After yesterdays marathon effort we decided on a short day today. Mike chose a campground about 30kms away and we headed there.
Our first stop was Aldi as we’re we’re really low on supplies and water. Then we crossed the Rhine on a ferry.
We had a vicious head wind today and it was slow going. We didn’t get to Mikes chosen spot until about 1.30pm. It was a funny place where we had to ring a bell and wait to be let in. A girl hiker was already there and they let us all in at the same time.
Once we got inside I was constantly averting my eyes as everyone was naked. They showed us to a place where we could put up our tent but there was no shade. And it was hot!
Mike assured me he’d checked with them that I could be there. But I thought I’d better double check. I didn’t want to get in trouble for wearing my clothes to the bathroom.
The lady said no, I must take my clothes off to stay there. Seriously! The hiker translated for me, also taken by surprise. She said she had heard the place was cheap, but didn’t realise she had to take her clothes off. Anyway, I had no interest is sitting around all afternoon in full sun with no clothes on. Or in full shade for that matter. So we left. The girl decided to stay.
We sat down by the river and ate a banana baguette, our new favourite lunch. We found a campsite 16 kms away and navigated there. It is Saturday night and the campsite is very busy. It’s like our first night in Germany all over again. And it’s cost us $24 to stay!
We’re getting a bit grumpy with the busy expensive campgrounds in Germany. In fact, everything is more expensive than France. And the heat is hard work, and another heat wave is coming next week. We’ll keep an eye on it and get early starts when required.
We thought about eating in the camp restaurant but have decided we have spent too much money on camping already so Mike is making tuna pasta for dinner.
After showering and eating we felt much better and we’re actually camped in a really nice spot next to the Rhine overlooking the old town of Mainz on the other side. We’ll go explore Mainz tomorrow.