May 25 Tuesday
After a 9 hour 45 minute flight from Dallas to Frankfurt, we were deposited at the Frankfurt airport. First impression was that we were still in the United States. Store fronts looked the same. Buildings were modern. People clothed in same type of clothing. Same haircuts. Some difference in racial makeup but not enough to stand out.
There even was enough English that a non-German speaker would not have been alarmed. Dee and Richard and his wife Pat were there to pick us up. We went directly to the car rental. A huge silver Mercedes sat there in the center of the rental booths.
Dee is fluent in German and needed no help in getting what he needed. There are, of course, enough Germans fluent in English that German language ability is unnecessary. But few Germans feel comfortable immediately speaking English; most do so reluctantly.
The van that Dee rented was a large square Renault. This and the car rented by Roger would be our shuttle vehicles for the next two weeks.
May 26 Wednesday
Ankommen in Deutschland
Until we reached Bacharach, everything looked much like the United States. However, the architecture there was out of a fairy tale.
We met Erik and his wife Iris, owners of Hillen Hotel where we stayed.
Both spoke easily understood Hochdeutsch.
Ankommen in Deutschland
Until we reached Bacharach, everything looked much like the United States. However, the architecture there was out of a fairy tale.
We met Erik and his wife Iris, owners of Hillen Hotel where we stayed.
Both spoke easily understood Hochdeutsch.
There were 9 people in our group:
Dee Friesen, group leader,
John Dyer,
John Woods,
Ed Hernandez,
Will Ferrell,
Roger Riggs,
Cheryl Riggs,
Richard Cullison,
Pat Cullison
(There are two extra people in the picture.)
After arriving I had my first Bratwurst und Brötchen which cost 2,30 Euros. It was delicious and as I remembered it. The evening meal in contrast was forgettable so I have nothing to say about it.
After arriving I had my first Bratwurst und Brötchen which cost 2,30 Euros. It was delicious and as I remembered it. The evening meal in contrast was forgettable so I have nothing to say about it.
Erik's Neighbors
I asked Erik about used book stores. I debated about asking him because the concept in Germany, as I remembered, was completely unknown. He, however, immediately took me across the street and introduced me to his neighbor. This fellow is a computer programmer and Internet surfer in general. He also loves books. He had perhaps 50,000 books in his house including complete works by authors such as Heinrich Boll, Sigfried Lenz, Herman Hesse and so many of the best German authors. He sold me four books for four Euros. What a deal!
Plus Iris gave me a couple of novels left by guests.
We visited a graveyard on the way to Bingen. Two things about German graveyards. Each grave is carefully maintained by relatives. When a grave no longer has anyone to maintain the grave, the occupant of the site is removed and replaced. Pretty gruesome to our thinking but we saw it repeatedly in Germany.
Also each graveyard had a memorial to town soldiers lost in WWI and WWII. It is worth noting that each village lost its young men in numbers that far outstrip war losses in the United States
We had lunch at a cafe. Sorry, not as much fun as the Stehcafe (tables with no chairs). I had Fleischwurst with Kartoffelsalat
We had a guided tour of the castle which should in fact be called a fortress because of its location and its fortifications. What follows are pictures of the various areas of the castle with some comments.
Armory
This was not the first room shown us but it was for me the most interesting.
Bedroom
What most struck me was the short bed. Although the people in medieval times were shorter than today, the main reason for the short bed was that people sleep sitting up. It had to do with the superstition that a prostrate person was a dead person.
Refrigerator
In the winter time, people went down to the river and cut a large chunk of ice. This was put in the top half of the refrigerator. The food was put in the lower half. Because cold air goes down, the food was thus refrigerated. One only hoped that the ice lasted into the summer.
Bathroom
The bathroom was nothing more than a small room with an opening to the outside of the castle. One would not want to be on the ground when another person was doing his business.
Priest's Area
To me the most appealing area in the castle was the priest's area. Because he was often the only literate person in the castle, he had more light in his room for reading. The other rooms were dark.
For a change from wurst, we had an evening Meal of pizza with dark beer.
