...Germany & EuroVelo 15...

..The Boot Tree..

We didn’t find many quirky things in Germany whilst cycling through it.

However, the ‘Boot Tree’ certainly deserves a mention! Near Hontheim, there is that lonely oak tree and strangely, different types of boots are hanging from it!

Up to 1991, there was a US Army Base in this region and the ritual was, on the day of the soldiers’ release, they threw a pair of their army boots up the tree. If the boots stuck, the superstition was, it was a goodbye forever. But if the combat boots fell down, another transfer to Hontheim was to follow!  

Unfortunately, there’s not that much evidence of US Army boots hanging of the tree nowadays. However, the local people appear to keep the story alive by recycling all sorts of old shoes on it!  

.. German Kindness..

Kindness & curiosity – often they go hand in hand! In Germany, we never stood on the side of the road for long before somebody would stop and ask where we needed to go and naturally, those encounters often resulted in a nice little chat. Unless people were in a hurry, they always showed a keen interest in where we were heading, and always were very helpful with passing on some local, useful information.  

Interesting questions got asked and at least one elderly lady couldn’t stop herself from asking ‘how do you pay for a journey like this?

German car drivers appear to be more patient and considerate towards cyclists compared to my experiences during my years of commuting to work in the UK. Having cycled for several 100 kilometres in Germany, we only had one ‘near-miss’ near Mainz where a driver coming at slow speed simply overlooked us on the cycling strip. Not bad going…

Special kindness we experienced in the hotel ‘Das Wesel’ in Oberwesel! We booked for one night and it was the day Rebecca was full of cold. Therefore we extended by one night and the service of hotel staff went beyond expectations. Bao (owner) & Andreas (Manager) even left the bar open so I could go downstairs at any time to make another pot of tea for Rebecca.

On top of that, there was a member of staff in the name of Nat. Knowing of our situation, she offered to organise medication and especially came in on Sunday which was her day off to leave some cold relieving meds at the desk for us! Wow, thank you so much!

One night, we stayed at the ‘Ferienhaus Gisela’ near Woerth am Rhein. The couple who run it were delightful!

Their small studio was well-appointed and the couple showed so much interest in what we are doing. After a lovely breakfast we were offered to make our lunch sandwiches to take away and just before we set-off, Gisela’s husband looked at our pretty dirty bikes and decided to get the garden hose out and gave them a good wash! This was the first B&B I’ve stayed in with a valeting service! Thank you very much!

 And now, with lots of lovely encounters, experiences and kind gestures received, we pedal on south!

..EuroVelo 15 – Rhine Route..

Cycling along the EuroVelo 15 is not exactly what the name implies. Yes, many kilometres are going directly alongside the Rhine River. But if literally the whole way would be like this, it could become a bit boring. What made it interesting for me was the varied scenery the route offered. Experiencing the quietness through woods or shrubland, accompanied by the singing of many different types of birds and looking at the spring vegetation which only just decided to make an appearance was lovely. Then there are the long stretches of dedicated cycle path along green dams which act as flood barriers when the river is overflowing.

A number of quite long stretches also simply just followed the main road, mostly on a dedicated cycle paths next to it. Those more natural environments were regularly intercepted by the huge industries along the river.

..Industrial Germany..

Big quarries, often with the cycle path going straight through them provided a change of scenery. But what impressed me most where the absolutely huge chemical plants. Some of those must have hundreds of kilometres of steel piping going through them. I’m pretty sure they were not mayonnaise and ketchup factories and what went through all that piping must have been a bit more sinister than vegetable oil and mustard! It wasn’t possible to cycle through those big industrial areas and they needed to be circumnavigated, often by a matter of several kilometres!  

..Crossing into France - Strasbourg..

And now, we just crossed the border into France! No border control, no questions asked, all what has changed is the language on the road signs which is now in French. The main reason to go on to the French side of the river was to go to Strasbourg where we had a lovely ‘day off’!

Having a ‘day off’ sounds a bit strange! A day off from holidays, some might be asking? No, we don’t really need that, but our legs do ask occasionally to have a break and have a day with different movements than just going around and around and around! But then there are also the other things which need doing, having a haircut (much cheaper in France than in Switzerland), changing brake pads on Rebecca’s bike, stocking up on some essentials, starting a new blog and of course, doing some sightseeing too!

The two days before and the day in Strasbourg were lovely spring days. Cycling without wearing a jacket was a first for us in 2024!

However, with leaving Strasbourg, we also left the spring weather behind!    

Gloves & wet weather clothing had to come back out from our panniers again and whilst cycling through the rain, we could even see some snow on top of the hills in the distance! And the headwind…hours of cycling at 12 km average speed. Pedal stroke after pedal stroke felt like going uphill regardless of the flat path in front of us!

Rebecca decided, that’s not the cycling she likes…

…Switzerland…

And a couple of hours ago, we crossed the border to country number five, Switzerland…

What happened to the well known cleanliness in Switzerland since I've been here last??...