As of Friday morning, the above is the view from the halfway point of my morning ride to the archives: an overlook point on a railway bridge where I can pull my bike over for a drink of water and a look at the Rhine. I acquired a reasonably-priced secondhand bicycle from a nice man in a nearby village, whose wife didn't need her bike anymore, and who was delighted to meet "a real New Yorker." So after a trial run and a nice chat, the bike was mine. The archive only does half-days on the weekend, so after an exciting Saturday of finding a house the leper hospital once owned and finding a reason to re-date the said hospital's account book (!) I set out to make the most of a gorgeous early-autumn afternoon. There will be plenty of chilly November Saturdays in which to write my dissertation... or thus, at least, I rationalized, as I set off along the marked bike trails surrounding Mainz and Wiesbaden. These paths wander through villages and through vineyards, along the river, past families and couples, people working in their gardens, people walking their dogs, and of course, other people on bicycles.Heading out of Mainz...
And finding out why this is called wine country:
Fähnchencreuz outside Wiesbaden:
When I saw a sign for the "bird's nest" outlook point, I decided to cycle to it, but wasn't quite sure what I was looking for, until this appeared on the horizon:
Nice views, too!
So bucolic!
Along the Main...
And heading home...
If the weather holds, I'll be hoping for more such outings; even if not, there's always the cycling commute.
"There will be plenty of chilly November Saturdays in which to write my dissertation... or thus, at least, I rationalized..." Enthusiastically agreed, just remember that you will need to have some free time when friends come to visit as well. :)
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