Day 8 - Wiesbaden to Bingen
It seems like after missing the major weather events last week, I am now collecting them. But at least it also looks like it is only rain today and no thunderstorms. I guess I will skip the ferry and rather take the bridge.
The morning
I am still lazing in bed. 34km to go today, no rush really and the weather is nothing that fills you with energy. And it looks like the weather might be nicer in the afternoon, although the clouds will not break before 4pm and by that time I want to be in Bingen.
Breakfast is very nice here, I already know this from yesterday, but I will let the business crowd have breakkie before I go. And I think I need to treat myself to another flat white from Coffeehouse Tesla before I leave Wiesbaden.
The ride
As expected, the ride was wet, soggy, miserable. Especially the lack of mudguards on my bike became very obvious today with lots of splatter and mud all over me, my bike, and my bags. I looked like something the cat dragged in. But this is also part of doing a long bike ride and after being thoroughly drenched I was able to get into a meditative state and just cycle it out.
Overall, this was a relatively short day today. Once I crossed the Rhine to Mainz and went onto the bike path, it was smooth riding all the way. And I even got some kilometres in without any rain at all. Despite the short distance, it took me roughly 2.5 hours to get here to the hotel, which I attribute to getting lost several times in the pouring rain in Wiesbaden and really taking my time.
The hotel
The hotel is another highlight on the route called Papa Rhein in Bingen. It is a very edgy hotel with great views of the Rhine, great service, a very comfortable bed, and a very comfortable room (if quite a bit smaller than the last room). I think this could be a really good stop on the way between home and visiting family. It’s that kind of place. It just oozes cosiness and the restaurant has a really good reputation, which I’m going to test tonight.
As I missed lunch, I went to go for coffee and cake. One of the major advantages of burning tonnes of energy on a daily basis is that I basically find I can eat cake whenever I want to. I ordered a rhubarb cake with whipped cream, and this was the first thing that I did not like about the hotel. They actually serve this with canned cream, which I thought was a rather disappointing choice given the prominence of the restaurant and the overall style of the hotel. And the coffee did not impress me at all either. Now I’m really curious to see how dinner will turn out.
The dinner
In fact, dinner turned out quite well. The first course was marinated asparagus with coffee vinaigrette, whipped mascarpone and herbs. A very interesting combination, packed with lots of flavor. I paired that with a 2023 Casteller Silvaner, arguably not the best combination as the Silvaner was not complementing the dish well, but the wine was nice on its own.
Next up was lamp rack and neck with lentils and cauliflower tempura, again a very well-made and balanced dish with lots of flavor. This one I paired successfully with a 2021 Chateau Musar Jeune cuvée of Cinsault, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon from Lebanon - and that one really complemented the dish.
And desert was a coconut panna cotta with litchi-ginger sorbet, tapioca, and spicy pinapple. Felt like a deconstructed, alcohol-free piña colada, probably not a coincidence. The litchi-ginger sorbet was a good texture/temperature counterpoint to the rest of the dish but did not add much in the flavor department. Strange if you consider its apparent main ingredients. Nevertheless tasty.
