The vibrant colours found in nature were replicated by graphic artists at a graffiti festival we cycled by in Mainz,
where a dj pounded out beats as heavily tattooed guys sprayed elaborate illustrations all over the highway (and bike) overpass, in the tunnel under the bridge,
and used a crane to decorate adjacent buildings.
We traded that gritty urban scene for green vineyards a few hours later,
and after our exertions we couldn't help but stop at a wine stall for a libation.
For the first time that day we looked at our map for a campsite, only to discover there wasn't one for another 30 km. It was so hot, and languor set in as we sat at our table in the tiny courtyard, so when the stall owner said he had a friend with a b&b we immediately said we'd take it. The apartment turned out to be a beautiful place, called Eicher B&B after his winery.
The next morning, after serving us a scrumptious breakfast (and encouraging us to pack ourselves a picnic lunch from the bounty)
he sent us off with a bottle of wine from the vineyard (and sparkling grape juice for the kids).
The contrasts in our days continued, as we left the quiet lassitude of the town in the morning,
and finished the day with dinner at a quiet campsite in Philippsburg while the sun set over a nuclear power plant.
The close up views of Germany's heavy industry continued the next day, but always bordered by natural areas, with storks
and other avian wildlife making their homes just metres away from quarries or heavy processing facilities. To pass this one, directly on the bike path, we had to cross a small bridge.
It was designed with only a thin ramp for bike wheels, so we had to slide our bikes up and down two flights of stairs on each side, a lengthy process given that we had to remove most of the gear and have two of us per descent so that the bikes didn't careen down the stairs without us.
Once over the bridge the path led almost immediately back into the forest, the industry hidden quickly by the greenery.
We had crossing troubles of another sort the next day. The Rhine had flooded its banks due to the heavy rains so crossing one road proved impossible.
It was a pain to have to divert but we appreciated the transformation of road
into wetland.
At the end of the day we took a ferry to France,
glad that we could finally speak the native language, which helped when we arrived and found the campground was closed and locked up for the night. We asked the cook at the chip stand nearby for help, so he phoned the owners and got permission to let us in with his key. Another spectacular sunset, enjoyed by us alone as there was not another tent to be found at the site.
Both France and Germany offered cycle paths down the Rhine (on opposite sides of the river), so we decided to cycle in France for a change. The first ten km of the path was incredible, but after that we had to share the road with cars, so were relieved when we finally hit the bikes only path that led past the European Parliament - and thus completed the troika of the foundational EU cities on our path - Brussels, Maastricht and Strasbourg.
We had rented an apartment for two nights to give us a chance to see the city as well as to take a break from cycling. The weather was dreary but we were still afforded a great view from atop the Notre Dame cathedral.
The greenery of the trees more than made up for the grey skies.
We did some sightseeing in the rain,
but then decided to head indoors for a swim in the mineral waters of city's antique bath. It had a slightly neglected but still very impressive art nouveau interior,
and individual change rooms
that opened directly onto the deep pool.
While we were in Strasbourg we also bumped into Karen and Mike, the cyclists we had met a few days before in Cologne (and before that in Holland).
We were delighted to catch up with them, and they introduced us to their host Benjamin, who promptly invited us for dinner at his place that night. He didn't need to ask twice, and we all had a fantastic evening together, the kids thrilled to chat with some people other than us, and to play the piano and guitar that they've been missing from home.
The adults dined on the amazing selection of cheeses that Benjamin and Faustine had prepared for us, pairing them with liberal amounts of wine along with beer chosen by Mike and Karen, who being from Portland knew all about microbreweries. We said our good-byes
and barely caught the midnight tram home to our apartment. The kids had no trouble staying up during the walk,
but we were all feeling the effects when we had to hit the road first thing the next morning.
Luckily we were able to get the kids moving as we had promised them if they made it to Rust, about 40 km away, we would be able to go to an amusement park. We started slowly, with a break at the most incredible and completely free playground in Kehl Germany. It alone would be worth a trip for anyone with kids, with an amazing tower (Jacob is peering down from the top)
from which we could look down on the blue swimming pool, the skate park,
an adventure playground
and pond, with the obligatory cafe situated so that parents can drink beer while their kids go crazy. After that we picked up the pace and motored straight through (except for a short stop to pet a friendly horse)
until we could see the sky high roller coasters of the fabled Europa Park - such a different approach than the traffic clogged multiple lane highway to Canada's Wonderland.
with a massive layout, enhanced by trees and lush gardens throughout.
It was a short walk from the roller coasters to the action-packed campground on site,
which was country & western themed. There was a horse show each evening (consisting of dubiously costumed cowboys & Indians), the decorative signs were all in English,
and the restaurant offered tex-mex fare and an authentic mariachi band to serenade diners.
It was bizarre to us to see the profusion of people sporting American flag bandannas and cowboy hats while listening to German bands covering Elvis Presley (no one was hitting the dance floor though).
But all that was nothing compared to the excitement inside the park gates. We started the day with a two minute shuttle ride,
accompanied by movie soundtrack music piped into the individual cars - the better to prepare for the excitement. For the next 12 hours we went on heart palpitating roller coasters, bumper cars
and theme rides in the dark.
We posed with "Euromaus" - surely it is completely coincidental that the park has the same mammalian mascot as Disney.
Our guide and excellent company for the day was Sarah and her son Joel.
We had met them through the couchsurfing website and they had emailed us to say they would be glad to host us for a couple of nights. Sarah's place was too far out off of our route so we decided to camp at the park instead, but Sarah offered to meet us there all the same. We were so glad for her help navigating the huge park, and her knowledge gained from multiple visits as a season pass holder made sure we hit all the rides and waited the absolute minimum time in lines.
It was a fun time and the kids were sad to leave the next morning - we had a meltdown and a very minor accident which didn't help matters (I had stopped abruptly to take a picture, at Jacob's request, of the park as we departed, causing Jacob, who was continuing to gaze longingly at the park, to crash into me on the deserted road). But we soon recovered and moved on - knowing there would be more adventures on the paths to come.
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