Today was one of those days when the weather was so manic it was almost baffling. One moment it was sunny, and we were happily riding through quaint small towns…

(…while eating really delicious cake from the only shop open on a Sunday. Oh no, it looks like we'll have to subsist on pastries!)

…and the next, clouds would roll in and pour out gigantic drops of rain the likes of which we have never experienced. We've dealt with a lot of rain on this trip, but today's was of a special breed. Within seconds, our normally dry shoes were waterlogged, and every inch of us not covered by our raincoats was absolutely soaking wet, wetter than this and this and this. We may as well have been swimming. Or in a car wash. Or both, at the same time.

But it was okay, because we were also assaulted with headwinds so strong that we were completely dry within a half an hour.

Just in time for the next batch of rain.

Sigh. Europe, are you about done? This rain business is  r e a l l y  sarting to wear us down.

Oh and there were hills! As is usually the case lately, the end of our ride was the worst, and we felt like we'd never actually make it to our destination of Rothenburg. The last ten kilometers took us well over an hour to complete, as we were buffeted about by wind and rain, grinding up hills at an agonizingly slow pace.

But we made it! We debated getting a campsite, but decided we wanted to be inside, protected from the miserable freaking weather by solid walls. It was a good thing, too, because as soon as we settled in Gastehaus Raidel, another dreching rain came pouring down. Thanks to the generous donation from my college friend, Clelie, and her parents, Robert and Monica, we spent a wonderful night indoors, warm and dry. Thank you so much, Steckel family!

The sun came out for like five seconds and I ran to snap this photo of our view.

As soon as we were sure the rain would be gone for at least a little while, we ventured outside to see the city. Rothenburg is very touristy.

Rightfully so. The place is amazing—a truly preserved old city, with picture-perfect shops and gingerbread gables. I cannot imagine how awesome this town would be over Christmas!

This is the town hall, or 'rathaus.'

The sky was actually that color blue. Crazy!

Hopefully this 'dry spell' will last so we can explore more of Rothenburg tomorrow!