As we approached Kelheim at the end of the day, we both felt a sense of wonder at the wealth of experiences travelling brings. We began our day in a Youth Hostel, spent some time in a bike shop replacing our bike computer, walked through the old town of Ingolstadt, rode through some amazing country, got lost and found a better route with the help of a local and concluded the day with a magical boat ride down the Danube through the gorge. It was spectacular to see the cliffs in the early evening light. We watched rock climbers scaling the cliffs and enjoyed the commentary that explained the historical significance of points of interest. The cruise is only 6 km but it eliminates the need to ride over steep passes on a busy road. As we arrived in Kelheim, we saw a man waving to us, and sure enough it was a couple we had met earlier in Ulm. They recommended the Guesthouse next to the boat launch which had a view of the Danube - luckily we got the last room. We realize that we are feeling stronger as we are now always keen to go for a walk once we have reached our destination. We wandered through the town of Kelheim, admired the centuries old (and award winning) local brewery and found a local Gasthaus to have a German meal. We tried a dark beer from the Benedictine Abbey in Weltenburg, Dunkel (Gold medal winner at the World Beer Competition). We felt that since we had ridden through the local hop fields today (that are the biggest in the world), we should try the results of the harvest.
Interesting painted detail added to this building's facade.
We had lost our way on the trail and ended up in Eining - which turned out to be a good thing. The boat here in Eining crosses the river and transports cyclists.
The local who owned the barge, recommended this route which closely follows the Danube all the way to Wenterley. It is intended for farmers, but it provides a flat and scenic route for cyclists. Recommended!
