Day 2 Mainz to Nierstein to Worms

Ok, do you all feel as cheated as I do?  Day 1 was nothing more than checking in at 4 pm, having dinner and sleeping. Now the fun begins.  

This morning we woke up in Mainz and headed down to breakfast at around 7:30.  We didn't know what to expect so up we got.  We had a bit of food, but this is not the norm for us. Usually we just do a glass of milk for me and an orange juice and banana for George.  We made our lunch and got ready to start the first day of our a bicycle trip.  This cruise is unlike any other we have been on.  The boat sails by day and stays docked over night.  I guess this makes sense.  We are riding our bikes along the river and need somewhere to rest overnight.  The room is comfortable enough.  

When compared to our Around the World cruise, the room is smaller but made up so much better.  There is a rather large closet with shelves built into it. A hidden cabinet behind the mirror, a nice table with under-top shelves, two sets of drawers under the beds, a couple of hooks on the wall and shelves above both beds.  The downside?  There are two single beds.  George and I haven't slept apart since the first day we have been together...no, that is a lie.  The first night we shared a room we did have separate beds, but that was ages and ages ago. The beds are comfortable enough and if we wanted to, we could turn them into sofas by day.  

The bathroom has a shower and a cabinet under the sink.  It's nothing to write home about, but it is big enough to do the job.  Although I'm sure there are a few on the ship who will have problems.  

The ship has the usual dining room where dinner is served promptly at 6:30 and a lounge with a bar.  There is a sundeck upstairs where the guys played chess the other day and where they store our bikes when they are not in use.  2 decks worth of passengers and there you have it.   

So now that you know what our ship is like, it's time to take off for our first day of riding.  Even though I went to see the cathedral yesterday, we went again this morning.  I wanted to see the ammonites. They did not disappoint. 

The cathedral itself was pretty enough. I enjoyed the square outside the church as well, but what really struck me was a monument in an out of the way corner carved of wood.  It was simply stunning.

A few other things in the area caught my eye as well.  

We left town and headed out across the bridge.  

Our trip today wasn't that long only 29 km, but it was enough to exhaust us.  We stopped at a biergarten so George could have a beer.  We much prefer to have a lunch and a beer around 12:30, but because of this packed lunch thing, that did not happen.  An earlier lunch suits us because we use it to break our fast.  We ended up having our lunch back on the ship when we returned.  But boy that ice coffee we had was delicious!  And George enjoyed his beer so all is good.

We took a ferry across the river and of course George fell down.  His wrist was swollen and his knee hurt but he's fine now.  José gave him some advil and he now swears by the stuff.  

Along the way, we spent a lot of time reflecting on the recent flooding. We were fortunate in that the water receded far enough so we could continue with the cruise as planned.  Just 2 days before Oskar would have been covered in water.

The storks are smart: 

When we finished our trip, we retired to the front deck of the ship, had our sandwiches and watched the river go by.  Of course, I look like a lobster from the sun I got there but all in all, it was a great day!

We docked in Worms for the evening, and after dinner George took to the bed to recover from his fall while the rest of us took a walk around the town a bit.  We saw a beautiful rose garden and a few intersting buildings. 

Tomorrow is another ride...