Donauworth to Kelheim.
Distance: 115 km
Time: 6 hrs 14 mins
Speed: 18.1 km/ hr
Distance so far: 2142 km
AHR:103 beats/ min
Feet climbed today: 1447 ft.
Punctures so far: 1
Weather: Cool, dry but misty threatened at mid-day. Warm on the evening. 21 deg when I checked in.
Good prospects as I left Donauworth this morning after a generous breakfast in the Jugendherberge. It had been a very quiet night and generally a pleasant experience for a fraction of the cost of a hotel.
Again signage around here left something to be desired but I managed keeping the river on my right.
As the route moved away from the river for periods I had the acquaintance of farmyard friends.
Also there is a No Pylons campaign going on over here also.
For much of the day I cycled along the dyke by the river. Usually this was on unpaved track but was easy to cycle on with big tyres (28). Occasionally the Danube had dams and thus great expanses of water were available for leisure activities.
As the route passed through farmland mostly of maize, I was frequently confronted with wayside shrines and Calvaries.
In Neuberg, after viewing the Neuburg Palace, considered the most beautiful Renaissnce palace on the Danube, I was halted by students exiting from Mittelschule at 11.30, waiting for buses and cycling along the footpaths.
Just outside Neuberg, I came to the Grunau Hunting Palace, an iconic image of this area. It was constructed as a hunting palace and summer residence for the palace in Neuberg. It was closed when I arrived but I believe it has a wonderful wetland information centre.
I paused in Ingolstadt (120,000) for lunch. Apparently, it has a huge third-level population and all were out and about at this midday hour. Again the central part had some magnificent buildings and arches. The Frankenstein story was set here by the author Mary Shelly. I had my lunch just near the Bavarian Police Museum on the south bank.
Again today there were people and couples doing the Danube cycle in both directions but no sign of my good friends Helmut and Renata today either. We meet mostly at signposts.
For many kilometres today I cycled on the dyke along by the river and so little climbing except for ramps up to the dyke. Towards the end of the day I missed a turn and went off course. I had to flag down an old gentleman returning home on his bike and check out where exactly I was. Between my few German words, hand signals and the map we sorted things out.....I was way off course and had to backtrack. To speed up things I decided to cycle the road (rather than the cycle path) from Eining to Straubing and this accounted for most of the ’Feet climbed today’.
I met with groups and tour buses at Weltenburg on the river. This Benedictine abbey, considered the oldest on Bavaria brews it's own beer and lands around are used for the production of hops. I didn’t delay too long at the abbey but made my way down to the slip.
From Weltenberg to Kelheim is the Danube Gorge of overwhelming beauty where the mighty river squeezes between tall cliffs (100 m high on either side). From its previous width of 200 m it is now down to 70 m wide. The gorge is a 5 km stretch and really impresses.
Once landed in Kelheim I had just a few Km to go to my booked accommodation. No problem finding it.
Tonight, I am in a shepherd’s wagon (schaferwage), just like an apartment for 2 with a separate shower unit beside. The man of the house constructed it when he got out of cows (50) as there was no money in it. They have 23 hectares (4 in woodland) and now they grow maize and have a farm-type holiday centre. Besides the shepherd’s wagon, they have a number of apartments and friendly animals (donkeys, chickens and rabbits). It’s one of the best accommodations I have had on this trip.
And tonight for dinner I went down the road to the local football club (S V Kelheimwinzer) clubhouse as training was in progress. By the end of dinner, members came in to view the Arsenal v Dortmund Champions League match. They wore their Dortmund shirts but were amazingly calm even when possible penalties were on the cards. I didn’t wait for the end as my homework had to be done.
I look forward to my night in the wagon and hitting the road again in the morning.
Thank God for the health and for the energy.
No comments:
Post a Comment