Day 31 - Tue 30 Jun: Stuttgart to Heilbronn

June 29, 2015

Estimated km: 56; Actual km: 76; Total km: 1292; Ride time: 4h55m; Start time: 8:30am; End time: 3:30pm; Av speed: 15.5 kph

18-35deg, fine, clear blue skies and sunny.

We had a bread roll with cold meat and cheese, real coffee, fruit and yoghurt in our room for brekkie to start the day. The Mercure provided us with a coffee machine and pods which were renewed every day.

The peloton got away at 8:30am and were on an immaculate bike path immediately, which is completely normal in Germany. We rode through the park where we were yesterday past the Zoo and onto the path beside the Neckar River. It was already warm by this time and it stayed clear and warm all day, just the way us Qld’ers like it. Some found it a bit too warm though.

The bike paths most of the way were smooth, sealed and well signed. There were a few hills, not too steep but longish which kept everyone honest. The first stop was Ludwigsberg, one of the biggest baroque palaces in Germany. Although we didn't have time to go into the palace or grounds it's got to be one of the prettiest we've seen from the outside. The flower gardens were truly spectacular. While we were in this town we stopped off for mornos at a nearby bakery.

For a lot of the trip we had a view of very steep terraced vineyards; part of the Neckar Valley Wine Region. We wouldn't bother working such steep slopes in Oz, but when land is precious like it is in Europe you have to. We came across a helicopter crop duster dusting the grapevines; on some of these slopes and it seemed about the only sensible way to do this sort of work. They have installed monorails or flying foxes on each holding to help get supplies or grapes up/down the slopes.

Our lunch stop was a nice surprise; Besigheim, unbeknown to us it turned out to be a lovely medieval village worth a wander and a few pictures. We also passed some nice orchards of apples, cherries and some pears. It was tempting to do a raid on the cherries as they are ripe now, however we didn't know how they'd treat a bunch of Aussie cyclists in Germans jails.

After finding and checking-in to our hotel for the night (B&B Hotel), and a shower to freshen up, we went for a walk to find a decent dinner spot and to check out some of the sights of Heilbronn. We saw the Rathaus (Town Hall) with its Astronomical clock, a weird looking bit of street sculpture, the Robert Mayer statue (a famous German physician and physicist) and then St Kilian’s Church (Kilianskirche, a Protestant Gothic hall church with origins going back to the 11th century. The church has one of the most remarkable renaissance church towers in Germany).

Dinner was at a beer garden beside the river. Good tucker for hungry cyclists; Greg had spare ribs while Wendy had a pasta dish. Nice to be outside on a warm, clear evening. We strategically chose a table upwind from the smokers so we would not be disturbed. It was a relatively early night in a nicely air-conditioned room after the warm day in the saddle.