A Great Experince. We were up early as usual and after having our breakfast, we departed on time. Our first destination was to Worms to have our bicycle oiled and checked. The route was well marked out and clear, we reached our destination within 30 minutes. Worms city is said to be more than 200 years old town.  Worms is a port on the west bank of the Rhine River, just northwest of Mannheim. Known originally as Celtic Borbetomagus, by the reign of Julius Caesar it was called Civitas Vangionum, the chief town of the Vangiones. In 413 CE it became the capital of the Burgundians, who, after disputes with the Romans, rose in revolt in 435 against the Roman governor Flavius Aelius. He called upon his Hun allies, who destroyed the city in 436. The Hun destruction of Worms and the Burgundian kingdom inspired heroic legends in the epic poem Nibelungenlied (c. 1200). Worms we visited St  Peter’s Cathedral.

We had lunch at Worms and then headed towards Oppenheimer. The ride was good and comfortable. We passed through Nierstein, a premium wine town producing mostly white Riesling wine. We arrived at Oppenheimer about 4pm.

Oppenheim, a wine-producing town and home to the German wine-growing museum, sits on a low ridge overlooking the Rhine. This hill is riddled with Kellerlabyrinth, a labyrinth of cellars and tunnels linking houses together underground. There are thought to be at least 40km of tunnel, although the exact length is not known. Other sights include the Gothic Katharinenkirche church, which has a fine collection of stained glass.

The route between Nackenheim and Weisenau runs below flood relief polders and is at risk of flooding at times of high water, an alternative waymarked route (1.3km longer), shown in blue on the map, follows flood dykes around this area. We arrived in Mainz about 5.30 pm and we continued to head for our destination. Then we passed a couple of small towns namely Niederwalluf, Eltville and emerged at Rudesheim Ferry terminal.

Finally, we arrived at Rüdesheim, Germany’s second most popular destination for foreign tourists after Köln Cathedral has at its center Drosselgasse, a narrow street lined with Weinstuben, guest houses, and tourist shops. Here you can try eiswein (a dessert wine made from grapes picked after the first frost has greatly increased sugar levels) or Rüdesheimer coffee (coffee with whipped cream and local brandy). Atop the vineyard-clad Weinberg hill (which can be reached by cycle after a tough uphill ride, or by chairlift!) is the Niederwalddenkmal (1883), a gigantic statue of Germania, commemorating the creation of a united Germany after victory in the Franco-Prussian war. Other attractions include Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Museum and the Asbach brandy distillery.

We had dinner at the Ferry terminal and since the last ferry was 10 pm, we informed our Airbnb host of our late arrival. From the booking reference, the host's address showed that it's just two minutes from the ferry terminal. We got across and cycled toward the address and we could not find the unit. We dd three trips before we called the host to give us the correct address. When she gave the correct address, it was at least 6 km away.

GOD Sent

It was past midnight, we were franticly trying to find the unit in total darkness and suddenly we realised that were in the middle of nowhere. At this moment a god-sent angel came along. A young boy started to descend from the hilltop on a motorbike and we franticly waived for help. He immediately stopped and we asked his help on how to the address given by our Airbnb host. His immediate response - it was just around the corner - in actual terms is about 5 km uphill.  We were dead tired and we could not ascend the hill anymore. The young angel told me that he could tow me with his motorbike by holding on to his shoulder. I said I could do this when I was a kid but not anymore. Anyway, I gave it a try and I almost pulled him down. That was it. We told him we could not do it and requested him to check if any unit was left at the hotel downhill near the ferry terminal - Park Hotel. Fortunately, there were two rooms left and we were able to spend the night. What an experience.