Day 36: Lechbruck to Fussen

June 4, 2014

We rode out of the camping at Lechbruck and immediately were continuing the process that had started so dramatically yesterday. That is, we were very very quickly feeling like we were in the mountains. This was helped (of course) by the fact the fact that the air was clearer than yesterday, and we could see the mountains right across the way. But it was more than that. Now the landscape was all alm - alpine meadow, and there were cows everywhere, more and more the brown Swiss type.

Heading toward Fussen - a fine example of careful German firewood stacking.

Cows are the star attraction here, but this is an interesting horse!

Cows and dogs together are more interesting than either alone!

Just how many cow photos am I going to take on this tour - watch me!

The boat that plies the Forggensee looks like fun.

The river Lech enters into a broad lake, the Forggensee, just before it reaches Fussen. We chose the way by the west side of the lake, and for a while the path travelled right by the lake shore. The lake with the mountains beyond, the alm with the mountains beyond, really made for stunning scenery. We rolled into Fussen and up to the tourist information around noon, after a leisurely and pleasant cycle. We had shared the path with at least a hundred other cyclists. This really is a major tourist destination, especially for Germans.

We had only been by the tourist information for a short time when it began to rain - quite hard! This had us abandoning our plan to cycle out 5 or 10 km to the camping, and instead we looked for some kind of indoor accommodation. This actually could work out well, since we both wanted to look at the town and later (next day) at the hugely famous Neuschwannstein Castle of mad King Ludwig II. The castle is some km out of town, and we needed to figure on how to get there and also how to not have our bikes hanging around unwatched.

Tourist information circles two spots on the map that they said were the youth hostel. We went to the nearest circle and found nothing. So we went back to tourist information and this time got a list of the economical accommodation in town. We set off again (all in the rain) and did find the first hostel. It was not a "youth hostel" exactly, and in any event was closed until 4. So we set off for another of the cheap places on the list. On the way we hit Gastehaus Schoberl, very near downtown. At 80 euros it was 30 more than the lowest one on the listing, but in the rain it had the big advantage of being right there. The owner, Georg was really personable, and the room turned out to be actually two rooms - the whole much bigger than what we have become used to over here.

The 80 euros includes breakfast, and since we are staying two days, also includes a bus pass that will take us to the castles.

So with the bikes safely stowed in a garage, we had the whole rest of the day to explore the town! Our only regret - we had planned to meet up with Merv, at the camping. We could not make his phone ring, so we fear we have lost him.

Marianne and David, a couple we met in New Orleans, had advised us on the Guestbook that Fussen was the birthplace of Franz Xaver Seelos. Born in 1819 and baptized in the cathedral of St Mang here, he went to America. In 1866 he went to New Orleans, where he helped care for victims of yellow fever. He contracted the disease himself and died in 1867 at the age of 48. He was made a saint by Pope John Paul II in 2000. There is a memorial for him in the St Mang basilica.

So St Mang became the first destination of our walk around. Oh, actually not quite. First we needed some sustanance on the main pedestrian street. I found something a little like an erdbeeren schnitte, except that it was raspberry (himbeeren) and was not a slice in a tray but more of a circular pie. Still, it was a fruit topping on a cake base, the fruit held together with a gelatin glaze. I had been looking for a quality schnitte, and had the idea that a thick layer of quark like stuff would have to be part of it. But this thing went another direction. The underlying cake was much better quality than the plain white ones I have been seeing. And the fruit topping was sweeter than normal. The whole thing was moist and yummy! And as you can see from the photo, they had other versions - enough to keep us here lots more days to check them out!

This schnitte like pie or cake was just scrumptious

The hot chocolate in this region is really the real thing too

Ok, where were we?, yeah, St Mang's. St Mang's was also a confection of sorts. It is done in the Baroque style, which is way more interesting than the spare gothis versions. This is the world of tumbling pink cherubs and elaborately painted ceilings, with gold trim on absolutely everything. It was great. One thing, though. Dragons often appear in church statuary, and they are always getting their scaly butts kicked. Actually, they are usually getting stepped on and speared. Now in St Mangs two dragons, looking so weirdly demonic, put in an appearance as lamp bases or light bearers or suchlike. There seems no limit to the strange imagery that can be used in a medieval church!

We found the Seelos memorial, which includes slip of paper that can be used to ask the Saint to intercede on your behalf for some prayer or request. We are not sure why deities need to use middlemen, but we are not quibbling with the system. Instead we put in a request on behalf of a sick family member. We had been concerned going in that we had not enough spare change to make a submission. However, there was no charge for the messenger service. We did use our cash for candles though.

The St Mangs basilica sits in the shadow of the Schloss - or high palace. This was started in the 13th century and developed and extended in the 16th century by Bishop Friedrich II von Zollern. The courtyard of the palace is decorated in a unique style of fresco that gives an uncanny 3-d effect. It really is something special.

Inside, there is currently an exhibition of paintings from the 19th century by famous southern German artists. some of these were quite good and interesting, but we found most rather dark and uninspiring. Some rooms also had late gothic religious paintings. All these things are no doubt rare and valuable, though they did not inspire us on an emotional level. One thing we found interesting was that aside from the ticket seller there was no one attending the displays. It seemed a bit risky to let the public in so close to these things.

Fussen, like Rothenberg, seemed to offer great photo compositions at every turn. Unlike Dinkelsbuhl - which is all dolled up and Augsburg - which seems to ignore its heritage as daily life swirls around it - Fussen seems to be a real town that just happens to be highly photogenic. We liked it a lot.

Tomorrow we will head out to the fairy tale castle of Ludwig II. This is the one that inspired Walt Disney, and that appears on all those images of German fairy tale castles in tour brochures. We understand busloads of tourists from Munich flood the place daily, so we will be there early, with our elbow pads on - or maybe off!

These porcelain houses are a specialty in Rothenberg, so here, like schneeballs, they are an exotic import.

Just a small bit of the ceiling paintings in St Mangs

Memo to St Seelos asking for intercession

This figure has a passing but uncanny resemblence to our son, Jeremy.

A scene on ascending a staircase in St Mangs

St Magnus went around performing mirales with a rod. His rod and other relics now hang in the basilica

The interesting painted decoration on the high castle

The 3-D effect is uncanny. this is a completely flat wall.

A view of Fussen from the schloss (castle) tower.

Part of a carved wooden 500 year old ceiling at the schloss

The spital churchis also in Baroque style - this is part of the ceiling

Fussenwas once a centre of lute making. Only one maker survives - here in the "bread market" square.

Today's ride: 24 km (15 miles)
Total: 2,002 km (1,243 miles)

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