridge, just for cyclists.

Snack break along the Main

Riding through Frankfurt was a piece of cake on this nice paved bike path.



We stopped for the day after about 30 miles in the city of Offenbach.  Found a great hotel in the city center, and just 200 m off the bike path.  When we were wheeling our bike to the bike garage behind the hotel, the owner remarked that ours is the second or maybe third tandem he's seen in 15 years of hosting cycle tourists here (this hotel is part of the Bette und Bike network which caters to cyclists).  Ate way too much great food at a German restaurant recommended by our host.  We need to eat smaller dinners (and drink less beer) so there is room for a gelato after.