20 years ago today - Day 123

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Thursday, July 4th - Koblenz to Darmstadt, 6426 km

Last night when I arrived at the youth hostel in the fortress I realized that I left my International Youth Hostel (IYH) membership card at the hostel in Cochem. The staff here were kind enough to accept my word that I am a member. I load up my bike and cycle down the hill and across the river into Koblenz to find a telecard phone. I call the Cochem hostel and ask them to mail my card to Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber, where I expect to be next Monday and Tuesday.

I cross back over the river to ride south on the right (east) bank of the Rhine. I find a bike trail that follows the river so I take it, not really trusting that it won't dead end in some isolated field. I imagine someday someone will make a horror movie about an axe-murderer who lies in wait for wayward cyclists at the end of such trails, but for now the trail stays safely beside the road and the river and I enjoy it for as long as it might last.

The bike path becomes a bike sidewalk, raised beside the road but smoother than the Belgian species. I keep rolling along in the heat of the morning sunshine. The Rhine is not as beautiful as I had imagined. Its lengthy history is apparent. The deep, steep-sided valley has served opposite purposes for centuries, as both as natural barrier and a transportation corridor. Castles line the high upper banks on either side, but they are not as spectacular or impressive as I had hoped. They are not worth a picture in most cases. The west bank is far away and I am heading south into the sun, which means the only good pictures will be looking back from where I came.

The ride is not easy either. The oppressive heat is more constant than a headwind and getting worse as the day progresses. I am pushing myself, struggling my way along the route instead of enjoying it. The river winds a little but the only interesting movement is the boat traffic. The stop in Kaub for a drink and a short rest after 40 km but it is too hot even in the shade.

There is a headwind now, coming down the Rhine and channeled by the high-walled banks. At Rudesheim, where the Rudesheim Castle looms above me, the river bends eastward and the wind bends with it. I pause here to get more water. The pencil-thin "Mouse Tower" stands on an island in the river near the town of Bingin, which looms large on the far side. According to my map, there are no bridges across the Rhine from Koblenz to Mainz so I have no choice but to stay on my side.

Just east of Rudesheim, I find a side road just above and parallel to the main truck route. It goes through the centre of each village - Winkel, Oestich, Eltville, Walluf - but there aren't many stoplights and the traffic is mostly on the larger route. 27 km after Rudesheim, the Rhine bends south again by the city of Weisbaden. The centre of Weisbaden is set back from the river three or four kilometres. I keep going, hugging the river as the large city of Mainz begins its sprawl along the far bank of the river. Here the Main River, which flows through Frankfort, merges with the Rhine from the north-east.

This is not a pretty region. The valley is much lower, wider and heavily populated. The castles have been replaced by traffic and industry. There is a maze of freeways between Frankfort and Mainz I've gone far enough to make the day worthwhile but I don't want to be here. I stop to call the youth hostel in Darmstadt to book a bed for the night, which is still 35 km away.

After crossing the Main River, I gradually angle south-east, away from the Rhine. I pass south of Russelsheim and through Gross-Gerau and Greisheim before turning east 5 km to Darmstadt. I am quite tired when I arrive, but all in all I have done well. A thundercloud chases me the last half hour into town but fails to catch me.

Darmstadt is a small city, on the outer edge of the industrial area between Frankfort and Mainz. It is not too congested in the centre, except there is a large fair or circus of some kind with midways with rides, attractions and booths for expensive junk food set up along a few streets. It provides a surreal feel to the end of the day experience.

The youth hostel is nearby, but far enough away that it will be quiet enough to sleep later. The office phones the hostel in Cochem to confirm I am a member. The Cochem hostel has still not mailed my membership card! I have one dorm mate when I check in, an East German plumber who has found work here but no place to live yet. I shower and change and head out to visit the fair for a couple hours.

When I return I have two new roommates, a pair of cycle tourists named Uwe and Werna. It is strictly against IYH rules to let men and women sleep together in the same dorm but neither I nor Franz, the plumber, say anything. It's an advantage to being gay in a hostel, provided one had both a lover and privacy. Uwe is a tall, athletic man, only 20 but very manly. I get the impression he has always done sports, and that Werna has only come along on his insistence. She is perhaps a year or so younger but acts like a child being punished - reluctant and pouty with a constant dark cloud hanging over her. It is her first, and presumably her last, bicycle tour. She is complaining about every ache and pain she feels tonight, and I imagine she must be miserable to travel with. I'd offer to take her place and make all three of us happy, but I don't think I'm Uwe's type of girl.


PHOTO 1: Stolzenfels Castle and town, near Koblenz
PHOTO 2: Stolzenfels Castle
PHOTO 3: Kaub
PHOTO 4: Stahleck Castle
PHOTO 5: Marksburg Castle
PHOTO 6: Maus Castle
PHOTO 7: Mauseturm Castle, near Rudesheim
PHOTO 8: in Darmstadt, Jugendstil architecture
PHOTO 9: Mathlidenhohe in Darmstadt