Day 1,376
It was all going so well…
Our journey through Germany was getting better and better. The sun was out, the riding was easy and we were getting back into the groove of cycle touring. We also had a very special meeting arranged. We were heading to the city of Mainz to meet our beloved Isabell. We had met Isabell in the Baja in October 2022, and we rode together for around 3 weeks. It was a super special time, we all three got on so well and we were so excited to be reunited with our ‘Belle’.
The original plan was for us three to ride for a few days here but unfortunately Isabell had just had knee surgery. She had a partial knee replacement, actually called the ‘Oxford’ technique as it was developed in the UK. Whilst back in the Baja, Isabel's husband Jonas, wasn't with her full time as he had recently qualified as a surgeon, but he was with her to meet us too, and naturally as his skill set is joints, he was the man who did Isabell's knee surgery. Talk about keeping it in the family!
Mainz itself is a beautiful city, we stayed in the old town with narrow cobbled streets, churches loomed above us and endless street art and ancient monuments were everywhere, causing us to wander with open mouths and wide eyes. We also loved the cool vibe, the town was packed with people eating outside the cafes, bars and restaurants, but what was really special was the way people bought a bottle of wine, grabbed a few wine glasses and stood around chatting, or sat any and everywhere or just wandered around like us admiring the beautiful city. No fuss, no drama, just enjoying this beautiful evening.
The traffic lights in Mainz have a little character in - Det, one of the Mainzelmännchen cartoons
The reunion in Mainz
Isabel in the Baja
Finally we had to leave, along the path beside the River Mainz, naturally. Tom's bike had developed an annoying click. We had changed the pedals, removed and cleaned up the threads in the bottom bracket, but to no avail, click, click click he went. Though the bottom bracket is new we decided that in our next big town we'd replace it. Until then, click click click. We passed through Frankfurt, with tree-lined paths, skyscrapers mixed in with older buildings and more street art.
We had a destination for the night, another couple of warmshowers hosts, Markus and Barbara. They had invited us to spend the night at their wonderful home. They have created a small community, 8 flats but with a shared common room and garden. They have their own private space but also the support of each other. It's a way of living that has long interested Tom and I so we were thrilled to be there. On the way we had experienced our first really wet weather and I discovered that my waterproof was actually not waterproof. Wet through and frozen we had stopped to dry out and we had a treat in store. I had received a message from a wonderful guy called William S, he wanted to treat Tom and I to a coffee. So after a bit of a debate I signed up to buymeacoffee.com/debsandtom and William, as good as his word, paid for us to buy a coffee! The timing simply could not have been better, a hot drink has never tasted so good, what a wonderful treat.
The wonderful Barbara
The following morning we carried on, click, click, click. We stopped to admire the summer residence that the head of the church in Mainz felt was suitable for a man of his status. Built in the 1600s it dominates the skyline for miles around, sadly the current church leader has to find his own holiday home these days! Marcus had devised a new route for us, so we left Mainz and headed for them there hills. I was so pleased I rode all the really steep section, and managed to avoid the 100s of squashed frogs the logging trucks hadn't! Click, click, click. No trip is quite complete without something weird and we weren't disappointed with the upside down house, literally everything was upside down, the house, the car, the furniture, the toilet even, the cat and wellies by the door! Our destination that day was Wùrzburg. A wonderful beautiful city, the sky line dominated by a magnificent castle that put the summer house we'd seen a few days before to shame!
Click click click through the city, a bit of research led us to a wonderful repair shop, Erthal Sozialwerk. With my best Yorkshire-accented German I asked if anyone spoke English. We were introduced to Jonas, I think I have remembered that correctly. Could he take away our click please? No problem, straight into the workshop we trooped, within minutes a new bottom bracket was fitted. Tom went for a spin but the click click remained. No! In Jonas though we had our bike detective. He tried everything, he swapped out the front wheel, click click click. Removed bottle cages, click click click. Everything that needs lubing was lubed, click click click. We were narrowing it down though and then, finally a Eureka moment. We had found the source of the click!
The wonderful Jonas
It wasn't a time for celebration though. The welding repair to the damaged bottle cages we'd had done in Ecuador was hiding a rusting down-tube. We found a bulge on the bottom side of the tube, meaning a cracking frame. Tom's beloved bike, recently and painstakingly decorated by hand, had cycled its last mile. Its adventure was over. The question was, is ours too?
One fatally injured bicycle
