Day 16. Sept 14.

Hausen im Tal to Ehingen

Distance: 99 km

Time: 5hrs 51mins

Speed: 16.6 km/hr.

Distance so far: 1899 km.

AHR: 105 beats/min

Feet climbed today: 1924 ft.

Punctures so far: 1

Weather: Dull in the morning but warmed up. No rain. Slight headwind from north-east.

Packed up and left shortly after 8 after a good breakfast and had a few rolls ready for lunch. Wisps of cloud around in the valley but no rain.

At this stage the Danube is like the Suir around Golden. By the end of the day it has grown to the Suir below Clonmel. There are many weirs and recently constructed dams appeared towards the end of the day.

After 20 km I entered Sigmaringen with the towering Hohenzolleran Palace dominating the town. In the platz, the statue of Leopoldo the First, a Hohenzolleran, dominated the surrounding buildings.

For the first 30 km today, I was still in the Swabian Alps with its vertical limestone cliffs pushing the Donau hither and tither. This meant that the cycle path had to climb regularly through woodland on unpaved tracks. They were smooth and easy to cycle on, like cycling on a clay tennis court; no potholes or rough stones. Cycling through woodland meant that the north-east head wind had no effect. Later in the day, out in the open farmland I felt its full effect.

Again the cycle path went through farmyards, through Cloister Inzigkofen, around churches, through arches, through allotments and along lanes through houses. But signs were well-placed at every turn.

The last of the palaces in the Swabian Alp section appeared in Gutenstein perched on a high rock with a vertical drop into the Danube below.   

So, after Scheer, the Danube flows through a wide valley and the cycle route again wanders from the river through the farmlands. For the second part of the day, it was mostly paved path but the bike was already mucked up.

At Hundersingen I made a detour from the river up onto rather higher ground. Up there it looked just like the vast fields of France. My target was the Open-air Heuneburg Celtic Museum, something like Craginowen. The Celts would have originated from around here and their culture spread to our shores. Luckily, I had arrived during their Heritage Week so no entry fee, but a donations box was left out.

I was provided with a tablet with a full description (in English, I asked if they had one on Irish) of the various buildings and processes. I viewed some of the excavations and then moved down to the living quarters. 

Hildegard and Rosemarie.

Elisabeth, Gert and self.

There I met some of the helpful staff all dressed in authentic Celtic dress. They told me that they only dress up this way 3 days per year and today was one of them. My luck. Hildegard wove all the material in the dresses on the loom inside (like the making of Naga shawls in India). The sheep wool was dyed with plants and detail designs were worked out based on findings on materials found in the excavations. Rosemarie explained all the scientific background (explained in her book) and interestingly showed how the swastika was common in Celtic decorations and indeed in Greek decorations.

"richard"

Some other members of the staff came on with a typically Celtic meal, it was explained to me (a dish that sounds like Richard, contains white beans, pork and some grain). Also wheaten cookies with honey. Then they asked me to join them for the Celtic lunch. It was delicious and we chatted on for a good while. In the end I had to beg to be excused as I had another 60 km to cycle to Ehingen. They had been so nice and helpful to a fellow Celt.

Helmut and Renata.

Again I was disappointed with the number of cyclists around. Indeed there is nobody around, in countryside or in villages.  In the large towns it isn’t much better. My path crossed that of the tandem riders of yesterday, Helmut and Renata. They drive a serious machine with great momentum. They are just going as far as Passau.

I had my prepared lunch in the platz of Riedlingen with tall gabled houses all around. The stork is the emblem of the town and a storks nest is allowed on top of the Rathaus.

In Algershofen, I came across an interesting bit of sculpture in an obviously farming village. Farmyards are right in the centre on the side of the street. In this little corner park, the litter bin was a milk churn and the girl seems to involved in churn throwing......rather than in churn-rolling. An idea for the Festival Committee!

Obstfest.

Towards 5pm I arrived in Ehingen (25,000) and found myself right in the middle of another festival....Obstfest, an Autumn festival celebrated just before all go back to school. Last night it went on till 2am here in the Marktplatz with music, dance and food and drink stalls. When I arrived it was warm, I had almost completed my days journey (just had to locate the hotel) so I joined the festival with a drink and German version of pizza (flamenkuchen). Spoke to few people there about the festival; one said his son was up there on the band.

I pushed on again, but I obviously missed a turn in the centre of Ehingen and it took longer than I had expected to find Hotel Garni Panorama.

