The Rhein Valley of Germany
It was late afternoon as we arrived in Heidelberg. The ride to the youth hostel was only mile from the train station but it seemed longer. We took dinner at the hostel and forced our jet-lagged bodies to ride the two miles to the Alte Brücke (Old Bridge) over the Neckar River. The day's waning sunlight bathed the city in a warm glow as we biked along the river. The famous Heidelberg Schloss appeared golden against the green hills. Built by the prince electors of the Palatinate in the 1300's it now lies in a state of graceful ruin. We spent the evening exploring the Altstadt but knew we couldn't scratch the surface of all there was to see. Reluctantly we left Heidelberg in the morning. Although Marty and Gayle paid a visit to the castle after breakfast, it's difficult to spend the first full day of a bike trip sightseeing on foot. The road has too strong a pull. We promised ourselves to save the castle, marketplace, university, Kurpfälzisches Museum, and the hillside Philosopher's Walk for another trip.
The way to Karlsruhe was plotted using ADFC Radtourenkarte #20. The map was indispensable. The route was pleasant and uneventful over the generally flat terrain of the Rhine Valley. The 42 miles we calculated between Heidelberg and Karlsruhe turned into 50 by the time we reached the hostel. We meandered a bit due to the spotty bike trail signs that seemed to disappear as we passed through the several towns along the way.
Inside the castle we visited the Badisches Landesmuseum containing exhibits of art and antiques. The castle tower has a viewing platform 125 ft. high with impressive views in all directions. The castle Botanical Gardens and the tropical Greenhouse are exquisite. We found Karlsruhe to be a pleasant city delightfully free from tourists. We relaxed at a side-walk table in the charming but busy Ludwigsplatz. Sitting with the locals, drinking the regional beer, and people-watching on a balmy summer evening. What a life! We wanted to sign up for lifetime membership in the Café Society. As the evening drew to a close we settled for a good night's rest at the humble youth hostel.
We visited the Caracalla Thermen on a warm summer evening. This is the spa where one keeps their bathing suits on. There we found all manner of water therapy; indoor and outdoor pools, hot and cold pools, whirlpools, water jets, waterfalls, and a surge channel. There was a tanning room, sauna, and aroma steam bath. How come this hasn't caught on in America? We'd buy season tickets! Towels are offered to rent or to purchase for just a few DM extra. We bought our towels when we saw the snazzy Caracalla logo emblazoned on them. The youth hostel at Baden-Baden was well appointed and comfortable although one must climb a moderate hill to reach it.
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Upon arriving in Frankfurt we assembled our bicycles and stored the bike boxes at a public storage facility in the airport. We met Bonnie in the terminal after clearing customs. She had arrived from London the day before having just completed a two week bike trip in Scotland. We boarded the train at the airport bound for Heidelberg. The train ride is about 40 minutes but we stopped in Mannheim to rent a bike for Bonnie. She was traveling light.
As we approached Karlsruhe we entered a large forest with many hiking and biking trails intersecting our path. We stayed the course and found ourselves at the Karlsruhe Schloss, an imposing royal retreat built in 1715 by Margrave Karl Wilhelm for himself and his mistress. One wonders what kind of house the wife received! Karl Wilhelm subsequently designed the city that bears his name in a fan shape around the residence. The streets radiate out from the castle like spokes from a hub. The city's design became known worldwide and was made even more remarkable due to the fact there were no city walls or fortifications. With the castle as the radius the city developed to the south and much of the northern half remains to this day a forest preserve.
Next stop was the resort town of Baden-Baden, a short ride from Karlsruhe, tucked into a valley on the fringes of the Schwarzwald. Baden-Baden is known for it's world class casino but we opted to spend the evening at another of the town's highlights, the thermal spas. The Romans experienced the area's thermal springs 2000 years ago and it has evolved into therapy for whatever ails modern civilization, especially cycle travelers.
The next morning we biked the short distance to the Rhine, our first view of the fabled river. We crossed by ferry to the French side at Drusenheim. Voilà! A sign was our official greeting to France. The canal bike path continued as a rough gravel path so we opted to follow the Michelin road maps and travel along the highway. Fortunately in busy areas a paved sidepath was provided. Now we needed to find an ATM machine. Strasbourg lay just ahead.
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© 2001 Bob Parry and Ed James
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