September 8, 2024
Back to Friedrichshafen
All too soon, our tour of the Allgäu was coming to an end – we were returning to Friedrichshafen today and it was, for me, the last day of cycling. A bittersweet day as it was also my birthday. Suzanne greeted me at breakfast with a big birthday hug and a sly smile as she handed me a small gift – you’ll have to wait a bit for the reveal.
The day started with blue skies and sunshine but rain was predicted to start in Isny around 2 pm and arrive in Friedrichschafen in late afternoon. The 35 mile route was generally downhill and we set off around 10, hoping to stay ahead of the weather. The first five miles retraced our route from yesterday, cycling through woodlands and gently rolling hills. We continued west past Eisenharz on a wonderful downhill run to the Obere Argen River that had us both grinning from ear to ear.
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After crossing the Obere Argen, we made a short climb away from the river and into Wangen im Allgäu, an historic city whose old town features architectural elements dating from the early Middle Ages. In addition to having a look-see around town, I was hoping to find and ATM and enjoy a mid-morning coffee and cake – it was my birthday after all. We struck out on both fronts. We had dawdled about taking pictures and by the time we were ready for our snack all the restaurants were serving lunch and the café/bakeries had closed up shop. We left Wangen feeling disappointed and hoping to find a nice bench down the road for our meager picnic.
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The route past Wangen put us on a bicycle path adjacent to a highway, not the most interesting part of the day. We resorted to a bus shelter for our lunch stop, and continued on with few stops until just before Neukirch. It had started misting and seemed as if our dry weather window was closing earlier than expected. Raincoats went on, just in time as it turned out.
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Though the leaves had yet to turn, autumn was definitely in the air, as evidenced by roadside pumpkin stands and fall festivals. A huge festival was going on in Tettnang. A rainbow of umbrellas filled streets that were lined with vendors hawking grilled meats, cold beer and tchotchkes. A brass band belted out “Good Day Sunshine” and folks practically danced in the street, seemingly oblivious to rain. I so wanted to stop, to savor a brat, to share in the celebration. But we were not oblivious to the rain and so we picked our way through the crowd and pedaled on, churning out the remaining miles to Friedrichschafen at a steady clip.
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The restaurant recommended by our hotel opened at 5 pm – early even by German standards. Suzanne and I headed over as soon as we’d showered and hung up our wet clothes. I went for the flat iron steak with polenta and green beans, an excellent choice. Then I ordered cake for desert – a plum cake with ice cream to celebrate a wonderful birthday doing something I love. And thanks to Suzanne for making the day evcn more special.
Today's ride: 35 miles (56 km)
Total: 2,234 miles (3,595 km)
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