Day 11 Frogs that croaked

Not gonna lie, it was painful to hop back on the bikes this morning.   I had hoped a day off would lend some reprieve to my sore rear but alas, I am a true pain in the ass!  Leaving Strasbourg it was impressive to see how many commuters, many with kids in tow used bicycles as their primary mode of transport.  Past the suburbs, we quickly found ourselves in deep swampy woods and while lovely and cool, we couldn't stop or slow at the risk of being eaten alive by mosquitoes.  I tried to breath through my nose but my swallowed-bug count is now up to 4.  We did opt to stop when we saw a world war 2 bunker just off the trail.  It was fascinating and sad at the same time.    Boulageries have quickly become a favorite of ours in France and so a morning stop to fill our faces with pastries was well worth it.  When you bike this much, you give yourself a pass to eat whatever you'd like.   The route wound through Rhine marshes and floodplains.  The water was high and detours were plentiful.  A large variety of water fowl from cranes, swans, geese and ducks helped break up the monotony.   The croaks of what must have been large frogs echoed across the ponds.   Later for lunch, there was only one town for miles and only one eatery open.  Upon being seated, I looked over at the table next to me.  Their dishes looked amazing so, using google translator, I asked them what they were having .  They were kind enough to point to it on the menu.  Greta got a chuckle when she then translated it. "Dad, those are frog legs!"  Seemed fitting given our last hour of hearing them so frogs legs it was.  Quite delicious actually.  After lunch we were disappointed to learn our ferry over to Germany was closed due to flooding so we tacked on a few more detour miles before finally arriving in Karlsrhue.  I had hoped to arrive early to explore the palace but alas, we checked in and crashed out only waking enough to quickly grab a bite and walk the palace grounds.   We are right about halfway though our journey.   It's been harder than expected but with some wonderful surprises too.   I'm so proud of Greta, she's pushing on hard and doing great.

Rapunzel!  Rapunzel! Let down your hair!

When enough people have done it that you need to put up a sign

Treasures of gold

Exploring an eerie past