Last day on our Mosel cycling trip.
The usual pattern this morning, with a fabulous breakfast followed by an early start to beat the heat.
We’d intended to have Kaffee und Küchen en route but by the time we were ready for a break, we were nearly at Koblenz, so decided to push on.
I’ve made some progress with my Duolingo German this week – I’ll probably be ready to order a meal by the time we leave tomorrow. At least it’s been fun saying bitte! and danke! I also got to use Entschuldigung today when I nearly cycled over an old lady with her shopping. Not to mention the old guy who came up behind us on his bike today and shouted Achtung! just like in all the Commando comics we used to read as kids. Of course he could have just rung his bell but I’m glad he didn’t.
On our previous cycling trips in France I would say Bonjour to people as I cycled past. The last couple of days I’ve been saying Morgen to everyone, although that leaves me a bit stuck after midday. Hallo doesn’t have the same ring. People have been generally happy to reply in kind. I think the majority of other cyclists we’ve come across have been German, although it’s hard to be certain. I remember a Hungarian tour guide I had years ago. She was a party girl, clearly grumpy at being stuck guiding a family tour in Italy. We used to sneak out in the evenings looking for night life. Anyway, she reckoned she could tell what country people were from by the way they dressed. American girls, for example, wore short shorts and high ponytails. Australians wore jandals. Kiwis were recognizable by the earthy tones of their outfits. I think the term was actually muddy, or maybe dull. I’ve always remembered that conversation, and tried to wear bright colours when overseas. I was a little disappointed just now when we were in the hotel reception, complaining about our room, and the lady I pushed ahead of in the queue asked me if I was from NZ. It turns out I was wearing a Queenstown baseball cap. Anyway, luckily this lead to a conversation about a trip they’d had to NZ a few years ago – they’ve all been to NZ, honestly – and they loved it, so my rude behaviour was forgiven.
Koblenz is a picturesque city on the confluence of the Rhine and the Mosel. We’ve spent the afternoon wandering around, and it’s been great. You can take a cable car across to a fort up on the hill on the other side of the Rhine, which gives you a lovely view looking back.
