TdE - Day 8 Cochem - Boppard

Route: Cochem - Mosel - Koblenz - Rhein - Boppard 
Distance: 77 km
Elevation: 128 m
Duration: 3:57 h
Weather: initially fresh and foggy, then sunny and hot, 17 - 29 C

The forecast for today promised heat, too much heat for me to cycle. So I decided to start early and in principle the idea was to take a ship from Koblenz to Boppard, but this is everything I ever saw of that ship:

But well, I did manage to cycle to Boppard and will take the ship tomorrow instead.

But back to the start of the day, which began with what has been by far the best breakfast of this trip. A buffet with absolutely everything:

This is actually only a part of the buffet. And it was more surprising by the fact that the accommodation itself was quite simple (but clean and I had my own bathroom) and Cochem seemed to be a very popular destination, witnessed by the fact that I had for the first time some difficulties finding an accommodation. So this breakfast was a real surprise. There was even home made jam, all types of cheese, sausages, 4 different types of mustard…

With such an excellent breakfast although I started early (shortly after 8:00), finally I wasn’t on the road until 9:15, which was always going to be tight to make it until 12:00 the 53 km to Koblenz. 

However thanks to the early departure at least the first hour of riding was actually cold, as the mist was still hanging in the deep valley over a Mosel acting as a mirror.

The bicycle path today was present, but I think that’s the best one can say about it, as it was mainly just one lane of the main road. Not mixed with the cars, but not properly separated either and not specially scenic (if one dismisses the general scenery). 

Although catching the ship was always going to be a close call, I did press on attempting to get it. Was this a good idea? Well, it didn’t work out, but there weren’t also any really nice spots to stop along the Mosel today. 

Koblenz however seems to be a city built for cars in mind only, which is probably true, as it look like a lot of the infrastructure was built in the 60s and 70s. So trying to find my way through it to the jetty wasn’t a specially nice experience. 

The jetty area however was nice, and seeing that I had missed the ship anyway I took a break and a bratwurst in the shadow of some big trees and then proceeded to the “Deutsche Eck”, the place where the Mosel flows into the Rhein. Mosel from the left, Rhein straight ahead:

But it is also the spot where this rather ugly, nationalistic monument stands (rendered even more ugly by taking a picture against the sun):

I just learned that while the statue of Wilhelm I was originally erected in 1897, it got destroyed in WW2 but rebuild about 20 years ago. Um, I hope not a lot if my tax money did go to that…

Tucholsky did already describe this monument in all its monumentality a century ago. (See below)

After resting I took up the challenge of the last 22 km of the day in the intense heat along the Rhine (now river upwards!) 

After one more break along the way and filling up my water bottle at a campground, I made it to Boppard, a touristy, small town that seems to be stuck in the 60s or 70s…

My hotel for the night even seems to be right from the 50s (the interior) …

…the building itself obviously is even older:

After a cooling shower I walked a bit through town, had an ice cream, reserved a restaurant for tonight and came back to my room, where I am now sitting on the bed writing these lines, before starting momentarily to dinner! 

Tucholsky, “Denkmal am Deutschen Eck”:

… Und da war der Rhein, der kitschumrauschte, und, wie bei Goethe steht, da waren große Schiffe im Begriffe, auf diesem Flusse hier zu sein ... und plötzlich bekam ich den größten Schreck auf dieser Reise. Ich weiß es noch ganz genau:

Wir gingen auf der breiten, baumbestandenen Allee; vorn an der Ecke war eine Fotografenbude, sie hatten Bilder ausgestellt, die waren braun wie alte Daguerrotypien, dann standen da keine Bäume mehr, ein freier Platz, ich sah hoch ... und fiel beinah um.

Da stand – Tschingbumm! – ein riesiges Denkmal Kaiser Wilhelms des Ersten: ein Faustschlag aus Stein. Zunächst blieb einem der Atem weg.

Sah man näher hin, so entdeckte man, dass es ein herrliches, ein wilhelminisches, ein künstlerisches Kunstwerk war. Das Ding sah aus wie ein gigantischer Tortenaufsatz und repräsentierte jenes Deutschland, das am Kriege schuld gewesen ist – nun wollen wir sie dreschen! In Holland.

Zunächst ist an diesem Monstrum kein leerer Fleck zu entdecken. Es hat die Ornamenten-Masern.

Oben jener, auf einem Pferd, was: Pferd! auf einem Roß, was: Roß! auf einem riesigen Gefechtshengst wie aus einer Wagneroper, hoihotoho! Der alte Herr sitzt da und tut etwas, was er all seine Lebtage nicht getan hat: er dräut in die Lande, das Pferd dräut auch, und wenn ich mich recht erinnere, wallt irgend eine Frauensperson um ihn herum und beut ihm etwas dar. Aber da kann mich meine Erinnerung täuschen ... vielleicht gibt sie dem Riesen-Pferdchen nur ein Zuckerchen. Und Ornamente und sich bäumende Reptile und gewürgte Schlangen und Adler und Wappen und Schnörkel und erbrochene Lilien und was weiß ich ... es war ganz großartig. Ich schwieg erschüttert und sah Jakoppn an.

»Ja«, sagte Jakopp, »das ist das Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal am Deutschen Eck.«

Richtig: da floß noch ein zweiter Fluß in den ersten Fluß, und es war, wenn man von den Fabrikschornsteinen absah, eine hübsche Gegend, viel zu hübsch für dieses steinerne Geklump, für diesen Trumm, diesen Trubas von einem Denkmal. …