Day # 45 Offenburg to Lahr.

A Kippenheim wine princess.

        At 6.45 am the weather gods smiled after several days of rain. Awoke this morning to a crisp, cold day. This good start was a precursor to the entire day. Navigation was simple and direct, meaning that I was quickly able to locate the right pedestrian pathways and made rapid progress towards my target town of Lahr. In general, l do not carry any route maps, as these are mostly printed for motorists and useless for walkers. German cyclists and walkers are segregated from vehicles on pathways that frequently follow very different routes. Google Maps are interesting and especially useful in cities where the streets have recognizable names. Ask in the English language in  small German villages for directions to the 'K5436' and you are sure to get a blank stare!
       Lahr a regional centre with a population of about 40,000, was host to a Canadian air force NATO base from 1966 to 1996. Interestingly, 25% of the population of Lahr list their place of birth as being the Soviet Union. These people were the 'Volks Deutsch that were originally settled in the Volga River region of Russia by Catherine the Great, and were expelled by the USSR, post 1945. My innkeeper said that he had fond memories of Canadian service personnel in Lahr and remarked that a considerable number, especially females, had married locally and remained behind in Lahr when the Canadians departed
      Observation #1. The country side and small towns of the German Rhine region are almost devoid of the refuse and litter that blight so many other regions of Europe & North America. Plastic bags and other non biodegradable rubbish just do not clog countryside drains and ditches. There seems to be social consensus that rubbish is carried home and not thrown from car windows.
      Observation #2.  In about 600 kms of walking through German fields and along the river banks, I have yet to see any small animals run across the path ways---foxes, rats, moles, mice.

20.7 kms. walked today per Google Maps.
843.7 cumulative kms. walked:
Type of overnight lodging: Am Westend Hotel.
Cost of lodging: 65E..