Yesterday I left my hotel downtown Köln an followed then main bikelanes out of the city – behind other commuters …

Made it out of the city pretty fast – following small farm roads. Hunting towers everywhere in the countryside …

Notice how further along the wheat is here more south – almost ready to harvest

Seeing the first orchard plantations now – pears, apples, plums mostly ..

Small chapel along a river valley …

Biked through the Nürbergring. Looks like they were getting ready to have some major competition with all the folks pitching tents. Loud parties everywhere.

Some Porsche was making laps….

Started looking for a place to stay late around 6pm. Not many places in the countryside around there and first 3 places were booked. Finally found a place in a village with maybe 10 houses. Pretty run down but very cheap. Besides one other person I was the only person there

Today in the morning I rode down the mountain to Cochem on the Moselle river. My next vacation will be lounging and sipping local white wine on one of these cruise ships 🙂

Castle on the hill above

Vineyards on the steep slopes on both sides of the river ..

Great bike path along the river valley – going for miles. Lots of folks touring on e-bikes visiting wineries. I will be back …

It was a steep 1h climb out of the valley – took a road up just behind the church on the hill above. I’m hitting what I would now call small mountains, no longer just large hills …

Stopped for lunch in a small village. This region now has the timber on the houses painted brownish red. The church in the back also with same paint …

Loading up on carbs …

Long section of the trail followed this abandoned rail line ..

Going through villages …

Finally made to Kaiserslautern after another 1.5h climb – total of 140km today. Needed some more carbs and some protein