May 28 Friday
grosses Fruhstuck 4! Brötchen, Saft, Muesli und Cornflakes mit Milch
I asked Erik about used book stores. I debated about asking him because the concept in Germany, as I remembered, was completely unknown. He, however, immediately took me across the street and introduced me to his neighbor. This fellow is a computer programmer and Internet surfer in general. He also loves books. He had perhaps 50,000 books in his house including complete works by authors such as Heinrich Boll, Sigfried Lenz, Herman Hesse and so many of the best German authors. He sold me four books for four Euros. What a deal!
Plus Iris gave me a couple of novels left by guests.
May 27 Thursday
First Bike Ride in Germany
The bicycles that we rented were commuter bikes. The bike trail that we rode there lent itself to such a bike. A road bike would have been out of place. But such a bike is hard on the butt and the lower back. Long distance riding was out of the question as it would have been very stressful on the body.
Ride to Bingen and back 24 miles (40 kilometers)
View Larger Map
Bingen is east of Bacharach, probably several times bigger but not near as big as Mainz or Wiesbaden. The architecture reminded me more of Meldorf and the smaller North German cities although one would find such places in big cities as well. What makes it different from American cities are the cobblestone streets and the more cramped spacing of buildings.
First Bike Ride in Germany
The bicycles that we rented were commuter bikes. The bike trail that we rode there lent itself to such a bike. A road bike would have been out of place. But such a bike is hard on the butt and the lower back. Long distance riding was out of the question as it would have been very stressful on the body.
Ride to Bingen and back 24 miles (40 kilometers)
View Larger Map
Bingen is east of Bacharach, probably several times bigger but not near as big as Mainz or Wiesbaden. The architecture reminded me more of Meldorf and the smaller North German cities although one would find such places in big cities as well. What makes it different from American cities are the cobblestone streets and the more cramped spacing of buildings.
Also each graveyard had a memorial to town soldiers lost in WWI and WWII. It is worth noting that each village lost its young men in numbers that far outstrip war losses in the United States
We had lunch at a cafe. Sorry, not as much fun as the Stehcafe (tables with no chairs). I had Fleischwurst with Kartoffelsalat
Visit to Marktburg Fortress
We had a guided tour of the castle which should in fact be called a fortress because of its location and its fortifications. What follows are pictures of the various areas of the castle with some comments.
Armory
This was not the first room shown us but it was for me the most interesting.
Bedroom
What most struck me was the short bed. Although the people in medieval times were shorter than today, the main reason for the short bed was that people sleep sitting up. It had to do with the superstition that a prostrate person was a dead person.
Refrigerator
In the winter time, people went down to the river and cut a large chunk of ice. This was put in the top half of the refrigerator. The food was put in the lower half. Because cold air goes down, the food was thus refrigerated. One only hoped that the ice lasted into the summer.
Bathroom
The bathroom was nothing more than a small room with an opening to the outside of the castle. One would not want to be on the ground when another person was doing his business.
Priest's Area
To me the most appealing area in the castle was the priest's area. Because he was often the only literate person in the castle, he had more light in his room for reading. The other rooms were dark.
For a change from wurst, we had an evening Meal of pizza with dark beer.
May 28 Friday
grosses Fruhstuck 4! Brötchen, Saft, Muesli und Cornflakes mit Milch
Today we rode in the opposite direction on the Rhein. The ride to St Goar was a 40 mile round trip.
View Larger Map
We rode past the Loreley which is a high cliff at a bend in the river. The story is that the sirens sang their alluring song and enchanted the sailors so that they did not pay attention to the dangerous obstruction. The ship capsized and the sailors drown. The water is 25 meters deep at the Loreley cliff.
We had lunch in St Goar, Fleischwurst mit Kartoffelsalat, another type of wurst with potato salad.
Evening meal Spiegeleier mit Schinken, Spargel und Strudel
May 29 Saturday
Travel day to Rothenburg o.d.T. with stop in Mainz
We left Bacharach at 9:00 am intending to spend a couple of hours in Mainz and then go to Rothenburg ob der Taube. When we got to Mainz, Ed asked me if I had his passport. It was at that point that I first realized that I had left the passports, plane tickets and American money in the safe in Bacharach.
