July 16, 2021
Day 2: To Donauwörth, windy but flat
No more rain, what a pleasant surprise. However, Janos is suffering from the exertion of yesterday. I suppose he had enough adrenaline going at the time to carry him through, but this morning he is feeling beat up. Since we are still on the train line, I even consider that he take the train to Donauwörth. But I soon see he has no intention of taking a train. He is already recording the introduction to his video for the day.
After breakfast I think it wise to stop by the local bicycle shop, Zweirad Pfundmeier, very close to where we stayed. It's a great bicycle shop with a large section selling bicycle gear and a large area for repairs. I could have spent more time browsing, but we have other things on our minds today. The young bicycle mechanic makes a very competent impression. He suggests the valve on the suspension could be leaking, but most likely not. He establishes that the shocks haven't jammed and pumps in some more air, hoping that will do the trick. He also cleans and lubricates them. (I wish I knew the right technical terms in English for all of this.)
We have a steady wind from the direction we are heading, otherwise a flat ride and not always the most interesting. The first kilometers of the ride skirt Augsburg and then we follow the Lech a while, a river that we became acquainted with on our tour along the Romantic Road a few years ago.
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We are now on the Via Claudia Augusta, a bicycle route as well as a historic route. The Via Claudia Augusta bicycle route is a 700 km path largely based on the historical Roman road of the same name. Here is a translation of information along the way.
The Via Claudia Augusta is the oldest Roman road in the Bavarian Alpine foothills. It connected the northern Italian motherland with the territory of the province of Raetia and led from the Roman city near Mestre across from Venice or from the Po via Verona and Meran to Reschen-Scheideck- and Fernpass; from there it descended into the Lech Valley and continued to Füssen, Augsburg and as far as the Danube. It remained one of the most important connecting roads across the Alps until the 4th century and was still known in the high Middle Ages as the Kaiserstraße, on which kings and dukes traveled to Italy.
We continue through the more or less flat countryside, with a grand sky overhead. Our route is slightly different from the last time we came this way. This time we discover Gut Schwaighof, a Bavarian Trakehner stud farm, located within a beautifully designed English style park from the early 1900’s. In addition, a dairy, a field cultivation company as well as a nursery are located on the estate. The manor complex is a listed building as a whole. None of it is accessible so we take a peek through the entry and are on our way.
My favorite part of the day is a view of the Ries from a rise in the terrain as we approach Donauwörth. You can just discern the round flat area set off by the Swabian Jura. It is one of the best preserved large impact craters on earth. The history of the crater is fascinating. Due to the rocks found in the Ries, it was initially thought to be a volcanic structure. It wasn't until 1960 that it was proven that there are remains of an approximately 14.6 million year old impact crater. This impact is called the Ries event.
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We cross the conflence of the Danube and Wörnitz and are in Donauwörth. The view from the bridge is quite lovely in the evening sun, but we have our sights set on our hotel and don't stop for a picture. Tomorrow we say. Hotel zur Promenade is fine and after getting cleaned up we go out for a walk and a meal.
In the late Middle Ages and early modern times, Donauwörth was an independent imperial city in the Holy Roman Empire, which is reflected in the city's coat of arms with a double-headed eagle. It distinguished between royal (one head) and imperial (two heads) rank.
And now for the video of the day, in German, by Janos
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2 years ago
Today's ride: 52 km (32 miles)
Total: 110 km (68 miles)
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