Day 2

Aschaffenburg to Miltenberg

As I write I am reminded that burg is German for town and now I am in this most picturesque location that is a berg with no dictionary to help understanding - it probably does not matter. More specifically I am in a brand new Vinhotel that reminds me of the young German - male, blond and handsome, whom I chatted with while waiting to board the flight to Frankfurt. He mentioned helpfully, I thought, that Germany had good affordable beer, but was not noted for its wine, and the food was also much cheaper than his experiences in Australia over the last 6 months. I think that his opinions about wine are more to do with his being a young male rather than the quality of the wine.

So onto Miltenberg, which I entered in the company of a German cyclist with whom I rode for the last 2 kms or so. She had just ridden some not small distance to visit her cousin and gave this place a great wrap and a running commentary on the back way into town. Her cousin who met her recommend one of the oldest hotels in Germany for dinner - the hotel Reisen. I thanked them and said goodbye having had a charming chat for 10 minutes or so as we cruised into town - she to visit family and me just drifting along on my bike having been immersed in thoughts of home and appreciating the natural beauty along the Main River that was surrounding me.

I was on my way to Wurzburg today, clearly an errant thought and quite inconsistent with the whole idea of this journey - being to stop frequently and not race along like on my prvious organised ride. There are places to see on the way to Wurzburg, and the apparently considerable charms of Wurzburg can wait a day or 2. I have time. It is a day to remember - the experience of slowing down.

The ride today clearly bought to a fore that this river floods, and much agriculture is done on the flood plain. People also live on it, but unlike my homeland Australia, the Germans realise that towns should be protected from inundation. There are many walls with flood proof gates, and windows with flood proof shutters. I arrived with a strong general admiration of Germans from the distance of living in Australia, and this observation today is just another bit of supporting evidence, although it needs to be tempered with a comment on the Main Radweg (the cycle path along the Main River). I had expectations that I could just follow the signs and in a week or so I would get to the end. But alas the fragility of life became apparent. Whilst the signs were frequent, and in places they needed to be, they are not always clear and it is easy enough to get disconnected from the path with the many twists and turns along the way.

So when unexpectedly disconnected from the Radweg and also simultaneously and inevitably disconnected from home, a temporary sense of isolation arose once or twice. Then a surprising sense of reconnection later in the evening - whilst walking through the now quiet streets after the crowds of day trippers had left, a statue of a pilgrim on a pedestal inscribed "Santaigo de Compostella 2,577 km" with arrow - by my estimate about 100 days walking. Would this place beckon one day to start my next walk to Santiago?

Today's ride 45 km