Sunday July 24, 2022, 55 km (34 miles) – Total so far: 1,973 km (1,226 miles)

We had a slow start to the morning as we both woke up exhausted. I probably would have stayed in bed but I needed the loo, which I managed to get to in my sleep. We thought about staying a second night in the busy campground but decided to find somewhere nicer.

At breakfast we met a nice couple from Australia who have been cycle touring up the Elbe river to Czech Republic, so I mentioned to Mike that I’d like to do that. Next thing, they’ve offered us their guide book. They fly home tomorrow and have no need for it. So that was really nice of them.

We stopped at the city of Mainz and had a quick look around. We’d hoped to get supplies but it was Sunday and everything was shut. Thankfully there was a bakery kiosk so we got some chocolate croissants and pretzels.

It was hot today and the day dragged. We stopped for lunch at a beer garden by the river. I had planned to be healthy and was about to choose a salad from the menu when I saw a lady with schnitzel and thought ‘I want that!’ So we ordered one each and some drinks. I handed over my card but they said cash only. We didn’t have enough cash so we ended up getting just one to share. I thought about cancelling my drinks but he’d already poured them.

Nobody takes cards in Germany, it is cash everywhere, even campgrounds. Something to do with high bank charges. So we need to get some cash out.

After lunch I struggled to stay awake as we cycled along, I was just so tired. We found a tree and lay the picnic blanket down and I promptly fell asleep for about 30 minutes.

I felt much better after my nap and we continued on in the heat. Apparently it’s only 30 degrees but it feels way hotter. We decided to stop at the first camp that looked ok.

The first few had no shade and didn’t have any space for tents. Then we arrived at one that looked perfect. Nice shady spot right next to the river with a restaurant and bar onsite.

We were going to cook but didn’t have much so opted for dinner at the bar. We both decided on schnitzel again as that was all that was on the menu that we understood. It wasn’t as good as lunchtime one though.

Turns out the town we are in is a picturesque fairy tale village so we’ll look around tomorrow.

You can watch days 49 and 50 here:

You can follow our journey on YouTube here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAP03_iOV9QrtahRxRPBTVB9ZTNOmdiznv