As we ride into Nierstein only the lone Cuckoo answers the Church Bells call to midday prayers at the Kilianskirche Catholic Church. The steeple of which pierces the sky above the vertical grape vines. It’s wine and tourism that draw the faithful now.

It’s rained a tidy skyful this last week. Sodden touring cyclists are everywhere along the trails and road closures with diversions are common. We compare notes with ‘The Good Canadians‘, whom we first met in Cologne as we leapfrog one another along the Euro Velo 15.

We carry one extra set of dry clothing so mostly we are damp and musty, like the country we travel in. It’s a challenge to keep the tent completely dry too. While riding in the rain, we play our favourite wet weather game: “It’s not as bad as that weather we had out at Deception Pass in Washington State, how about the icy rain on the Cliffs of Moher along the Atlantic coast of Ireland or that morning in Tasmania riding over the Gog range in the rain and fog. Almost as scary as that lightning storm we were caught up in out on the Barkly Tablelands near Camoweal in outback Queensland. The truth is it’s all good, such a marvellous experience to be here cycling in the European countryside. While cities can be a challenge for cyclists, we enjoyed the old city centre of Mainz, Spayer’s multiple churches, Worms with its beautiful Nibelungenturm bridge and the enchanting clock that wasn’t (it was an actual water meter) The sun came out for us when we rode through the Waldstadt forest as we entered the beautiful city of Karlsruhe.

The Rhine becomes Rhin when we cross the border into the Alsace region of France at Bas-Rhin. France greeted us with a thunderstorm. Taking shelter briefly under a shop awning, a friendly local woman suggests Therese should be wearing pants, Therese replied in perfect French “Mais j’ai de Belles jambees” (but I have beautiful legs). We all laugh and our French lady says in English ‘“Have a good route”.