Rheinsheim

we=129:2-on the way ---- Unfortunately the pictures are not uploaded - a shame

When Thomas (dialect poet and our hiking guide) invites you to go on a hike, many acquaintances and friends follow his call. In this way we have already seen many beautiful things, learned more about the history of the places we hiked through and met lots of people who couldn't be more different. But one thing unites this group: everyone loves the hikes with Thomas and his wife Michaela.

Even if the announced kilometers are in most cases too low, we have never minded covering up to five kilometers more. After all, there is always a restaurant waiting at the end that we might not have discovered otherwise.

We started at the train station in RHEINSHEIM. The weather was ideal for a hike: sun, clouds and a cool wind every now and then. Sunscreen and all the other important items easily fit into the backpack. The rain jacket was lying unused at the bottom at the end of the hike. By the way, Rheinsheim can also be reached by tram from Karlsruhe. From the main station it takes just under 45 minutes and costs six euros. Or by bike, as a fellow hiker from Karlsruhe proved. However, he was on the road for almost 90 minutes - but he was well warmed up.

From the train station we walked along meadows, fields and forests, mostly on forest paths. Very relaxed and very quiet. On a Sunday morning there was no work in the fields either.

The first surprise came at BRECHTSEE: the clear water attracted many divers. A lot of diving equipment was taken out of the cars in the parking lot. At 12 degrees water temperature I thought that was brave! However, it was explained to me that ice diving was also on the to-do list. On the edge of the lake is the FISCHERHEIM, where we were provided with coffee, cake and chips. There were still a few kilometers ahead of us.

A little further on, the next surprise came: anglers on the Old Rhine arm had put a fish trap in the water to “store” their catch there; They were bait fish that were probably intended to attract the actual catch alive. Then again through a forest to the banks of the Rhine.

By the way: A locomotive sank in the river near Rheinsheim in 1852 when the freight ship that was supposed to take it to Cologne capsized. It sank in a storm and the heavy cargo with it. Many people may still remember that the locomotive was supposed to be recovered in 2018. A professor and Hessian railway enthusiasts were sure they would find the locomotive - but that wasn't the case; all efforts were in vain.

Not far away, at Rhine kilometer 387, the French army crossed the river on March 31, 1945 amidst fierce resistance from German soldiers. The French were then able to take Karlsruhe and advance via Bruchsal towards Stuttgart. Charles de Gaulle had ordered this so that the occupation of southern Germany would not be left to the Americans. Certainly no one else in our group knew about it. It's good that Thomas wants to share such knowledge with us.

Our group arrived around 4 p.m., after which the dining room quickly filled with more guests. The dishes on offer were consistently delicious and some could also be ordered as a try. I shared my portion of “Colorful Mushrooms” with great bread dumplings and very fresh mushrooms with a friend. The love of my life is a self-confessed sausage salad fan and orders this dish wherever it is on the menu. What was on his plate was also very tasty.

When all the hikers were full, our hiking guide added a few more meters so that we didn't have to go to the main road. We were able to marvel at a red Ferrari in the glass entrance to the house. And then we reached the train station and a wonderful autumn hike came to an end. THANK YOU Thomas and Michaela!