Well…. Remember the No Rain part of today’s weather report?   Surprise!!!!   It was raining when we got up  and it continued until 930ish when we decided to head out.   The clouds were breaking up, the sun was peeking through and it looked like we would dodge a bullet.   So we started off….

But no sooner had we started riding than a scene from out of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds played out.  Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a pair of Blackbirds swooped in making multiple runs at Rick and Mike. The only common denominator with those two was they were wearing black helmets and jackets.  After about a hundred meters or so, the birds left.   But it was an amazing sight to see.   So we continued and for the next hour it rained.   

We rode on and the rain stopped, the sun came out and it started warming a little.  We pulled into a small restaurant overlooking the Rhine in Spay and had a nice little break there.  After Spay was Boppard another nice town. 

 

And as you go along the Rhine there are castles on either side of the river….. here are but a few…..

In this section was the small castle that sits in the middle of the river, Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, an old toll castle on the Rhine.  It’s a pretty interesting castle to say the least!

We rode on down to Bingen where we took the ferry…..

….across the Rhine to reach the village of Rüdesheim where we stayed in a remarkable Hotel.   The first thing we got was treated with German champagne called Sekt (technically, only dry sparkling white wine from the Champagne region of France can be called Champagne). While we were filling out our paperwork for the hotel.   This is one sure way to decrease grumbling!

Some people explored the shops and small alleyways in Rüdesheim while others hiked up the hill towards the Niederwald Memorial to remember the unification of Germany.  Me?!?  I sat and chatted enjoying a nice white wine from this region, the Rheingau and some bier.

Dinner was at the courtyard of the hotel a lovely area with friendly staff and musicians playing a mix of tunes….. from Jimmy Buffett to Neil Diamond to traditional bier hall music.   After a great meal it was off to bed to get a good nights sleep before starting our last day of riding. 

 

The last thing was a Rüdesheimer Kaffee…. Nice little dessert coffee made with Brandy, Sugar, Whipped Cream and of course Coffee.