June 21, 2024 to June 22, 2024
Munich to Seeshaupt
Marmots are go!
Friday: Having been hit by colds we spend a very uneventful and quiet time in Munich. A pity, because our host, Bettina, is up on all the concerts and performances on at the moment. A conductor herself, she also has boundless enthusiasm and energy for the arts and music. We enjoy hearing about the various conducting roles she’s had.
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
In the interests of keeping our wheels turning, we take a spin out to the Olympic Stadium. The memorial to the Israeli athletes is a reminder of something I’d almost forgotten. It’s moving in some of the detail of personal lives affected but the memorial itself is a little bland with an emphasis on newsreel clips. What it does though, is remind us of how long and bitter the conflict has been. The other aspect of the news clips that I unexpectedly find has resonance is the almost palpable sense of nostalgia created by clothes and hairstyles. Fashion crimes but memories nevertheless. The rest of the afternoon disappears in a haze of jet lag as we return to our accommodation and crash.
Saturday: We farewell Bettina, retrieve our bikes from the cellar and head for the Hauptbahnhof. We’ve decided that, feeling a little under the weather, we’ll train to Seeshaupt. The ride to the station is easy on the cycle lanes we pick up just outside the apartment. Inside, the station is buzzing with the usual chaos, with occasional whoops from Eurocup football tourists. Normally we use the Trainline app for tickets, but today Ann joins the queue. It takes a while but time is on our side and before long we are at platform 27 and boarding for Seeshaupt .
It’s a sunny day and the warmth feels good after a few day that have not felt much over Auckland’s winter temperatures. Ann strikes up a conversation with the sweet natured young woman who sits down opposite us. She has a beautiful smile and a very cute little girl with her, her 18 month old daughter, who has the most expressive face. The woman is going to see the Expressionist painting exhibition at the Buchheim Modern Art Museum at Bernried am Starnbergersee. Coincidentally, Bettina has encouraged us to visit it.
Soon we alight at Seeshaupt and pedal the 5 kilometres to Fischer Beim. Our reception is very cordial and helpful. An added attraction is the sale of smoked fish. Later we return and buy a piece of fish and discuss smoking methods and the best wood. Manuka is the NZ wood of choice and appeals on account of the flavour imbued and the heat it produces . He says they use Oak which seems like it could be expensive.
Our next task is to select a site and peg out the marmot. We find a beautifully sunny and quiet spot and unload the bikes. We’ve given the tent a thorough waterproofing prior to leaving, so it had better be successful as rain is forecast to start bang on 5:00pm.
We enjoy an early lunch and then head over the road to the lake. There’s swimming and windsurfing and yachting going on, and the lake water looks reasonably clear. We would like to dive in but our colds make it a less appealing proposition.
Instead, we cycle back towards Seeshaupt to get supplies at the Edeka supermarket. It’s an interesting ride because there seems to be a number of lakeside houses that cut off views and access.
Back at the tent, clouds are forming overhead. Ominous clouds! We dine in the diner next to the kitchen and the smoked fish with new potatoes and a salad is most palatable. The texture of the Karp, only found in Bavarian sees, is quite soft and moist rather than flaky, as we are mostly used to. Another bonus is access to a power source and effective wifi.
After ablutions, we head for the tent and wrap up warmly. I even put on a puffer vest I invested in (no pun intended) before we left. The difference was wonderful- no wonder ducks look so warm. Before fading out there’s a series of loud cacophonous sounds from somewhere around the lake. Ann is amazed that thunder could be so well synchronised until I tell her it’s fireworks.
Today's ride: 18 km (11 miles)
Total: 72 km (45 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 7 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |