Pfaffenhofen - Kelheim - To France the Long Way

June 5, 2009

Pfaffenhofen - Kelheim

A fantastic day. The sun is shining, the air is cool, perfect for cycling. We leave our Gasthaus and cycle back to Pfaffenhofen, just a few kilometers, to pick up our route.

Today, our second day out, we are already experiencing the advantages of following a prepared route on the GPS: no wrong turns, no studying maps at intersections, no need for a stack of detailed maps to enable us to find the smallest of roads. We do have the German 1:200,000 Generalkarte with us for an overview, but it wouldn't have enough detail for cycling.

Our route follows the lovely valley of the Ilm. This part of Bavaria is known for its production of hops, one of the three essential ingredients for brewing beer, the other two being water and barley. Hop bines, yes, bines, not vines line the road and remind us of what is in store for us in the evening after a hard day's work. (Wikipedia says: Although frequently referred to as the hop "vine", it is technically a bine; unlike vines, which use tendrils, suckers, and other appendages for attaching themselves, bines have stout stems with stiff hairs to aid in climbing.)

We are now in a major region for hops, an essential ingredient for brewing beer

Hops plants, trained to wires supported by heavy poles

In Catholic Bavaria roadside crucifixes are a common sight

In Geisenfeld we discover a historic center, a beautiful Baroque church and a stork nest with young storks. From here we proceed to Vohburg which is on the Danube Bike Trail. We eat our lunch, the remainder of last night's gigantic Schnitzel, on a park bench with a view to Vohburg's well restored medieval city gate.

The Danube Bike Path to Neustadt an der Donau is on paved roads, then to Weltenburg we take the non-paved path along the river, a little bumpy but it avoids a few climbs.

What is Weltenburg: a historic Benedictine Abbey, founded in 620, beautifully situated on a small peninsula in the Danube preceeding the limestone cliffs of the Danube Gorge; site of probably the oldest monastery brewery in the world; its church an astounding ensemble of late baroque architecture and fresco painting, created by the Asam brothers.

Bird's eye view of Weltenburg and the Danube (photo from the web))

Perhaps South German baroque is an acquired taste. In any event, I believe the hasty tourist often dismisses the baroque style found in Bavarian churches as saccharine kitsch. Thus I feel a need to defend it and hope that if the uninitiated would take a few minutes and have a closer look, they might also develop a taste for its richness, its masterful ebullience. Multitudes of pastel clouds and playful putti (those plump little naked boys with wings), gilt garlands and marble columns, ornate altars and theatrical lighting create a dramatic setting, one that dazzles the senses and exalts the spirit.

After all that rhetoric, this is a pretty mediocre picture

We don't wait for our evening meal to enjoy the hops of our morning ride, now in the form of beer - also good for the senses and spirit. It wouldn't be right to pass through Weltenburg and not taste its excellent beer and abbey cheese.

The best way to continue from Weltenburg is to take the boat through the narrow Danube Gorge to Kelheim. The 45-minute ride is scenic and saves you a lot of work climbing the hills flanking the Danube.

We stay in Kelheim, located at the confluence of the Altmühl and the Danube. Tomorrow we will continue to Regensburg before we bid the Danube adieu.

For today just one last beer. We eat in Kelheim's Weisses Brauhaus Biergarten, at the site of the wheat beer brewery.

The brewery's sign shows hops and the utensils employed for brewing beer

Today's ride: 67 km (42 miles)
Total: 127 km (79 miles)

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