Between Bingen and Koblenz

Is there a better flow than one that you experience at a river? After this day I can hardly imagine it. Everything fitted together. The weather remained dry until the late afternoon, the cycle paths from Bingen via Koblenz into the direction of Cologne were in good condition, and my little folding bike almost wheeled by itself. On top of that I had an ideal travel companion with Kai from Cologne, who I first met shortly after Bingen.

Short distance

The Lorelei

We drove about the same speed and had a lot of conversation topics. Like that hours were flying and almost as if by itself we made kilometers. I can warmly put to your heart especially the Rhine Gorge between Bingen and Koblenz if you ever want to do a cycling trip. There is a reason that this section with all its castles and the Lorelei belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage.

Length of a stage of the Tour de France

Thunderstorm behind Bonn

In Remagen Kai’s and my way separated. From there on I cycled all by myself. And still I felt quite fresh. At 5 p.m., after 135 kilometers, I reached Bonn. Now the ambition grabbed me. The prospect of meeting my family and sleeping in my own bed freed the last powers. In this last section, however, I had to deal with a lot of water coming from above. Almost in the dark I passed the cathedral of Cologne, 20 minutes later I stood in front of my own door. Out of breath, but happy. The day’s summary: almost twelve hours on the road, 186 kilometers. Some of the stages of the Tour de France aren’t longer than that.

Everything for the children of Thulosirubari

Cologne at nightfall

And I definitely feel that now. After the calorie stores are replenished, I only want to go to bed. On the eighth day of “School up! River down!” I also cracked the 1000-kilometer-mark. As a reminder, every kilometer I drive brings money to the “School up!” fund, with which we finance the reconstruction of the school destroyed by the earthquake in 2015 in the small Nepalese mountain village of Thulosirubari. More than 500 children from the mountain region are already looking forward to finally being able to get out of their provisional corrugated-sheet classrooms. If the flow leaves me, I simply think of these children. And keep rolling.

P.S. If you want to support my donation trip and don’t know exactly how it works, just click here.