Nierst to Xanten - 79 km (710 total)

I began the morning with a good breakfast and a super conversation with my English hostess. She gave me a lot of insight about the German mindset. It was very interesting. The road started hard today. The radweg signs all disappeared, or at least I could not find them. I had to use my US Army taught map skills. I went through many neighborhoods some that reminded me of home and some that reminded me of Ensley (not many, actually only one). I cannot say I was ever lost but I sure added a few kilometers to the total that was not planned. It did not help that the map company has advertisements over the portion of the map I was most confused about. I believe a bicyclist stopped and looking at a map means help me in German. I got a lot of friendly advice (all good) on the way. I got a lot of questions about my setup today (more than usual). These have been consistently  not questions about my bike but about my bags. Go figure, there were made in Germany. In one picture you will see gates on the farhradweg. That is a first for me. They are for the farmer's cows to go to pasture land between the bike path and his farm with out going down the bike path. Riders just open and shut the gates.

The day was cooler but the northern sun is still brilliant at this latitude. I am a little sunburnt on my face and arms. I am in Xanten, Germany. It is a site that been inhabited continuously since about 5500BC that is 7,500 years. I am impressed. The Romans built a military fortress in 12BC and it grew into a roman town for the next 300 years. The Romans abandoned the area to the Franks in 500 AD. I will visit the archeological site outside of the present town tomorrow to learn more about that early history. I will stay here two nights and continue moving north on Saturday. Thank you for being with me.