Rather than have everyone travel back to Bacharach, we decided that I would take the train. I wasn't too upset by this prospect because, other than the time I spent with the book enthusiast, I had had no "total immersion" in the culture that I once lived in.
None of Mainz was familiar to me. It was sad but I could not even find my way to the university where I went to school. All of that period is gone from my memory. Especially shameful because this is a beautiful city.
Because time was short, I gave up trying to go to the university and headed for the train station. I could not find a place to buy the tickets; I couldn't even find the train schedule. I went to the information booth and asked when the next train to Bacharach left and where the departure platform was. I found the platform easily with instructions.
So now I knew when and where the train departure was. I needed a ticket. I saw the automats and tried to use them. Could not figure out which code to use for Bacharach. Typed in Bacharach and found out the price of a one way ticket there was 7,80 euros but found no way to purchase a ticket on that automat.
After 20 minutes of frustration, I went back to the information booth. Same girl, giving me a look of disgust. She told me to use the automat on the far end. It alone gave tickets to Bacharach.
Found the machine, punched in the needed answers and was told to deposit 7,80 for one way and 15 for round trip. I chose one way and put in a ten euro bill. I waited awhile. When nothing happened, I decided that I had inadvertantly chosen round trip and put a 5 euro bill in the machine. So I added 5 more euros to the apparat. I received a one way ticket and change for a 10 euro bill. The 5 euros disappeared without a trace.
Got on the train to Koblenz. One has to know the end point of the trip to know if one is on the correct train. Sat next to a young man from the Schwarzwald who had been traveling on trains since 6:45 this morning. He was on his way to Dortmund to visit his girlfriend and help her move to Mainz where they planned to be together.
He asked me if he was on the right train and if he needed to change trains in Koblenz to get to Koln before another switch to the Dortmunder train. I was barely able to help myself and could not be of any assistance to him. But it was nice to know that I was not alone having trouble with the German train system.
I envied my travel mate. He had big plans and looked forward to a new life with his girlfriend. The train we traveled had no air conditioning and was stifling hot. A couple of young fellows tried unsuccessfully to open a window. I noticed that my buddy had a bouquet of roses for his girl friend. The heat in the compartment had caused the roses to wilt. I hoped his girl friend was not too demanding. He had the best intentions.
Got to Bacharach, suffered the jokes of Erik and Iris as they returned the passports, etc to me. Got a return ticket to Mainz and did not have the problems this time with the automat. The trip back was equally interesting as the train was packed full and more.
View Larger Map
We rode past the Loreley which is a high cliff at a bend in the river. The story is that the sirens sang their alluring song and enchanted the sailors so that they did not pay attention to the dangerous obstruction. The ship capsized and the sailors drown. The water is 25 meters deep at the Loreley cliff.
We had lunch in St Goar, Fleischwurst mit Kartoffelsalat, another type of wurst with potato salad.
Evening meal Spiegeleier mit Schinken, Spargel und Strudel
May 29 Saturday
Travel day to Rothenburg o.d.T. with stop in Mainz
We left Bacharach at 9:00 am intending to spend a couple of hours in Mainz and then go to Rothenburg ob der Taube. When we got to Mainz, Ed asked me if I had his passport. It was at that point that I first realized that I had left the passports, plane tickets and American money in the safe in Bacharach.
Rather than have everyone travel back to Bacharach, we decided that I would take the train. I wasn't too upset by this prospect because, other than the time I spent with the book enthusiast, I had had no "total immersion" in the culture that I once lived in.
None of Mainz was familiar to me. It was sad but I could not even find my way to the university where I went to school. All of that period is gone from my memory. Especially shameful because this is a beautiful city.
Because time was short, I gave up trying to go to the university and headed for the train station. I could not find a place to buy the tickets; I couldn't even find the train schedule. I went to the information booth and asked when the next train to Bacharach left and where the departure platform was. I found the platform easily with instructions.
