Rowed Trip expedition update from Germany's Main River

Now going on three and a half months into their epic, self-propelled journey from the northern tip of Scotland to Syria, adventurers Colin and Julie Angus share another exclusive Rowed Trip expedition dispatch about their travels by oar and pedal power.

“Just when we thought Germany couldn’t get any better, it surprised us yet again. It started two weeks ago with the Rhine River, a long-distance paddler’s dream with its fast current, abundance of ideal campsites and riverside beer gardens. Even traversing the huge hydroelectric dam was easy using the scenic bypass canal built just for paddlers. Then we turned onto the Main River and things became even better.

We departed from the historic city of Mainz and began paddling upstream against a current made negligible by frequent weirs made navigable by giant locks.

We approached these behemoth gates with apprehension, nervous that we’d be yelled at and turned away as had happened all too frequently in France and on occasion in England and Scotland as well. But when Julie called the lock keepers on the VHF radio and asked in German if we could pass, the answer was invariably yes. One gregarious lock keeper even emerged from his lofty tower to meet us and give us information on the upcoming locks.

After a day and a half of peaceful paddling on the Main River we reached Frankfurt, a city that looks every bit the financial hub it’s reputed to be. Modern glass buildings tower beside beautiful stone architecture from centuries prior. Fit people sip cappuccinos at waterside cafes, while others leisurely dangle fishing rods into the river. Human-powered boats are no longer a rare sight and we passed a dozen “rudder” (rowing) and “kanu” clubs in the next few hours. Rowers would wave from their boats or docks, ask an array of questions in excellent English, and then invite us in for a coffee, snack, or even shower.

Although we’ve been thrilled at how well-suited Germany is for long-distance paddling, the bigger surprise is that more foreign tourists aren’t doing this. I cannot imagine a more perfect way to see this country of rolling vineyards, forests, picturesque timber-frame buildings and riverside bistros.

- Colin 6/17/08

Julie adds via e-mail: “Germany’s been absolutely wonderful for paddling … the whole country should be on these waterways.”

Has anyone else paddled any of Europe’s lesser-visited canals and waterways?

Until the next dispatch,

— Andrew,
Senior Producer, Los Angeles Times Travel

[Photos: Colin and Julie Angus / Rowed Trip Expedition]

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 11:54 pm by Andrew and is filed under Eco-Travel, Europe, Germany, Outdoors & Adventure, Rowed Trip. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.