Day 12, Bingen to Koblenz. We weren't 2km out of Bingen when it started to rain. Hard, then even harder. Fortunately, I had my rain gear out of my bags and ready to put on as the skies were pretty dark when we got up. My dad and brother weren't so smart... Being that we knew it was our last day of riding, it didn't seem so bad if we just bailed out and jumped on a train bound for Koblenz. We rode all morning in the rain, stopped for lunch, (mmm, sausage salad again) and then kept riding after lunch because the sun had come out. Not for long, though so we hopped on a ferry to St. Goar and took the first train out.
I don’t know what it could mean,
that I’m so sad: I find,
A fairy-tale, from times unseen,
Won’t vanish from my mind.
The air is cool and it darkens,
And quiet flows the Rhine:
The tops of the mountains sparkle,
In evening’s after-shine.
The loveliest of maidens,
She’s wonderful, sits there,
Her golden jewels glisten,
She combs her golden hair.
She combs it with a comb of gold,
And sings a song as well:
Its strangeness too is old
And casts a powerful spell.
It grips the boatman in his boat
With a wild pang of woe:
He only looks up to the heights,
Can’t see the rocks below.
The boat and its boatman,
That’s what, by her singing,
The Lorelei has done.
My brother and I standing high above the Rhine on top of the Lorelei. The folklore gives the name both to the maiden and to the rock we're standing on. This was one of the few moments of the day when it wasn't raining.
This fortress looking building was a toll collector's house. When a boat would come along, they would stretch a big chain across the river and collect the toll for the local baron before letting the ship pass. note to Jim: see, taxes aren't a modern liberal idea :)
View from the top of the Lorelei.
Three lonely looking steeds on the ferry to St. Goar. I love my bike but not enough to stand out in the rain with it.....
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3 comments:
Your bike hasn't been ridden since the mudfest...it's all clean, just gotta drop it off. Sorry for the delay!
Pat,
Must be nice.. from the Wisc State CX race to the Nederlands. Ahh the good life. I'm sure you're having a good time. Nice to have met you and hope to see you at next years cx races. Have a few brewski's for me..then a few more.
Suyko
P.S. thanks for blogging.
I know taxes aren't a modern liberal idea. They are regressive and another form of servitude and to men with power dating even beyond the dark ages. I am sure modern liberals are against such things as onerous taxation now. Classic liberals cherished freedom the most. I can't imagine that has changed much. ;)
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