So now I knew when and where the train departure was. I needed a ticket. I saw the automats and tried to use them. Could not figure out which code to use for Bacharach. Typed in Bacharach and found out the price of a one way ticket there was 7,80 euros but found no way to purchase a ticket on that automat.
After 20 minutes of frustration, I went back to the information booth. Same girl, giving me a look of disgust. She told me to use the automat on the far end. It alone gave tickets to Bacharach.
Found the machine, punched in the needed answers and was told to deposit 7,80 for one way and 15 for round trip. I chose one way and put in a ten euro bill. I waited awhile. When nothing happened, I decided that I had inadvertantly chosen round trip and put a 5 euro bill in the machine. So I added 5 more euros to the apparat. I received a one way ticket and change for a 10 euro bill. The 5 euros disappeared without a trace.
Got on the train to Koblenz. One has to know the end point of the trip to know if one is on the correct train. Sat next to a young man from the Schwarzwald who had been traveling on trains since 6:45 this morning. He was on his way to Dortmund to visit his girlfriend and help her move to Mainz where they planned to be together.
He asked me if he was on the right train and if he needed to change trains in Koblenz to get to Koln before another switch to the Dortmunder train. I was barely able to help myself and could not be of any assistance to him. But it was nice to know that I was not alone having trouble with the German train system.
I envied my travel mate. He had big plans and looked forward to a new life with his girlfriend. The train we traveled had no air conditioning and was stifling hot. A couple of young fellows tried unsuccessfully to open a window. I noticed that my buddy had a bouquet of roses for his girl friend. The heat in the compartment had caused the roses to wilt. I hoped his girl friend was not too demanding. He had the best intentions.
Got to Bacharach, suffered the jokes of Erik and Iris as they returned the passports, etc to me. Got a return ticket to Mainz and did not have the problems this time with the automat. The trip back was equally interesting as the train was packed full and more.
The others spent what they said was a great day in Mainz. They toured the Mainzer Dom, a gothic cathedral in the town center. The cathedrals in Europe are magnificent; the new world has nothing to match. Even small villages have awe-inspiring churches. This would become even more conspicuous as the trip progressed.
I met back up again with the group and we drove to Rothenburg o.d.T. This is a medieval town with Gothic houses and offers a glance back in German history. You can see it in that light or you can see it as a German tourist trap. Whichever, there were great picture taking opportunities which are here.
I had a fairly tasty meal of Bratwurst again but with Sauerkraut and Bratkartoffeln this time.
Sunday May 30
Bicycle ride along the Tauber river
We got up next day and had more Brötchen, Käse and muesli. We then picked up our bikes from Fahrrad Kraus. We rode in the "lieblicher Taubertal". This is the valley through which the Tauber river flows. It was quite lovely as the picture shows.
Bicycle ride along the Tauber river
We got up next day and had more Brötchen, Käse and muesli. We then picked up our bikes from Fahrrad Kraus. We rode in the "lieblicher Taubertal". This is the valley through which the Tauber river flows. It was quite lovely as the picture shows.
We got back to town and I did my own brief walk through of Rothenburg buying Kekse, German cookies, at the market. They were not as good tasting as I remembered but others in the group said they found them quite good.
That evening we were present at one of the city's night watchman presentations. In medieval Rothenburg, the night watchman served as the policeman and lighter of the street lamps among other things. In this case, the modern night watchman tells us tourists of the history of Rothenburg in a most amusing way.
This fellow had a dry wit and a brilliant presentation mode that was as good as any I have seen. There was much to say about Rothenburg's rise to influence in the medieval era, its decline after being defeated and destroyed, its rebirth with tourism, near destruction in World War II and its modern prosperity.
Had a dish of spinach, noodles and cheese that evening before going to the night watchman spectacle. The dish is called Maultaschen and we saw it repeatedly on menus.
Monday May 31
Travel day to the Schwarzwald
Next day we walked along the Rothenburg city wall before traveling four or five hours to the Black Forest. This area of southeastern Germany is also known as Badem Würtenberg and Schwabia. The "Schwaben" are known to be hardworking and narrow-minded in their thinking. Their dialect varies a good deal from that of their Northern neighbors.
