Yesterday I made it to a small village called Stockum. Didn’t ride a great distance since the terrain got considerably more hilly here further south. The trail also vanished on me a few times which didn’t help. Temperature spiked to about 32C – so I was grateful when riding under the canopy…

Passed this first larger stone castle perched on the hill. The terrain has shifted and you now see bigger rocks in the soil and the first few rock cliffs in river canyons

Of course this means the look of the farm houses and churches have changes – now build in exposed stone …

Crossing lots of streams – no way to travel fast on these paths …

Tons of windmills everywhere in the countryside…

Today on my final stretch to Köln I woke up to thunderstorms. In the morning – heavy downfall for 30min – then clear for 30min. I would stop and wait under cover for the worst to pass ..

Lots of clear cutting in the hills …

Now stopping more frequently for icecream in order to keep up with the calorie burn …

Arriving in Köln along the river after ~70 miles of riding ..

Went to see the cathedral. Not much old town left – I guess it was all destroyed during the war …