Well, Bonn and Cologne . . . ??

OK. OK.

Trust! But verify!

An excellent tasting menu last night (mit wein, of course) may have dulled my senses somewhat this morning. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and I was on the road early.

Just as well.

I got distracted and took a wrong turn. And my Garmin reacted just a bit too quickly (spoiler: it saw I was headed in the wrong direction. Instead of beeping and saying take a U-turn immediately, it calculated the next junction where I could do that (so it looked like I was bang on course). . . aren’t these tech solutions so stupid sometimes?) (or is that just me?)

The thing is, you get used to tipping along on a good surface, right beside the river. You say to yourself “Alright Julia, let’s get into the groove” and you switch off.

Except, I was heading south, back towards the Alps, instead of North towards Rotterdam.

That bridge . . . fine architecture . . . striking . . . haven’t I seen it before? 🤔

Turn around Bob – 15k added to my route. Doh!

I should have remembered the shadow test . . . heading North, early in the morning, your shadow should be to your left (moving to right in front of you).

This mindfulness stuff is trickier that you think. (reminds me of corporate governance – but that’s for another day, another blog (not!))

Best vines on the steepest slopes

Remagen (remember the bridge)

Ludendorff bridge at Remagen (built 1916) was the only Rhine bridge captured intact by advancing Allied forces in March 1945. Attempts to demolish it by German sappers failed and four officers were subsequently court martialled and shot. However, the bridge had been weakened, and 10 days later it collapsed suddenly, killing 28 American army engineers. During this period a substantial bridgehead was established on the east bank and pontoons across the river enabled the Allied advance to continue despite the bridge’s collapse. Bridge towers remain on both banks, the one on the west bank containing a peace museum and memorial.

Koln – 1,172 kms