After a beautiful drive through the black forest, we arrived in Schiltach late afternoon and met Lisa, American wife of the Gasthof owner Michael Mogler. The town was out of the pages of a fairy tale by the brothers Grimm.
Had Schweinebraten that evening for dinner after having a large local beer, Alpirsbach Klosterbräu, Bier vom Fass.
German beer is tastier than American beer. Our group enjoys drinking and socializing. Beer makes me foggy and robs me of complete enjoyment of the moment.
Tuesday June 1
First day of riding in Schiltach
View Larger Map
Next day was raining and cold but by eleven it was dry enough for a bicycle ride to Freudenstadt, a larger city north of Schiltach. We wanted to follow the bike path and stay off the "Landstrasse". We went astray on the curvy route and got onto a mountain path that was little more than an animal path through the woods.
The forest reminded me of the heavy forests of Tolkien novels. Trees, bushes and plants dripping with moisture; the heavy overhead canopy filtering the light. Moss and shade loving plants, greenery that would be unimaginable in New Mexico.
The heavy bikes were ideal for the mountain trail. Many of the slopes were very steep, uneven and rock covered and I was forced to walk the bike a number of times. Soon we were as wet from the exertion as the plants from the humidity even though the temperature was only in the high fifties.
We reached Freudenstadt and had Kebaps in a bistro near the train station. We returned on the train to Alpirsbach and rode from there back to Schiltach. That evening I had Maultasch which was noodles with spinach and ham. The group got together in our room, which was larger than others, and watched the CD of the night watchman talk.
Wednesday June 2
Every day has been cloudy; only occasionally does the sun break through. For that, the landscape is green. I have seen bridal wreath spirea bushes 8 feet tall. There are lovely rhododendrons and azaleas. Grass growths everywhere. The forests of the Black Forest are truly dark.
There are lovely trout streams. There is no undergrowth or vegetation on the river banks to foul flyline. The streams flow at a moderate rate; ideal for a drag free float of the fly. But there are no fishermen and no fishing. Michael said it was very expensive for a license. It would be worth paying a lot of money; these are the finest waters I have ever seen.
There are with all the rain lovely vegetation as well. One of my favorite bushes is bridal wreath spirea. I proudly show off my 3 foot plants at home. They grow to 10 feet here.
Today we rode to Gengenbach with a stop at Haslach for lunch. All of these little towns are immaculately clean with beautiful picturesque houses. One wonders where the poor people live. They don't have "trailer trash" anywhere that I have seen.
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Gengenbach was a larger town with a large town square. We had drinks directly on the square. On the square the local men were building a stage for the holiday on the next day. When we got back to the Gasthof where we were staying, I found out that tomorrow is Fronleichnam (Corpus Christi), a Catholic holiday celebrated in Baden Wurtemburg.
We had pizza for dinner, probably not the most appropriate dinner for Germany.
Thursday June 3
The day felt colder to me; only 6 of the 9 rode and we rode in two separate groups. Richard and Pat went on a separate ride while Ed, John W., Dee and I headed back to Wolfach. The day had off and on rain but the temperature was just right for riding or other outdoor activities.
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We stopped in Wolfach; sadly for us, all the stores were closed for the holiday. We rode on to Oberwolfach and had lunch at the 3 Konige. Our waitress was attractive and she occupied our time. I had a Spargelkremesuppe, asparagas soup.
That evening I had a turkey dish with curry sauce. It was Roger's birthday so we feted him.
Cheryl brought a lovely cake with candles and wine. A couple from Colorado, Keri and Kevin, joined us. We sang "Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit" to celebrate.
ßäöü
View Larger Map
View Fuessen to WeissenSee, Hopfensee and Bannwaldsee in a larger map
Today we rode to Gengenbach with a stop at Haslach for lunch. All of these little towns are immaculately clean with beautiful picturesque houses. One wonders where the poor people live. They don't have "trailer trash" anywhere that I have seen.
