Day 64: Leipheim to Donauworth, Germany: Schwenningen, begin again

July 22, 2012

The Grampies were still Grumpy this morning, due to the irritation factor of noise and crowding from the previous evening. We took our wet stuff into the dish washing shelter, and managed to make it look like a bomb had exploded our gear, in very short order. I cautioned that with so many people around, though it was 6:30 a.m., we would soon be getting in peoples way. This came true, and we even had a worker come to scrub out and sanitize the whole place. We worked around it, but still were not too happy.

This changed when Axel, a man who had given us tea yesterday, appeared with two cups of hot chocolate. Magically he must have sensed we needed it. Axel and Josephine were here with their 7 year old daughter for her birthday, with ten friends. Josephine soon appeared with two big pieces of homemade birthday cake for us. Some angel must have created these people on the spot for us, because they sure cheered us up!

Josephine and the birthday cake pick me up

Yesterday as we booted along in the pouring rain we passed a farmer with a logging machine putting up some flagging tape across a track in the forest. He called something to us, but as we could not understand we just carried on. He jumped on his machine and ran it up to us, and then was able to communicate that the next marked turn in our path was not to be taken, because a "hurricane" had blocked the way. We soon came upon cycle way detour signs, and followed them for the rest of the day. Thanks, farmer! (He also managed to communicate that his brother and sister now lived in Alberta. Our Canadian flag stickers have helped us a lot on this trip!)

Today the villages continued to come and go. Each a jewel, with a distinctive church, beautiful homes and town centre buildings. We could no longer quite see them in advance on a broad valley’s edges, but they were still very distinct, and unique. The photos that follow show what several of them were like. The captions may just name the place or may add a bit of information. We can not possibly do justice to these places, since even on our slow bikes we are literally zooming through them. Our ignorance about where we really are is monumental, and we are barely scratching the surface of this land.

For one example of this ignorance, Gunzburg is the home of Legoland. That likely explains all the kids in the campsite and the inflated price. Did we know that? Did we go to Legoland? Of course not. Did our German friends Marius and Sandra already tell us about this? Probably.

Similarly, Dillingen has some relation to Sebastian Kniepp. We think we recognize this name from some German bath products. But the man seems to be at the centre of some healing regimen. That’s all we know. With a bit of Wikipedia we could appear a lot smarter. But today we blasted through, knowing nothing. We saw some people doing walking in some kind of spa water – snapped a random shot, and ploughed on. Dilligen too held some huge religious buildings, and had nuns and priests walking around, with tour groups, or something, listening intently to some kind of narrative. Do we know why? Nope.

One spot where we did pay a bit of attention was in Gundelfinken. As we cycled along we had been reviewing just how we find Germany so much nicer, cleaner, bike friendly, solar powered etc. with better food and safer agriculture than we are used to. So just to further convince ourselves, we set out to consciously compare the next medium town, which was Gundelfinken, to our nearest such town at home: Duncan B.C. The comparison was embarrassing. Gundelfinken started out with a big welcome to cyclists. We then moved through some very lovely small neighbourhoods, very few cars either on the road or parked, no billboards, no franchise fast food. Finally, a knock your socks off town centre, with well maintained 400 year old buildings. Poor Duncan had no hope of ever matching this. (Ok, maybe in 400 years, when their buildings will be the same age, assuming they do not fall down in the next 50 years).

In Gunzburg, the town square was more impressive than in Gundelfinken, and it had two significant other pluses: the bakery was open (though it was Sunday) and in turn two pairs of our cycling acquaintances showed up. Irina and Sasha had taken shelter in Gunzburg in yesterday’s rains, staying in a hotel on the square, and Aude and Roman had simply caught up with us, having left last night’s camp after we did. It is so much fun meeting again people who you left knowing there might never be another meeting, and then comparing notes. Finally you part again, possible forever.

We also met Rene from Switzerland again today, as he popped up at the town festival in Hochstadt. Since we last parted “forever”. Rene had looked at the blog and left a guestbook message. Now he reminded us that I describing his minimalist gear we had neglected to mention his secret weapon: underwear with silver threads, made in Switzerland. The silver reduces bacterial growth and presumably allows you to pack fewer pairs. On Rene, the underwear is now in the blog!

The “hurricane” must have been quite widespread, because we continued to encounter torn up trees. We decided at one point on a bit of a shortcut, and found a warning that the path was closed. We decided to gamble, because the warning was three weeks old. In fact, with only a little scrambling we went though without problem. Oh, one exception: In a spot where Dodie walked the bike, smart alec rode. He hit a branch in the path and went down. No harm done. The bike landed in a way that would have broken the rear view mirror. Hah! I already broke that yesterday!

On arriving in Donauworth we tried to track down the camping shown on our map. Not spotting it, we asked some clearly local cyclists. They denied there was any camping in the area, even when shown the map. We carried on and spotted a very small sign for “KFC” and a tent symbol. Soon we found it, and including Irina and Sascha! KFC is the local Kanu club.

Unlike last night’s place we absolutely love it here. Everyone here is a touring cyclist! The facilities are slightly more basic, but the feel is 500% better, because all here are sport enthusiasts. What’s more, there is a covered, lighted, table. Yes, covered, lighted!! That allows me to be here typing after midnight, just like at home!

It’s after midnight because we had very loosely talked with Rene about meeting up for supper in Donauworth. We cycled into town, on unloaded bikes, What a thrill to feel the workhorses fly with no load!

We had no idea of how to find Rene, but as we flew over a bridge by an Italian restaurant we heard a shout. It was Rene, with a table by the water ready to go.

To get to the bridge we had cycled quickly through a fairy tale street of pastel buildings. Now we sat under a tower by a bridge, with someone from Switzerland who could speak to the waiters in German or Italian!

Rene ordered as an appetiser a dish (name escapes me) of thinly sliced raw meat with cheese slices on top. This was not Burger King in Duncan, I can tell you that!

Some hours later we put our bright front lights and rear flashers on the bikes, and glided through the silent fairy tale streets, back here to my covered, lighted, table. What a change from the morning, when Josephine had had to rescue the Grumpies with her home made birthday cake!

We were impressed in Leipheim by the still rural touches

The baby swans are now growing up. Mama swan is 200 feet away.

We later learned this meant "risk of death". Stupid death defying Canadians!

This family from Holland came through, no problem

Solar total coverage on a barn. Solar is everywhere here!

It is easy to assemble a good lunch. Note the birthday cake!

Gundelfingen, makes Duncan look pretty sorry.

An old mill at the entrance to Gundelfingen

We wondered if in these beautiful towns people might hate each other, or were they tightly knit. We soon came to a community gathering that looked pretty tightly knit.

Lauingen is bigger than Gundelfingen, but still nice.

Some kind of water spa thing. What do we know!

The story of Kneipp. Translation, someone?

Dillingen has some huge health and religious institutions, but what are the details?

This group is clearly learning the answers

Tiles like this are completely unavailable at home, used on all houses here.

At Hochstadt, this man recites the next 8 villages we will hit.

Hochstadt festival. Look, Bouncy Castle Avi and Violet

Hochstadt festival in a beautiful square

Hochstadt. Note the kids in traditional dress.

"Eurocopter" seems to mean something to Donauworth.

Donauworth outskirts. Big difference from fairy tale downtown.

On the bridge by our restaurant in Donauworth

Today's ride: 76 km (47 miles)
Total: 2,929 km (1,819 miles)

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