Stephen and Kerry: June 2009

For four weeks Kerry and I toured through Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. We covered appoxamately 3,000 kilometers and who knows how many meters of climbing. We tried our best not to follow the typical touring routes in Europe, but instead to visit the side valleys and climb the passes that most Europeans consider only possible on so called "Racing Bicycles". Below is a recap of the first five days of tour.

Part 1 Romantische Straße

The first part of our European Tour was down the Romantische Straße or Romantic Road. The Romantic Road starts in Würzburg, Germany and travels south through Bavaria finishing in Füssen, Germany. "A Trade Route During The Middle Ages, Germany's Romantic Road Still Retains Much Of Its Medieval Character. The Road Often Winds Through Forgotten Sections Of Countryside, Connecting Walled Towns And Picturesque Villages. Travelers May Enter A Town Through An Arched Gateway Complete With Guard Towers. Inside, You Will Find Gothic Cathedrals, and Half-Timbered Fachwerk Houses". Though the route is typically driven by car, however there is a well marked cycling and a well marked hiking/mountain bike route between each city. We managed to use a combination of both routes to complete a the 4 day tour down the Romantische Straße .

Kerry's parents Bill and Wendy, sister Jodie and newborn nephew Timo joined us for the entire journey down the Romantic Road. It was a great way to warm us up for the additional 3 weeks we were going to spend touring without a sag. They travelled each day to our chosen destination in an RV, carried our luggage, purchased and cooked food and made it an awesome start to our vacation. Our heartfelt thanks to our Family for enduring 6 days in an RV - Jodie especially with a 3 month old it was quite the adventure and she handled it like a pro, despite the fact that she has only been a Mum for a few months.

Marienberg Castle Fortress in Wurzburg

Day 1 we rode from Wurzburg to Rothenburg ob der Tauber about a 140 km. We had some difficulty finding the start of the cycling route. I had downloaded a track on to my GPS, but the track turned out to be the hiking route.
Wurzburg is the northernmost town on the road. It was founded in 650 BC by the Celts and is the center of the Franken wine growing region.

Kerry was a little upset when within 15 minutes of riding we started down single track. I thought it was a perfect start to a 4 week tour. Our first week definitely involved some meandering from the paved Romantiche Strasse route to the off road route, which were both well marked and covered an amazing variety of terrain, cultural spotlights and magnificient views. The adventures had begun...

Rothenburg ob der Tauber was founded in 1170. "The name "Rothenburg ob der Tauber" means, in German, "Rothenburg above the Tauber". This is so because the town is located on a plateau overlooking the Tauber river. As to the name "Rothenburg", some say it comes from the German words Rot (Red) and Burg ( medieval fortified town), referring to the red colour of the roofs of the houses which overlook the river." The town is located in the Franconia region of Bavaria.

A famous street in Rothenburg called Plönlein with Koboldzellersteig and Spitalgasse

The Town Center

White Tower in Rothenburg (circa 1172)

Town Wall in Rothenburg

Day 2 - Rothenburg ob der Tauber through Dinkelsbuhl,Nordlingen, Donauworth to Oberndorf am Lech we pedaled a 145 km.

Dinkelsbühl: Dinkelsbühl had a much more down to earth real people feel, as compared to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. We stopped for coffee and pretzels in the walled town and watched as the daily mayhem continued.

Another walled town we passed through was Nordlingen. Nordlingen is a also a medieval city with a surviving wall surrounding it. During medieval times this wall provided protection for those living within. Nordlingen is built in the crater of a meteorite that crashed to earth many years ago. It was more of a real walled city - less engrossed in the tourism and more of a real town with people simply going about their business.

One of the multiple entrances to Nordlingen where we promptly got lost and almost ended up coming back out the same gate we entered through.

Donauthworth is said to have been founded by two fisherman where the Danube (Donau) and Wornitz rivers meet. We rode through a gate into the walled city that has been converted into a home it was a very cool sight.

Day 3 - Oberndorf am Lech through Augsburg, the Pfaffenwinkel region and Landsberg am Lech

Augsburg: Augsburg has a rich history dating back to the Roman empire. Dubbed both "The Renaissance City" and "Mozart City", it has been an important center of trade down through the ages. During the Renaissance, Augsburg was a main cultural center which is reflected in its fine Rococo architecture.

It was a bustling city where we dodged cobbles and electric buses and had the usual backery stop for a mid morning snack.

Pfaffenwinkel: It's a small region rather than a town and is famous for its churches and pristine landscapes; a must-see is the pilgrimage church Wieskirche ("Church in the Meadow") in Steingaden; this rococo masterpiece is on the list of the UNESCO world Heritage sights." We were a little oblivious to its significance but it definitely looked cool as we rode by.

Landsberg am Lech is yet another picturesque medieval walled city 35 km south of Augsburg along the Lech river, but Landsberg has a twist. It's known for its prison, in which Adolf Hitler was incarcerated in 1924 and where, in cell 7, he wrote Mein Kampf.

Day 4 - Kostertechfeld to Rieden AM Forgensee (Fussen)

We continued on the catwalk like bike path through beautiful countryside to the destination of Fussen. Here we visited the exterior of Neuschwanstein castle and stayed in a campground right on the Forgensee (Forgen Lake). Neuschwanstein castle was used as a the basis for the Disneyland castle seen all over the world. It is a magnificent sight

Neuschwanstein castle (built between 1869 and 1886, by King Ludwig II of Bavaria) is the most famous castle in Germany and it is located in the small village of Schwangau near Füssen. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle

Some of the Magnificent Neuschwanstein architechture throughout the years of its construction

Castle Hohenschwangau (restored 1832 to 1836 by Crown Prince Maximilian of Bavaria, Ludwig's father) is the romantic neighbour castle of Neuschwanstein. We rode around this one as we were castled out by this point.

Castle Hohenschwangau the sister castle of Neuschwanstein

Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle mark the end of the Romantic Road and the start of the Bavarian Alps. Fussen is Bavaria's highest town (800-1200m above sea level). We still had some time before Wendy, Bill, Jodie & Timo had to return home so decided to venture to the Highest Mountain in Germany - the Zugspitze: at 2,964 metres. Although we decided not to take the cablecar to the Peak due to exorbitant costs the views were amazing and our thirst for the Alps was building. The mountains always feel like home to us and we were at the gateway to some epic climbs.

The view of the Bavarian Alps as we approached Lemoos

Day 5 - Rieden AM Forgensee to Lemoos

On our final day with the Lawson RV Sag we rode from Rieden AM Forgensee to Lemoos, checked out the Zugspitze and found a campground with a spectacular view of the mountain as our last night with the Lawson clan. The following day we would depart without our faithful sag and the many awesome meals that always accompany the Lawson family. Stephen would not have his hand selected beers each night nor that hot cooked meal. It was awesome to spend time with our family in such beautiful places, hopefully there will be more sagged bike trips in the years to come. Unfortunately Jodie's husband Berten could not join us for the adventure down the Romantic Road but hopefully he can enjoy the pictures and stories as well as seeing how much Timo grew in one small week while travelling in an RV.

The base of the Zugspitze cable car