Rain on the Rhine!

A change in the weather was certainly afoot last night as we got into the tent, with clouds gathering and rumbles of thunder in the distance.

It was still warm enough to need to leave the tent door open though! I stayed awake just long enough to see a few flashes of lightning before falling asleep as the rain began its pitter-pattering on the tent.



By morning, things had mostly dried out, but the forecast was for more wet weather to come.



We followed the river past a few decent sized bridges and some fertile plains where thousands of pot plants were all neatly arranged.



Soon enough, Düsseldorf loomed large on the horizon, as did some more dark clouds.



We pressed on as fast as we could in the hope of getting to Duisburg before the rains.





Rather than hang out in Düsseldorf, we only had a brief stop as the threat of rain felt like it was getting closer fast! They do have a quirky church tower though, which we gave some appreciation!



As Clare came out of the supermarket with some supplies, the first drops began to fall. It was still really warm, so we opted to get wet shorts but wear waterproof jackets.



Soon enough we were in the thick of it! Quite often the route was a bit exposed leaving us nowhere to hide!



Just before Duisburg, we stopped to check the route, then moved inland through some of Germany’s less salubrious residential areas. All manner of cultures and shops, cafes and kiosks were present, but we just peddled through aiming for the hotel. 



Thankfully, the hotel is okay, as the area around it wouldn’t be our usual haunts! It’s pretty much next to a major road bridge, but is part of an organisation called ‘Bett & Bikes’, which are bike friendly hotels. The lady at reception talked loud as fast at me as I dripped over the floor, but she turned out to be very friendly. There is a bike garage (behind 3 locks, which gives a little indicator about the area!), and we have a room which is now full of clothes and kit hanging up to dry. After stripping off and having a shower, we both fell asleep for a bit as it turned out we’d done 60km! 

Later the same lady made us a lovely cup of coffee while we planned our next moves in the deserted bar area. 

Total Ride = 60km