Stanford Student Letters and Memoirs

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a bottle to take back to the burh with us to share with Dr. Boerner since he helped us plan our trip and is anyway a generally great guy.

March 28th

Sunday we had a few more mile of the rugged Rhine to Rudesheim, then mostly flat slightly rolling country on into Weisbaden and across to Mainz. The most interesting incident was in passing Bingen where there is a stretch of shallows and very dangerous water. Just about the time we rode by a large barge had run aground and damaged its rudder, tying up traffic behind it as effectively as a big accident on the Bay Bridge. We stopped for about a half hour to watch as the damaged ship drifted carefully backward through the line of companion vessels to find safe anchorage for repairs. Then slowly the waiting boats moved single file cautiously thru [through] the narrow safe water channel. While all this was going on we fired a constant line of questions to an old man standing beside us, and in that half hour we learned a lot of river lore. Once again, traveling by bike and thus seeing so much more of what we pass, and speaking German, made possible the sort of experience which is inaccessible to the average traveler.

In getting into Mainz, we went first to see the cathedral- a sort of white elephant of several architectural styles- built of soft pink marble, and yet to me pleasing in spite of its mixed style. Unfortunately the inside is closed for restoration so we had to miss that part. After stopping briefly to see a monument to Johannes of Guttenburg (who was born and prited [printed] his famous book here in Mainz) we rode on out here to the hostel which is situated on a hill above the Rhine near where the Mainz flows is. It is large (300 beds) and modern ut there were only four of us here last night so it was sort of family style.(

Today is again sunny and beautiful and we are leaving soon to bike on to the city of Worms then on to Heidelberg and mail again!!!!!!!!! where we stay all day Wednesday too. From there probably 3 days back to Beutelsbach. I am glad we have cut our daily travel down to about 50 kilometers. It makes about 6 hours leisurely biking and time to stop and see things. And at night I am still plenty tired to sleep well and the muscles seem to remember each morning that they worked the day before. We were really put to shame last night to learn that one of the fellows staying here came yesterday by bike, a distance by his route of 120 miles, and part of it pretty hilly country too. The day before he had gone from Munich to Stuttgart- so by German standards out [our] efforts are fairly small time as you can see. Of course, we are each carrying about 30 pounds of baggage to weight us down.

March 30th

Another three full days have gone by since I wrote from Mainz and in 3 more we will be back in Beutelsbach. It has been quite a trip- very interesting and much fun but we will both be glad to get back to the burg and see everyone again, and to return to hot showers, really clean clothes, three hot meals a day though our cold ones have been terrific and fun too. We are staying tonight at the hostel in Everbach, between Heidelberg and Heilbronn on the Neckar river. The ride along the Neckar is the last leg of our journey, taking us as far as Ludwigsburg (near Stuttgart) for Friday night. From there we will ride to Beutelsbach Sat morning, probably stay with the

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