Another day with a few unexpected events; all part of a cycle tour.

Thank God for the health and for the energy.

Day 15. Sept 13.

Donaueschingen to Hausen im Tal

                              Uploading is late as no wi-fi in the Gasthaus.

Distance: 76 km

Time: 4hrs31min

Speed: 16.8km/hr

Distance so far:1800km

AHR: 101. beats/min

Feet climbed today :1173 ft

Punctures so far:1

Weather: A lovely pleasant Autumn day, sunny at times. Light rain forecast (yr.no) for noon. Didn’t arrive. Calm.

After yesterday's rain, the bike needed to be washed down and oiled up before leaving Hotel Kirschen just after 8.

Today was a planned short one but the early departure was to beat that rain forecast and to get onto the system of signposts etc. The signs are wonderful and placed exactly at each turn. In villages especially one has to be on the lookout as the route twists and turns between houses, industrial areas and between back gardens.

I spent a while around Donaueschingen viewing significant sites connected with the river.

In the Furstenberg Palace gardens is located the spring declared by Emperor Tiberius as the official source of the Danube (Donau) to settle a dispute between ’neighbouring parishes’ further upstream the Brig and the Brigach. The spring is now being renovated and doesn’t impress. Will be reopened at the end of 2014.

The Danube is 2888 km long from here to the Black Sea. But the Danube is unique in that Zero Point (km) is at the mouth and 2888 km point (the end) is here at the source.

Next stop was a short bit downstream where the Brig and Brigach meet up to be called Donau henceforth. Both are small at this stage.

During the early part of the day the cycle path doesn’t stay beside the river. It meanders through crops, through villages, through open land cross-crossing the river regularly. At one point it passed under my beloved B31.

I met a number of cyclists, some touring like myself, some just out for a local spin but there were so few. I almost had the path to myself all day. Also the villages are deserted. Where is everybody on a beautiful Autumn Saturday morning ?

A few times my route crossed over on covered bridges used by all from walkers to cars. The path is wide enough for all and is used to service the fields.

Speed wasn’t of interest today (or on any of the days ahead). I frequently stopped to look back; often granting a totally different aspect.

A German couple on a tandem and myself passed and overtook a number of times. We’d stop but language was a problem. However with my few words of German sprinkled with Irish we communicated. Asking me how long since I’d started the trip, I answered ’zwei wochen o shin’ and for “eins woche eile’.

In Mohringen, a scenic spot, I paused to read up the guide about the next few kms ahead. Then, just as I left the town the way was blocked. No cycling, no walking etc. And no indication how one might get around to Tuttlingen. Luckily my map was detailed enough to find an alternative route by retracing a few km. Eventually, I entered Tuttlingen alongside the main road.

Tuttlingen (35,000) was the largest town I passed through today but the route was again well marked. I picked up the marked route in the river park and pushed on.

About 10 km further on I came on Stadfest Frindigen, the Oldtimeraustellung. Town centre was closed to traffic, not to walking cyclists, and first I came on a street of children selling their per owned toys etc. At a corner were the lads in a tent having a few pints and further up all the old motorbikes and old tractors were lined up with the queen herself perched on a trailer. The Lanz Bulldog with just 1 cylinder was from 1939.

From here the Danube threads its way beneath limestone cliffs that by necessity it had to wear away. My route passed along by farmyards and through farmyards and through woods while sheer cliffs hung above.

At times the way was unpaved but easy to cycle on with relatively wide tyres. Here I shared the way with walkers setting out on their Saturday afternoon walk possibly to caves higher up the slopes. Other cyclists had availed of the hospitality of the Jaeger Inn but I passed and pushed on.

This part of the Danube (Donaueschingen to Sigmaringen) features many medieval castles topping prominent rock outcrops, the most famous being Wildenstein Castle.

Since my route did not cling exactly to the river there was some climbing involved, but it was all short snappy rises none exceeding a few hundred metres in length. A relief from the last few days.

In early afternoon, I could spot Hausen im Tal across the river, not a very populous place. Approaching the expected location, I only hoped that my accommodation wasn't the one up on top. No, mine is right beside the railway station.

A nice early finish and nothing much to distract around here except the view of the cliffs across the river from my window.

Really enjoyed the first day following Donau through the Swabian Alps. I’ll be out of those tomorrow.

Thank God for the health and for the energy.

.