View Larger Map
Gengenbach was a larger town with a large town square. We had drinks directly on the square. On the square the local men were building a stage for the holiday on the next day. When we got back to the Gasthof where we were staying, I found out that tomorrow is Fronleichnam (Corpus Christi), a Catholic holiday celebrated in Baden Wurtemburg.
We had pizza for dinner, probably not the most appropriate dinner for Germany.
Thursday June 3
The day felt colder to me; only 6 of the 9 rode and we rode in two separate groups. Richard and Pat went on a separate ride while Ed, John W., Dee and I headed back to Wolfach. The day had off and on rain but the temperature was just right for riding or other outdoor activities.
View Larger Map
We stopped in Wolfach; sadly for us, all the stores were closed for the holiday. We rode on to Oberwolfach and had lunch at the 3 Konige. Our waitress was attractive and she occupied our time. I had a Spargelkremesuppe, asparagas soup.
That evening I had a turkey dish with curry sauce. It was Roger's birthday so we feted him.
Cheryl brought a lovely cake with candles and wine. A couple from Colorado, Keri and Kevin, joined us. We sang "Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit" to celebrate.
ßäöü
Friday June 4
Trip to Fuessen
Today was a travel day. We left the Schwarzwald and the Gasthof zur Alten Bruecke and began the long drive to Fuessen. We ran into our first "Vehrkehrsstau" traffic jam as we headed south (or more accurately east) out of the black forest.
We finally reached the Bodensee (Lake Constance) which forms the border between Germany and Switzerland. We also got our first view of the Alps. The Alps are more impressive that our local Rocky Mountains, truth to tell. I would compare the views we have had with Glacier National Park or some place farther north. The landscape is stunning.
We stopped first at a church called "die Birkau" which was a splendid church on the Bodensee. The church was very rococo, splendid with ceiling paintings like the Sistine Chapel. Next we travel to Lindau. Lindau is an island on the Bodensee which caters to tourists. It is a beautiful town however. There were many young people enjoying the beautiful views all around. We eat a lunch of pizza.
Finally we traveled to Fuessen and then over the border to Austria. Our Gasthof was just across the border in Austria although the town Fuessen is in Germany (actually Bavaria).
For the evening meal, I had an excellent Wiener Schnitzel. As with all our rooms previously, the accomodations were excellent. We are fortunate to take advantage of Dee's knowledge and experience.
The weather is also better.
Saturday June 5
We drove into Fuessen after a frenetic breakfast. A entire busload of people from Slovenia (we think) shared the breakfast room with us. It was every man for himself.
The bike shop was next door to the Bahnhof in Fuessen. We got the best bikes we have yet rented. We started with the plan to ride around the lake there called Forgennsee. We started in a clockwise direction. I got separated from the group. This gave me the opportunity to do some exploring on my own. I began circumnavigating the lake but got diverted and ended up in a quiet Bavarian town called Lechbruch. Like so many towns in Germany, there was a magnificent Dom which I entered. Like the Birkau from yesterday, it was rococo with gaudy paintings on the walls.
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With the church was a cemetery. Looking at the gravestones, I noticed many with a last name Keller. I also saw that Ludwig Keller was one of the local boys who had died in World War I.
At a Gaststatte there in Lechbruch, I mentioned that my mother's maiden name was Keller and the family came from the Bodensee area. I was encouraged to visit the priest in Lechbruch. I did not find him at home and I wasn't prepared with names of my Keller ancestors, so I felt that should wait for another day.
I ran into the rest of the group at an outdoor restaurant facing the water. We returned to Sauling Gasthaus/Pension. While the others drove into town, Dee and I stayed at the Gasthaus and enjoyed dinner. The venison Ragout Hirschragout that I had was very good.
Sunday June 6
This was another a long day on the bicycle. While the others went to view Neuschwanstein castle, I rode. Started by taking the wrong road from our place Gasthaus Sauling. We had returned on a dirt road the day before and so I got on what I thought was the same path. However, this road became devilishly and unrelentingly steep.
