We got up early and headed out. The local hydro crews were working on the trail so we had to make a detour and follow an alternate bike route. The general store with a bakery and butcher was a good stop - we enjoyed coffee and fresh baking for breakfast. It was pleasant to watch the town waking up and doing their morning shopping. Most people, regardless of age, arrived by bike (some by tractor). The route today was very pleasant, following a canal for part of the way. The route was so easy to follow and brought us right into the centre of Ulm. What a beautiful city and skyline. The Munster Cathedral, which has the highest steeple in the world, dominates the skyline. We have been meeting incredibly friendly people in towns. On the trail, people are more reserved than in France. We find that we still greet fellow riders as we pass anyway. At the market centre of town, we stopped and were immediately approached by a group from Stuttgart who had two women visiting from Edmonton. As well, two different young men came up to talk and offer directions to a local bike shop. Bikeline Bike Shop was a good choice as it was one of the only Rohloff dealers in the area. We bought the Rohloff oil kit and will change the oil ourselves. What a relief. We decided to head back into town and do a bit of sighseeing and have some lunch. Barry was approached by a man on his bike wearing a "Canada" ball cap from Whistler. Barry thought that he was from Canada but the cap was a gift. He wanted to visit with us so we joined him for a beer. It turns out that he had worked all over the world as a merchant marine and had also worked for the Brewery of the beer we were drinking. We had a long enjoyable conversation with him about many things, including bicycle trips that he had done. By now the weather had turned really ugly - thunder and lightning and hail - so we decided to stay. We were lucky to get a room in a hotel right on the square - Hotel Munster - directly opposite the Cathedral. The guesthouse was recommended as a good place with reasonable rates including a substantial breakfast buffet. We are really glad to be staying as the weather has turned very cold and rainy and we would like to explore more of Ulm. Went for a walk around town and were very impressed by the beauty of the heritage buildings, intact city wall and the introduction of modern buildings.
The only good thing about our campground. It was right on a lake.
This young man was so helpful in finding us a bike shop in Ulm and phoning them to be sure that they could help us. In fact, people were so friendly here, we had trouble getting out of this square!
