Warm shower, cold beer

We usually roll into a campsite at some point in the afternoon after a long day of cycle-seeing (my own made up word for cycling and sightseeing). Sometimes we are hungry, usually we are thirsty and we are almost always tired. We begin our little ritual of lazily building our tent, showering and washing our clothes before we head to find food for the evening. Most days this is a happily mindless routine that ends with our little home built and our comforts restored. Sometimes, as I’m sure you can imagine, you do miss being able to simply throw yourself into a ready made bed and forget about your laundry for as long as you can muster. Anyone who knows us well will know that both sleeping and avoiding chores are favourite hobbies of ours.

We both knew that our minds and our bodies couldn’t spend much more than a week camping every night. We had heard of a website, ‘warmshowers’, which cyclists use to find other cyclists they can stay with while they tour. We had tried it a few times but not had any luck securing hosts. As we left more industrial northern Germany and headed for the big city of Köln (aka Cologne) our luck turned and we were able to find a host with a real sofa bed, solid roof and a central apartment for 2 nights so we could have a day off to enjoy the city. Wolfgang was our saviour! 

As we wheeled into Wolfgang’s street we heard a hallo from above us and looked up to see a friendly-looking German man waving down to us from a gorgeous 3rd floor flat. Wolfgang showed us round his place and then took us out for a lovely Greek dinner followed by a local Kölsch beer. He told us tales of his travels through every corner of the world, including when he was a bell boy for both Bette Davis and Cary Grant! He was born in Cologne in the 40s and shared stories with us about how the city had changed since he had been to art school there. He told us some local jokes and fables and gave us some great recommendations for our day in the city. I slept like a baby that night. 

The Cologne cathedral is immense, the views were stunning and the chocolate factory samples were delicious! We spent a great day exploring the city and, despite our best efforts to let our bodies rest, were exhausted after our great weekend in Cologne. Wolfgang waved us off just as he had it welcomed us from his apartment window and we continued our cycle up the Rhine. The views have become more spectacular as we have moved towards the hillier landscapes. We are hoping the pattern continues as we do.

After such a successful stay with Wolfgang, we decided to try  warmshowers again in our next big stop in the beautiful town of Koblenz. We found a host who offered just to have us for dinner. Due to some issues involving covid tests and uncomfortable vibes, we decided not to spend the evening with him. We headed back to our lovingly built home of canvas and poles with a certainty that a cold beer would fix everything. So cheers to Wolfgang, to our tent and to adventures.

Speak soon,

Jack and Baz