After much indecision on which route to take this morning, we decided the shortest way into Frankfurt was going to be up into the woods, cutting off one loop of the curvy Main river. But after so many days of riding along river paths, any venture inland was going to entail a climb or two and our legs weren’t used to all the work! The landscaped changed drastically, from low-lying farm land to logging forest and the trail stopped being an easily cyclable paved road and instead switched to a gravel trail. Normally this would be a nightmare, with loose stones and potholes to swerve around, but Germany seems to take care of all its cycle paths well so we didn’t have any trouble. Just our tired calf muscles were complaining as we climbed the Spessart hills. Around midday we reached a peak and then cruised downhill from there back towards the Main river, joining the hordes of other cyclists on the riverside path. There were plenty of locals out, making their way into and out of Frankfurt, but equally lots of touring cyclists. During our whole detour off the river path we only saw one other touring bike, a tandem. It’s too bad more people don’t try going off the path for a little while since the scenery makes for a nice change from the river and you can have the whole trail nearly to yourself. We really took our time in the afternoon, stopping to pick fresh blackberries from bushes alongside the trail and then for a long while on a bench to eat supper and watch the traffic passing. Finally in the evening we finished up the last few kilometers into Frankfurt, where we met our friend Peter, saw his flat and then went out for supper and a few drinks in a bustling district just outside Frankfurt’s core.