Our guesthouse was very plain, inside and out, but very clean and solid with everything we could need to recharge bodies and batteries and be ready to carry on.
Similarly the bikeway was not spectacular, but paved enough and open enough to make for solid pleasant riding. We found that we had landed on the Hopfen Strasse - the hops route - and they were were not kidding. There were large installations of hops all around, not to mention the barley also needed to turn everything into beer.
Bob KoreisReminds me of the Yakima Valley. The powers that be ought to consider extending the trail along the Yakima River out into the farms where there are wineries. This looks awfully nice. Reply to this comment 2 years ago
Steve Miller/GrampiesTo Bob KoreisThe multitude of bike paths in Europe always makes us jealous. Cycle tourists, moving at slow speed, requiring frequent feeding and watering, can be a great economic boost to any area. Reply to this comment 2 years ago
Bill Shanyfeld commented on some sheep's horns the other day, so here is yet another type to consider. While I watched, two males did some serious head butting with these.
The towns along the way were similarly solid and nice, but not really offering much Wow factor. For example, here is what we saw in Mainburg. Dodie feels the radweg is trying to keep us away from anything interesting or useful. They probably expect you to go looking on your own. To a limited extent we will do that, but we also get out of sorts when off route for too long.
Abensburg does have one Wow attraction, though best for beer fans - the Kuchlbauer Bierwelt. It's a brewery tour, with a beer garden, and a playful golden tower.
We were getting near to the Donau, but the track felt that before affording the priviledge of arriving, we should noodle up over some miscellaneous ridge. The alternative was a much shorter and flatter "yellow" on the map road. We looked at it and it seemed very innocent, so we went for it. It did turn out to be as innocent as it looked, and we were overtaken by only eight cars in total over the 5 km length,
With the help of the yellow road, we soon reached the Donau. So we could say "Grampies have again reached the Donau!" Only thing, we always talk about the "Blue Danube", and this river was slate grey.
The big thing about the Donau at this point is that it enters a gorge, just by the Welternburg Abbey. Near the abbey is a ferry dock, from which one can carry on downriver, covering 11 km to Kelheim in 38 minutes. The fun begins in the Welternburg Abbey courtyard, which is dedicated to the fact that the abbey is apparently the oldest monastic brewery in the world. The abbey itself is the oldest in Bavaria, having been founded in 617, accepting the Benedictine rules in the 8th century.
In the courtyard beer garden today, there were scads of people. An unusual number seemed to be old timers - like us - except with walkers. I must have been hungry, because as we walked our bikes by, I noticed the large number who were leaving over some of their pommes, or knoedel, or schnitzel. These guys needed to work up better appetites, or at least donate their surplus to meee!
Old timers at the beer garden of the old monastic brewery.
At the start of the short walk from the monastery to the ferry dock, we noticed these parked bikes. On our ride up from Munich we had seen few cycle tourists, but now we were at the Donau, one of the most popular routes in Europe. Fortunately, we thought, these cyclists must be in the beer garden.
Saint Nepomuk stands in a rock niche. John of Nepomuk was the saint of Bohemia who was drowned in the Vltava river at the behest of Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia. Later accounts state that he was the confessor of the queen of Bohemia and refused to divulge the secrets of the confessional.
Limestone formations along the way have spawned many fanciful stories. This one is called Peter and Paul, and the next is Napoleon's suitcase, said to have been left behind when he retreated from this area.
The Kelheim main street seemed to contain a large number of eis cafes. Unfortunately we only sampled one. We chose mango, nuss, and chocolate!
Kelheim is where the Altmuhl enters the Donau, coming down from the north. This newer bridge at the end of the Kelheim main street crossed the Altmuhl and dropped us directly at our guesthouse.
We are here! This venerable building feels traditional inside, but still has everything. Photos on the wall in the hall show the building in past years, with the former Altmuhl bridge in front , and with its roof off, under repair.
