Fridingen to Sigmaringen, Germany: A spectacular day with hills, hills, and more hills
We were lucky to chance upon Gasthaus Lowen - ate dinner in our room and enjoyed watching the movie Tropic Thunder in German. The aromas from the dining room had been tempting us, and we got to try the chef's fare in the dining room for the included breakfast. It was also a nice touch to have our own pot of coffee. Delicious hearthy seedy breads, pretzels, walnut encrusted cheese, museli,etc. etc. The town of Fridingen was busy preparing for their fall fair this w/e. It was interesting to watch locals make up their floats for the parade and decorate their venues. We have been looking forward to today's ride as it is reputed to wind through some of the most spectacular and dramatic scenery along the German Danube. Yesterday was just a taste of what was to come. We climbed and descended more hills than I can now remember - it was at times challenging, but so rewarding as the views were breathtaking. The limestone cliffs of over 300 metres, verdant landscape and chalet style guesthouses tucked into the valleys were a few of the wonderful things we saw. In the town of Beuron, we were fascinated by the Archabbey (now a Benedictine Abbey) with roots dating back to the 9th century. The town seemed to emerge in the middle of nowhere as we climed from the valley. This area is dotted with more castles in close proximity than anywhere else along the river. We found ourselves looking up to try and catch sight of the next one. Interestingly, one of these castles, Wildenstein dating back to 1077, is now a Youth Hostel - but it requires an additional 5 km climb - we opted to move on. We visited a butcher in Beuron to buy some fresh roast beef for the sandwiches we were making for our picnic. The shop was long established and built into the outside stone wall of the abbey. The roast beef was hot, juicy and luscious. When I asked for 2 thin slices, she looked at me oddly and sliced two 1 inch thick dripping slices. It was a feast and so delicious. While stopped by the river for a break, we met a group of 8 cyclists who were travelling together (6 from Australia and 2 from New Zealand). We enjoyed talking travel and sharing experiences. Adding to the challenge of the hills, was the gravel surface that seemed to be with us on and off most of the day. It is hard to capture in words the beauty and special charm of this part of the Danube - hopefully our pictures will tell the story. Now for the bad bit....and back to reality. We arrived at Camping Sigmaringen which is tucked along a narrow stretch of land by the river. We were ready to stop as we had taken many breaks throughout the day and wanted to rest from the hills. However, this is truly one of the worst camping situations we have encountered in Europe. Our first sign of trouble was when the receptionist warned us that we would have to camp in the entrance lawn (roughly 40/25 ft) as the other tenting area was full of groups that she expected would party loudly through the night. We wondered where we could pitch our tent as two groups were already set up, but we didn't feel like moving on. To add to the congestion of the area, the restaurant is a few feet from us and the main bathroom is right behind us. Not an ideal situation but it does give us a place to sleep. Ear plugs will be essential as the highway is also just across the river. It should be an interesting night: drunks, motorcycles, diners, plus an additional tent that has just been set up in our small area by two guys who had ridden 140 km from Stuttgart and arrived in the dark.
Scharf Eck is such an attractive example of a half timbered house. It is now a restaurant as well as a museum documenting the life and work of a well known Fridingen artist, Hans Bucher.
We enjoyed our chance meeting with this group of Australians and New Zealanders who are travelling together to Vienna. A good spot to stop and enjoy the view and have lunch.
A fellow cyclist out for a ride. We see more riders in this area, but it is very quiet. Hard to imagine how busy this must be during the summer. Barry planned well to get us to this area in September.
Is it an optical illusion? It almost looks like the bales and equipment are holding up the limestone walls. Rather, the farmer had considerately positioned them out of the way of the cyclists.
Barry is sharing his music with this Bronze statue of a pilgrim. I'm thinking he may not be loving Barry's blues music, maybe he'd like some of my classical music. Who knows?
Rather than msuic, I'm guessing he prefers his solitude. It is a lovely bronze sculpture of a pilgrim - many people come to this area to hike these hills.
Outside the Benedictine Abbey in Beuron. The archabbey has roots dating back to 861 and was established in 11th century as an Augustine abbey. It has a long tradition of artistic and scientific study and today generates its own electricity.
