Sun Sep 24 – Cycle Day 3 – Germersheim to Heidelberg – 57.5 kms – App=221 meters (RWGPS=420 Meters) <<< Cycling with Open Beers, Picnic Lunch, Greek Supper >>> We set off today in the fog. As we crossed the Rhine River back to the east side, we were presented with a surreal view of the fog lifting over the river. We followed the river for a while then went inland. Today we travelled by many fields. We could not guess some of the crops, however we did identify what we thought was rutabaga. In one field they had been put in a big pile. Karen was raised on a farm and thus, agriculture interests her. The trails are all in good condition being paved or hard-packed. Like yesterday we did encounter some construction which necessitated some detours. There are many canals and lakes, so we see water often. In fact, for 3 days in a row now, we see swans. We sure appreciate them compared to the Canadian Geese we have! As we became hungry, we started looking for a place to sit down to eat our sandwiches that we had purchased yesterday. All of a sudden, at km 36.7, we came across a beer garden in the middle of nowhere (Gartenwirtschaft Johanneshof, Seewaldsiedlung 5, 68766 Hockenheim, Germany) before the town of Ketch. We put on the brakes and looked at the lovely garden setting. It was filled with people enjoying their meals. We bought the sandwiches yesterday because supposedly many of the restaurants would be closed on Sunday. So, here we were, ready to eat lunch there, but had our sandwiches. So, we decided to see if we could buy some beers to accompany our sandwiches. John guarded the bikes, while Karen, Cam and I went to the restaurant. We were told we could buy beer, but it had to be opened. We agreed and walked back to the cycle path with 4 opened beers. With the many people talking at the biergarten, along with the kids playing in a playground nearby, it was quite noisy, so we decided to move on to a quieter area. We drank the first quarter of the beer to bring down the beer level. Then Karen and John carefully arranged each 2 bottles in their opened handle-bar panier with other things holding them tight and gently rode down the path for about a kilometer, without any accident!!!! We spread out a plastic sheet on a paved extension on the side of the path. We had a wonderful picnic as we watched many people riding their bikes. In fact, the tandem couple that is riding the same segments as us, passed us by as we waved to each other. We ended the ride by going through a few towns until we reached Heidelberg. We stayed in a modern hotel. After checking in and showering we took a cab to a Greek restaurant in the old town. On the way there, we marveled at the houses and buildings across the Neckar River. They are exactly as the ones used in model train kits. We enjoyed our meal and taxied back.