Cycle Touring with Rick Steeves
A long stretch of road will teach you more about yourself than a hundred years of quiet introspection.
Last night, as I was getting up to make my trek to the bathroom in the sprinkling rain, Rick, barely awake, touched my rain jacket and said “Try to avoid camping in the rain. Got it.”
Tonight, we’re back in a hotel in the city of Deggendorf, for those following along on a map. We only went 40+ km (24 miles) today. No real stops. Saw flowers. And a playground.
This morning waking up there were lots of birds singing, including the ever-present cuckoo bird!
Today was another good long ride – about 55 km (33 miles). The weather was nice for the ride (unlike right now, but more on that later). After the first 6 miles, we stopped at the ruins of a castle on a hill. The kind of hill you don’t take your bike up. Lots of stairs. It was quite large and there was a lovely view. Here are some photos.
From there we could see our next stop – Walhalla. The blocky white building.
So, we biked over there… and I thought there were a lot of stairs at the FIRST castle!
Walhalla was built under Ludwig I of Bavaria. It was named for the Norse Valhalla… but done in the Greek style, celebrating Germans. Totally makes sense, right?!? Sounds like Ludwig I lost some wars, and his ego was a bit damaged, so when things got better, he built this monument to himself and other Germans. It’s fabulous inside!
These are busts of noteworthy Germans (especially Bavarians). They add a few more every few years.
And here is Ludwig:
Oh, and there were 2 working sheepdogs herding sheep on the slope outside the monument.
I don’t think you can see them, but our bikes are down at the edge of trees just beyond the big green lawn. Beyond the trees is the Danube.
After that, it was lots of biking, almost all on nice, paved paths or roads with almost no cars. Here are some photos from the ride.
Here is one of our brief stops yesterday along the bike path – the bike wanderer oasis – a little stand – kind of lemonade stand style. Little menu, button to press, and a nice gentleman comes and takes your order. We got big glasses of apple cider. There were a couple of chairs to relax in while you drink.
We got to Straubing around 6, set up the tent, showered and walked to a Greek restaurant. Once there, the skies opened up! And it is still coming down in buckets full! A very nice waiter at the restaurant gave us a ride back to the campground. I retreated to the bathhouse, where the Wi-Fi is good so I could write these notes, and I can use the bathroom after all my fluid intake. (I’m not looking forward to my usual trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night with all this rain!) It’s supposed to stop sometime between 1 and 4 am. Tomorrow should be dry, but cool. As long as it’s dry, we’ll be fine!
Yesterday we biked about 33 km (about 20 miles), so an amount I’ve done many times before, but I was really worn out from the day before, so was sad and grumpy much of the time. (Also, if one needs to desperately use the restroom and you’re out on a trail that is relatively open, has no buildings, and people biking or hiking through frequently, you just gotta hold it.) We eventually made it to Regensburg.
We stayed in an actual hotel last night and tonight. Has cool wooden beams.
Today we wandered around town looking at a castle and several churches.
An ancient typo (zoom in if you can’t see it):
Ate some Bavarian cheese and bratwurst-like sausages at a restaurant last night. And a yummy dessert that tasted like a donut and you dip it in applesauce.
Tomorrow, we plan to bike about 50 km (30 miles) to Straubing.
The weather is likely to get rainy the next few days, although the weather predictions here seem to change so often it’s hard to tell. We are hoping the rain holds off until after we arrive. Rick says this is actually a plan rather than mere hope.
Oh, I forgot to tell you. I played a trick on Rick. We were discussing how much spare space there was in the panniers to carry food. He was a little worried I had not left enough space. (I think he forgot how much food I was already carrying.) So, I said “Well, I packed 3 bathing suits.” The look on his face was priceless! His jaw dropped open and he was stupefied at the thought I’d done something so ridiculous! I paused a second to savor it, then laughed and said of course I didn’t! I really got him!
After 2 days of packing, Linda and I had sorted all of our gear and carefully packed the bicycles and gear into boxes. Very carefully. I cut one of the boxes down to bring it one-quarter inch below the airline’s limit. Both boxes–with as much extra gear as I could pack inside within the weight limit–weighed 1 lb below the 50 lb limit. I also deflated the tires on both bicycles per a typical airline requirement (and I needed that extra inch of space from the deflated wheels to get Linda’s bicycle to fit in her box).
