Breweries & Castles: one last time...

Day 11: Rothenburg to Mainz The last riding day. Again perfect weather and great roads without traffic. Heading west towards the Odenwald and the Rhine, we stopped at Creglingen to marvel at the woodcarving skills of arists of the 16th century before taking in more curves and scenery. The view from Frankenstein castle, a short visit at a local airshow and a final ferry ride across the Rhine before we all arrived back to Mainz. Tired but happy! Day 10: Ehingen to Rothenburg After another evening with great food and - of course - good beer, we headed north across the "Schwäbische Alb" to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a "must see" for any visitor to Germany. Morning mists from the night's rain soon gave way to bright sunshine. After visiting the birthplace of the Teddy-bear, lunch in a shady beer-graden the winding roads along the Kocher river took us to our destination. Day 9: Rothaus to Ehingen Another full day of great riding, cultural highlights and culinary delights. A Black Forest rollercoaster in the morning, a short stint through Switzerland, two Rhine crossings, wide open scenery on the Swabian Alb, a ride along the young Danube, a great picnic, an amazing abbey church, a few extra curves in the valley of the Lauter... almost too much to list. Check out the pics! Day 8: Rest day in Rothaus Rothaus, smack in the middle of the Black Forest, was our base for an amazing "rest" day: sleep in, ride some twisty roads for a few hours, have a great lunch, ride some more, relax, take a guided tour through the brewery, drink some beer, have dinner. Day 7: Nancy to Rothaus Today we say good-bye to Frane and hello again to Germany. The roue takes us from Nancy in Lorraine over the Vosges mountains into the Rhine valley. The Black Forest with its winding roads and Germany's highest brewery (at 1000m above sea levele) wait for us. Grey skies in the morning were soon replaced by a blue sky with few white clouds: perfect riding weather! Day 6: Reims to Nancy Rest day in and around Reims Day 4: Across the Ardennes to Reims, France. The "son & lumière" at the cathedral in Reims is a spectacular display of, well, sound & light, with the facade of the giant building serving as a screen. Pictures or even videos can't do it justice, you have to experience it. Still, here are some impressions: Day 3: Luxemburg to Belgium Rain followed us for most of the day on our ride along the backroads of Luxembourg and Belgium. It made the green of the forests and meadows even more intense. Day 2: Along the Mosel river to Luxemburg After traveling for two days, following the big rivers Rhine and Mosel, sampling the local wines and beers as well as countless curves in some of Germany's best riding regions we arrived in Luxemburg today. Dinner is about to start and we just can't wait to taste the local brew... Day 1: Fairy-tale Germany