clairedavieswriter

Having cycled into a headwind for 11 days and 800km, today, finally, the flags swung in my favour – smiley face indeed.

I had some sympathy for the many cyclists coming in the other direction – teeth gritted, shoulders hunched, legs straining against the blast. We were all following the fantastic river Main cycle way:

The weather didn’t really show it in its best light:

But the Radweg gave us great views of the vineyards that this area is famous for, growing on steeply sloping ground on the west-facing bank, and sometimes right next to the path:

And the sun did come out for a while:

Würzburg was on my route today and I’d been looking forward to going back, having visited on a family van holiday about 10 years ago. I found there was indeed much to recommend it, starting with the approach, across an old stone bridge:

Which takes you directly into the old town:

Where you find the jewel in Würzburg’s crown, the 18th century Residenz – sorry, not the best photo:

I didn’t go inside, but according to Gloria Google it is one of the largest and most beautiful Baroque palaces in Germany and its Imperial Staircase features the world’s largest ceiling fresco, spanning 18 x 30 metres.

Like Hannover, Würzburg was extensively bombed by the RAF in WW2. The staircase survived, but much of the rest of the Residenz, and the city, was destroyed. Painstaking reconstruction work continued into the late 1980s.

The same happened with the Marienberg Fortress across the Main from the old town. Home to the local prince-bishops for nearly 500 years, it was badly damaged in the war and only fully rebuilt in 1990:

It was all very impressive, and lots of people were enjoying the sights of Würzburg today.

But as often, it was the smaller, lesser-known towns that I found more appealing, starting with Gemünden am Main, whose streets were still quiet this Sunday morning:

And Karlstadt, between there and Würzburg, with its ruined Karlsburg castle:

… fairytale towers, timber-framed houses:

… and medieval city walls. This old gateway was etched with past flood-levels. 1948 was bad enough – the height of Bernard’s handlebars. But the highest, from 1784, was right at the top of the arch. Bear in mind that the current river level is about 6 feet below Bernard’s wheels…

Ochsenfurt, my destination today, is another unsung gem. For a tiny place, it has a disproportionate number of towers, many of them with something of a Shrek-like quality:

And a town hall with an extraordinary clock tower:

But for me the town’s most attractive feature is all its old shop signs, like this one:

And this:

And this:

My hotel has one too. Incidentally, if my room is anything to go by, the ‘moderne Fremdenzimmer’ were modern sometime in the 1970s:

But its beer comes fresh from its own brewery, so it would have been rude not to try some:

I was also a sucker for this simple bit of marketing: ‘don’t keep going, have a drink right here!’ Though at that point it was still coffee o’clock

Other highlights included this enterprising vending machine, selling wine, soft drinks, eggs, cured sausages and tinned meats – everything a cyclist needs for a boozy picnic:

And this was my Sign of the Day, because to me (and know I’m not alone in this) it looked like a bra, not a pair of wine bottles:

Speaking of good support, it looks like there will be plenty of happy German fans tomorrow. And I’m happy to say I have just one more day of riding till my next day off. Bis morgen!