It has been difficult to post this last week as we didn't have internet for most of the time, and as the signal is so weak it won't let us upload photos so they will have to wait until we get to Berlin on Tuesday.

We have been having a glorious time none-the-less. After our work stint in the mornings, we have used the bikes to visit Naumburg and Bad Kosen. As usual Chris managed to find a preserved tram line to look at in Naumburg, that was celebrating 90 years with an open day. Lovely old trams that travel along a tree lined route around the city.

One of the other place we visited was a salt water filtering process at Bad Kosen, just up the road from us. We have never seen anything like it before and it is quite difficult to describe because it is so unusual. The process is powered by a giant waterwheel which is linked to a wooden structure that runs up the hillside to a pumping station. This then pumps the salt water further up the hillside to this massive structure of, what I can only describe as giant brushes that the water flows down through concentrating it as it flows. The water is then collected at the bottom and when heated is turned into a mineral salt. Amazing to watch, unfortunately not a lot of information in English but well worth seeing.

We have enjoyed cycling around the vinyards in the lovely sunshine watching the grapes being picked and transported along the lanes by the tractors, all around this area are masses of conker trees and as we cycle along we have to zig zag around all the falling conkers along the roads. The vinyards are open to the public and you can sit outside in the sunshine and drink the local wine. They celebrate the start of the wine harvest by producing a barrel of what they call the first pressing, it is the juice of the grapes with the yeast added, but no alcohol. It is very cloudy and sweet and a great laxative!

Just up from Bad Kosen are a couple of castles, so to make good use of another beautiful day, we decided to visit the nearest one. The ride started off quite flat but eventually we were lugging the bikes over bedrock as we climbed the hill to the top. The view was worth it though and we rewarded ourselves with two big bowls of icecream in the cafe of the castle which they had built into the middle of the ruins of the castle. The ride down was a bit bumpy but a lot quicker. The old bike I am riding rattles like mad over the cobbles.