Now that the sun was out again, I could explore Koblenz. At the junction of the Rhine and the Moselle, it was an important trading hub, and the castles on the surrounding hill emphasized that point. I cycled up to one, but was disappointed to see that it was closed, and that I could not even get a good panorama of the city from the top of the hill.

I would not see much more of the castles, because I was taking a train to Mainz, and starting my journey from there.

The train ride flew by, barely gaving me time to start writing about my travels. I took advantage of the train station bakery to buy lunch, and headed out again. I would be following the river for the first half of the journey, before turning inland, and cycling along the base of the vineyards, until I reached Heidelberg, my destination for the day.

Just as I started feeling like I had left the modern world behind, I spotted large circular antennae dishes peeking up’ above the trees. I had stumbled upon “Satelliten-Messstelle Leeheim”, a collection of radio telescopes used fro radio astronomy.

Some time later, I would spot more antennae emergin from a forest. Wire towers connected by cables in weird patters. This time, I had found a relay station for Radio Free Europe. Going from the reviews on Google Maps, the locals seemed to be quite annoyed about the facility.

Throughout the day I passed endless vineyards, the path sloping up to meet them in grueling climb, then gliding effortlessly back down to the valley floor, but, as the golden hour hit, a tower overlooking a village, surrounded by vineyards drew my eye. In an attempt to get a good picture, I climbed higher and higher into the vineyards, riding when I could, pushing my bicycle when the path grew too craggy. Eventually, I turned around, and stopped to enjoy the vista.

It was all worth it. The road seemed to curve upwards to meet the green vineyard, and the setting sun gave it a golden sheen. I was sweaty and winded, but the effort had paid off.

A short time later, I reached Heidelberg, where a friend welcomed me for a feast. It was the Persian new year, and we all sat cross legged on a carpet, eating home cooked Persian food.