Wow, the heat has really turned up a notch today. Having heard about the heatwave back home in the UK, it felt like it’s arriving here too as we cycled off through some fields of potatoes.
After a few kilometres, we stopped for a drink and some shade at an impressive Schloß.
Even though it was still morning, it was hot and we were both feeling a bit tired from yesterday’s efforts.
On the edge of Düsseldorf, we stopped again, this time under the shady brolly of a cafe on the street.
After a nice break, we soon realised that because it was a Sunday, all the shops were closed. We had no food with us, so thought we’d have to go for the expense option of a restaurant lunch, however a last minute discovery of a posh deli gave us a fine quiche along with a couple of other ‘products’ which tasted a bit like a scotch egg. They provided an excellent lunch down on the edge of the Rhine. Across the other side of the river, we could see the campsite where our friends Kelly and Bex stayed last night! They are riding the entire river from it’s source - we just missed them as they are on a tighter time schedule and had left at 5am to head north. So close!
To cross the river, we had to get to the bridge in the distance…
It must have been 500m to get across it! Huge!
On the far side, we found a super bit of shade to cool off under in the form of a tiny garden on the corner of a corn field.
Then, as luck would have it - we timed our ride past the field sprinkler to give us a cooling shower!
I got a light ‘misting’, but Clare took a soaking!
On ‘Martinstrase’ in Korschenbroich, we stopped for an ice cream by the church. Maybe it was the heat, maybe the fatigue or maybe it was just a really great ice cream, but it’ll go down as one of the best I’ve ever had! And only €1.30. It was just what we needed for the final few kilometres to Mönchengladbach, where Clare has secured us some ridiculously good value accommodation for the night.
We are in a ‘business’ studio, which, on a Sunday night is only just more expensive than camping! (And a lot closer than the nearest campsite!). Our bikes are safely stashed in the basement, we’ve had cold showers, a complementary box of chocolates and following on from yesterdays theme, there are two free bottles of wine in the fridge!?! Good value indeed!!
Total Ride: 56km
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