Read this blog: The one where we cycle through a vineyard.
Wednesday 12th July to Thursday [morning] 13th July 2023
Having travelled overnight again, we awoke in Speyer and started the day watching a local man fishing while we were eating our breakfast. But we failed to see him catch a single fish, only some seaweed as he gradually got further and further into the water. [His partner did not look as though they were going to go to save him if he fell.]
We started by heading into Speyer on foot, to go to the Technik Museum, which has many different vehicles on display ranging from bikes, cars, planes as well as mock ups of Apollo 11.
Jaime has commented that there are too many photos of the Technik Museum, but Robert insisted that he wants to show the vast array of vehicles. Be warned: the Technik Museum Speyer was opened in 1991 and contains more than 2,000 exhibits in a total exhibition area, both inside and outdoors, of over 150,000 m².
So get ready!
There was a row of Rolls Royce cars through the years. Jaime couldn’t really tell much of a difference between them but enjoyed the BMW bubble car behind.
They had one of the UK’s beloved Red Arrows planes suspended from the ceiling.
You were allowed to walk up and have a look inside a Soviet era shuttle called Buran [see Selfie of the day].
Seeing how thin the shuttle walls were and the limited hold space, along with the fact that the exterior was covered in what looked like bathroom tiles, it was scary to think that this had taken people into space.
There was a German submarine in the courtyard that you could also go inside. It seemed so big on the outside but musky and small when you were inside.
The end of the museum led us to the centre of Speyer. We headed towards Speyer Cathedral with its copper turret tips, which really stood out on the top of the hill where it stood.
We wondered through the town, seeing lots of pretzels and traditional German cafe/bars.
Near where our boat was docked, they were taking down a beer and pretzels festival. Something for Robert and something for Jaime but unfortunately it had finished the day before and they were packing everything up.
As we were docked here we took a better shot of the boat.
Robert borrowed one of the boat’s electric bikes and cycled into town to have a few pints before dinner. [See video of the day]
We traveled over night to arrive in Rüdesheimer for the morning. Robert and Jaime borrowed bikes to cycle into town (something Matilda – who feels vulnerable on the “wrong” side of the road without a car around her as protection – would never have done).
Rüdesheimer is famous for Riesling wine, so the hills were covered in vineyards.
Rüdesheimer had these lovely wine bars rather than pubs, as well as having little grape vines planted all along the street growing up the buildings.
Rüdesheimer is so far Jaime’s favourite place on the trip, it was a very picturesque little port town.
The other passengers on the cruise had a land train that took them around the vineyard, but as Robert and Jaime had travelled there by bike they were able to cycle up through the grounds independently.
Cycling allowed them to get a very nice view of the cable car, the vineyards and the little town below.
Cycling back towards the boat they came across the Hindenburgbrücke, the bridge that the Germans bombed themselves to destroy the access point that the American troops were advancing towards in the Second World War.
After the bridge, Robert and Jaime got split up and eventually had to cycle back to the point where they lost each other. Robert asked “What did you see?” Jaime responded with “McDonalds, Aldi, Lidl. You?” Robert: “A very scenic view of the river”.
They returned to the boat for lunch and the scenic afternoon cruise through the Rhine gorge.
Video of the day:
Selfie of the day:
Route Map:
