August 7th – Remagen to Bad Ems

We wanted to go to Koblenz today but we were not able to find accommodations. Bad Ems is a small town with a youth hostel that is about 15 kms away from the Rhine on the Lahr river. Today was going to be a reasonable day but when our accommodations moved from Koblenz to Bad Ems, we added an additional 20 kms to the route. We were planning on having a rest day tomorrow but the Youth Hostel in Bad Ems was booked. I made some inquiries into places to stay including the youth hostel but had not heard back. There was the awful thought that we may have to ride another day to find accommodations.

We headed out as early as we could and made good time. Ride was uneventful and we made good time. We had a beautiful lunch on the Rhine. The kids skipped rocks into the Rhine and wandered a bit into the Rhine.

As we entered Koblenz, we understood why we had difficulties finding accommodations. This weekend was “Fire on the Rhine” which is a fireworks display from boats as the glide down the Rhine. It is also accompanied by concerts and other activities. We were looking forward to seeing the Deutsche Eck again but we were disappointed. The Deutesche Eck (German corner) is where the Rhine and the Mosel meet. There is a large statue there and a nice area where you can walk along both rivers. This area was completely consumed by either construction or festival preparations. After a few minutes we continued on to our accommodations that were a bit further down the Rhine and about 15 km up the Lahr river.

The bike path along the Lahr was like a country road compared to the super highway bike path on the Rhine. Soon we were in Bad Ems and found signs to the youth hostel. The signs pointed up a slight hill. We geared down and climbed this hill. The next sign pointed up a steeper hill. We dropped into our granny gear and rode up this hill also. The next sign was immediately followed by a warning sign saying the rode was a 16% grade. At this point we were all huffing and puffing and out of gas. We pushed the tandems up the 16% grade and finally arrived at the Youth Hostel. Alex was excited since they had a soccer field right at the back of the Youth Hostel. Now that we know how the youth hostels work, they seem to work well especially when you eat all your meals there.

When we arrived, we found that the Youth Hostel had booked us in for two days since they had a cancellation. We were set for the next two nights with all meals included! We went to our room to clean up and headed straight down to dinner. Food at the Youth Hostels is simple but good. The strange thing about youth hostels is that they don't have many youths in them at all. Our experience is that they are filled with families. The one in Bad Ems was no exception.

In the evening we sat at the back of the Youth Hostel and rested as Alex play soccer. Another boy started playing with Alex and his dad came over to talk with us. He spoke English very well so the whole family was able to join in on the conversation. He and his son were also cycling and he was able to give us some great tips on the next couple of days. One tip that he gave us that I think we will actually use, is that we should skip part of the Rhine and cycle between Konstanz and Basel in Switzerland. This area, as we have hear before, is the most beautiful.

We reflected back on our trip and noticed something interesting. We are riding in cycling shorts. In Holland and the north of Germany it was definitely not the thing to do. As we move south, cycling shorts, cleats and helmets become more usual. At the same time, cyclist especially in the city becomes less prevalent. The north sees cycling as more of a part of daily life that does not require special clothing. The southern part sees it as more of a specialized activity.

Over and out from Bad Ems.