Tuesday 2 September 2014

CYCLING ALONG THE RHINE AND NECKAR RIVERS IN GERMANY

I have just returned from a wonderful cycle tour along the Rhine and Neckar Rivers in Germany.  Sleeping on board a simple but charming ship called the 'Patria' meant not worrying about dragging luggage along on the bikes.

The Patria was a joy.  The crew and captain became almost like family members. This is a second trip on this ship so we already knew them pretty well.  
 
300 kilometres in a week was not all that strenuous but at times , the area particularly along the Rhine was rather industrialised and crowded with traffic and tourists.  However, there were compensations with lovely vineyards sweeping down steep slopes towards the river.   Ancient castles stood like sentries on the high hills.  Reading some of the gruesome tales surrounding these fortresses, gave them a creepy sense of foreboding.

We were fortunate with the weather - There were just a few drops of rain during the day.  We had some heavy rain at night. There was a slight scare that the ship might not be able to navigate the Neckar River due to high water but fortunately the water level dropped.  The Neckar is a very unpredictable river and flooding is a serious problem.

Here are one or two photos and a sketch from my sketchbook.  There was little time for sketching but soon I will be going to France for ten days and hopefully my sketch book will see more action.



 

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I confess I do envy you your freedom to explore. You live in such a different world than us here. Enjoy your freedom and your painting. You deserve to be happy <3

Chammi Kaiser said...

Best of all my sketch book goes with me. I do enjoy the freedom to be able to ride my bicycle around this lovely area. I spend hours just enjoying the farms, animals , sitting on a bench with my sketchbook. A sandwich and a fruit juice always taste so much better in the open air.