March 26, 2019
Day 8: Moos to Mohringen
Some years ago "someone" developed a scale for rating breakfasts, mainly the super ones offered in German gaste houses. This is the "jammer" scale, which is calculated solely on the number of different flavoured pots of jam on offer. The top of the scale is a 10 jammer, though higher numbers have occasionally been seen. The idea behind the jammer scale is that the number of jams is highly correlated with the other elements that make up a super breakfast.
When I say that "someone" devised the jammer scale, I am referring to the fact that while I had thought that someone was me, Keith Classen has produced unassailable evidence that his writings on the jammer scale predate mine by at least some months. Even so, I feel a close association with the scale, having used it to rate literally hundreds of hotel breakfasts since.
Of late, though, I have been troubled by the assumption of a close correlation between the jams and the essential other elements. I have run into some really excellent breakfasts with nevertheless jams ratings as low as 3.
This came to mind again this morning at the Gasthaus Schiff. But this was not a case of a low jam rating and a great breakfast. Rather it was an over the top jam rating and a fully great breakfast. So why the concern with the jammer scale, when today it was working fine?
The answer is that it has been a while since we experienced a 10 rated place, and this just stimulated any and all of my breakfast circuits.
I have been thinking that rather than rely on jam correlation, why not just tick off the presence or absence of the key elements. Choosing to rate ten elements at one point each would still preserve the 10 point scale we are used to.
Using Gasthaus Schiff as a reference, here are some of the elements we look for:
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As Dodie and I went over the list of breakfast elements - scrawled appropriately on a napkin, we got a bit tangled up in what would be an element worth 1, and whether to award half points. If anyone has time to further this development, go for it. That could mean you, Keith Classen, unless you choose to stick with the outmoded pure jammer method! (Dodie seems to support that, hmmm).
Following the breakfast, I decided to try out the washroom at Gasthaus Schiff. (Yikes, these blogs can touch so many wild topics!). What struck me was the cleanliness of the place. For the life of me I could not find a spec of dust, a water spot, let alone a snippet of stray paper. I felt guilty putting my paper towel in the basket - totally wrecked the ambiance! Walking back to the dining room, I realized the whole place maintained the same standard. Not the slightest thing out of place or appearing to not be brand new. Sheesh.
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Ok, enough of hotels and breakfasts, let's get going:
Our day started at a chilly 5.6 degrees, with moderate wind. It never really rose above 10. We had on more or less enough clothes, and could have added more, so can not really complain of being cold, except for hands, which were always freezing despite the long finger gloves.
For a time, near Singen, we followed the Radolfzeller Aach. "Aach" seems to have a meaning like "stream", but we have not figured out if it tends to refer to a certain kind of watercourse. For the time we followed it, "stream" seems to be a good description. It was moving quite quickly, reflecting our closeness to the source hills. The streamside path featured a fair number of dogs and dog walkers. The dogs had no interest in us, often preferring to stare at swans in the stream.
From this area we looked up at several rather straight sided hills, topped by ruins. We think the main one is Hohentwiel, which was built on the eroded, extinct volcano in 914. The Wiki article goes on to describe the succession of residents, and the sieges withstood in the 17th century Thirty Years War. The place was destroyed in 1800. Wiki claims this is the biggest ruin in Germany. That would be a big deal, given all the castle ruins along the Rhein.
The cold temperatures combined with the type of terrain we were passing through, to produce the impression of a remote and harsh area. It definitely was pretty, in a low key way. For the whole time did not pass a single cafe, bakery, grocery, or anything like that, although we conceivably could have headed into one of the nearby towns. Rather we had bare, plowed fields, and then forests, often with harvested logs about. The road rose steadily, but slopes were not above 8%. We did climb for what seemed a long time.
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Our climbing was rewarded as we finally reached the spot designated as the highest point on Eurovelo 6, between the Atlantic and the Black Sea.
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Obviously the water from this point flows down to the Donau, and so did we. The descents reached 15%, steeper than the other way around. It was not all a joy ride, since some bits were ski jump like - down, then up. Also fairly disconcerting was the fact that we entered a bit of a snow zone. We are supposed to be on vacation to escape the stuff.
Soon, though we reached an overlook on Tuttlingen, and quickly we were in the city streets.
The lasts time we were in Tuttlingen, we didn't like it much. But then we had failed to easily find the camp site, and then Dodie fell ill and was stuck in the tent for a day. This time we kind of immediately noticed the more aggressive drivers (compared to "down south"), and though we pedalled through the central square, it just did not seem like much.
Tuttlingen does want us to appreciate its charms, but the map only shows five or six things.
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The big thing in the picture, of course, is the Donau. Having come up from the south, we were facing the river flowing to our right (east) - makes sense. However we turned left, and followed the super famous Donau Radweg upstream to Mohringen, where our guest house is. In cycling upstream, we were approaching to about 30 km from Donaueschingen, the source of the mighty river. Right at this point, though, it remains a fairly small stream.
Just before Mohringen, a sign touted all the town's attraction, which are clustered on Schwartzwald Strasse - bakeries, guest houses - it seemed like a little Mecca. But when we got into the town we found that each and every one of the businesses was closed. Some were just plain not open (like the post office?) and some posted hours like 9-12, or 9-12/5:30-7, or something. Our guest house had caught the same disease, and would not open until 3:30. It was at this time 1:30, and we were freezing!
We cycled aimlessly around a bit, and came to light at a bench by the rathaus. There, we put on all the rest of our clothes, and hunkered down.
Just for an activity, we checked our tire pressures and found all four to be at 40. They really need to be 60-70. After pumping we then did, we expect to fly down the paths!
After a bit, I decided to walk up the hill to check out the church. Dodie only later pointed out that we are now in Baden Wurtenburg, which Protestant, and therefore the churches are almost guaranteed boring. Like this:
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Finally, we drifted up the guest house and eventually got the attention of the little man that runs it. He is actually Italian, and in the evening we got some really excellent wood fired pizza, and spaghetti, in the restaurant part.
The place and the room are not huge, but we are glad to now be warm. Tomorrow we need to pile on a fair bit of clothes as well, as we set off back past Tuttlingen and east on the historic bikeway.
Today's ride: 58 km (36 miles)
Total: 212 km (132 miles)
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Enjoy your ride! And the tortes!
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