Wednesday morning the taxi to the airport arrived early, in the requested van format. We still had to juggle the boxes into the vehicle, but everything fit. I remembered to bring an extra roll of tape for when the airline requested we reopen the boxes.
We arrived at the airport with time to spare. Check-in went smoothly. They did not request we reopen the boxes. They measured the boxes 2 inches shorter than I had measured them. They weighed the boxes at 22 lbs. for Linda’s bicycle, and 32 lbs. for mine. No one cares about accuracy anymore!
We walked through security with no wait or fanfare, although the bicycle locks in both Linda’s and my bags prompted a quick hand-search.
Landing Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Munich time, we walked over to baggage claim to begin the hunt for oversized luggage. Both bicycles already waited for us at the entrance to baggage claim.
I didn’t have any problems reassembling either bike, although I caused myself more than a moment of concern when I thought I had packed the wrong skewer for my front wheel’s quick release–prompted in part by too many bicycles living in the garage. I realized my error only as I reassembled the front rack, which requires a skewer the exact length of the one I brought!
From there we wandered through Customs and purchased train tickets from the airport to Ingolstadt, 50 miles north of Munich. Ingolstadt rests directly on the Danube and Eurovelo 6— the bicycle path I followed uphill and into a headwind on my Istanbul to Ireland trip. For this trip, I’ve planned downhill and with a tailwind all the way to Budapest! Once we arrive at Budapest, Linda plans to wander back via train to Munich. I’ll be continuing onwards and around over the Alps and back to Salzburg and Munich.
We boarded the train only to have everyone else get off the train! Fortunately someone translated that a bridge was out, and pointed us to the appropriate nearby track.
Weather forecasts for the past couple of weeks in Munich have varied between cold, rainy, and snow (!). I had made no real plans for the first night of the trip so we could adjust based on the weather. The day was cool and gray, but no rain. However, with both of us dragging from lack of sleep, we decided to spend the night glamping in Ingolstadt.
Before we headed to the campground, in Ingolstadt we purchased fuel for the stovere and cell plans for both of our phones in (6 GB for 10 Euro). Prepaid cell plans in Europe are inexpensive, especially if you don’t buy them in the airport or train station. Just wander into a provider’s store in town.
Friday morning we rolled out of the campground at 10:00 am and rode back into Ingolstadt to visit the castle, and pick up groceries for the day. We ate lunch in the castle courtyard.
While in the courtyard, we discussed how things were packed in different panniers. At one point Linda told me she had three bathing suits packed. She got me. Apparently my look was priceless.
From there we rode on dedicated bicycle path on one side or the other of the Danube. Until it didn’t. We had reached the Danube Gorge — a protected area of the Danube. The GPS indicated the path continued in the middle of the river. As we pondered what to do next, a ferry showed up, providing a scenic view of the gorge for the next 5 km, and a short respite from riding.
I spent a lot of time before the trip riding with Linda to help her prepare. The farthest she had ever ridden was 24 miles just a couple weeks ago. With a little help from a tailwind, she rode 59 km (almost 36 miles) before we stopped at the campground in Herrnsaal! Rain began to fall just after we climbed into the tent for the night.
Our long ride yesterday positioned us for a short ride Saturday into Regensburg. We’d spend a couple nights in Regensburg exploring the city before heading onwards.
I planned this trip, Linda’s first bicycle trip, to be an easy one. Still, I’ve never had so many things go right for so long. I wonder what’s next?
Yesterday we took a train to Ingolstadt. Rode into the cute little town. Then on to our camp site. Rick says it’s “glamping”.
This morning, we went to the castle in Ingolstadt.
Then we hit the road. A bike trail along the Danube, which was mostly packed gravel, sometimes paved, and sometimes a 6-inch-wide rut.
We saw on the online map this strange thing where a trail appeared to leave the edge of the river and actually went through the middle of the river. We’re like, that must be a GPS mistake. So, we followed it.
And it stopped here and the ferry boat you see in the distance came up! So, we took a ride on the ferry boat, which was headed to the town we were going to! Through the Gorge of the Danube!
Then biked a while further, until we got to tonight’s campsite.
Oh, and you know the sound of a cuckoo clock? We heard those birds! Sounds just like the clock!
So, we rode about 60 km, which is about 36 miles. I’m stiff, want a shower, and my bottom is sore. But not too sore. It was a very good day!
Made it to Munich. And so did the bikes!