I returned to the highway and found the correct road. John Woods later told me of another dirt bike path that was yet easier.
I was very tired from yesterday and planned to do some shopping in Fuessen but it was Sunday and the shops were closed. In Germany, there are no Walmarts or Walgreens or any stores that are open 7 days a week. There are sitdown restaurants open and little else.
I decided to ride to WeissenSee (Whites Lake) because it was close. The lake was quite pretty. It was not tourist oriented like yesterday's Forgennsee. Mostly local people used the lake. I saw a fisherman who was rowing a boat with a fishing rod with a large plug on it.
There was yet another church Pfarrkirche St Walburga which was first built in 1200. It was renovated around 1500 and again in 1700 to its present form which was very baroque. It had a graveyard with people who had died in the last 20 years. I saw a word "Ausgrabung" and I wondered if that referred to the German practice of removing those dead whose graves were no longer cared for.
I decided I wanted to go back to Lechbruch to talk to the priest about the Kellers there but then I realized that that was a long ride for me in my present condition. So I went to another nearby lake, HopfenSee (Hopfen lake).
This lake was developed. It has a somewhat larger village on one side called Hopfen am See (Hopfen on the lake). This too was occupied by mostly German tourists. But it differed from Weissen because of the wealth evident in the town. Not a place I would enjoy.
View Fuessen to WeissenSee, Hopfensee and Bannwaldsee in a larger map
I returned to Fuessen and had a beer at a restaurant. It was a Konig Ludwig Dunkel. I did not realize how dehydrated I was. I had plenty of water but finding a bathroom is a problem as Germany does not have many public bathrooms so I tend to drink less water. The single beer made me drunk.
As I was sitting there, Dee walked by. He told me he was going to join the others. So I went with him. I was so woozy that I thought I should not be on a bike. When we met Pat and Cheryl, I considered walking with them. But then I thought physical exercise would help me work off the alcohol so I decided to ride with the fellows.
We had a good ride around a third lake named Bannwaldsee. We stopped at an inn near Mühlberg not far from Füssen. I was by now sober but not wanting any more beer so I followed Richard and had an ice cream sunday.
Our ride was over and we needed to return the bikes to the bicycle shop. Although it was closed we were to put the bikes in an enclosed area and lock them. Just before reaching the shop, I knicked a pole with the end of my handlebars and took a chunk of flesh out of my little finger. My bike fell but I remained standing. I did not know it at the time but I wrenched the back of my knee trying to avoid falling.
We returned the bikes and drove back to our Gasthaus. We had a pleasant dinner outdoors. I had Schweinebraten with an extra helping of vegetables and bread. I also finished off the night with another ice cream sunday called a croup danemark.
My leg had stiffened up during dinner and I had trouble getting up the stairs to my room. During the night my leg began hurting.
Monday June 7
Today was a travel day to Frankfurt. My leg was stiff. After moving around some, the leg loosened up so that I could limp around. We got going at 9:15 and drove to the basilica in Ottobeuren. The pictures show the majesty and beauty of the place.
We drove then to Ulm, a city of 120,000 in Southern Germany, not as big as Mainz which is 200,000. Nonetheless we had the variety of a larger city plus the Münster cathedral, a huge cathedral first started in 900 ad. Its latest form however is from the 19th century. It currently is suffering from pollution damage and renovation is being done. I enjoyed Ulm and we hung around for several hours.
Finally drove on to Frankfurt. The hotel was conveniently located near the airport but lacked the amenities and Gemütlichkeit of the other places we stayed at.
After a 10 hour plane ride the next day, we arrived in Dallas/Fort Worth to extreme heat and humidity. Another hour and a half ride to Albuquerque and again heat thankfully with little humidity.
Final Impressions
Germany has changed since I lived there only in the use of modern technology. Many of the residences are unchanged, likely due to the attitude of German carpenters of making something to last. Some commercial buildings in big cities are identical to those in the USA and so the initial impression is one of never leaving the states. But that changes in small towns and one finds the unique culture that enchanted me when I was young.
I am glad that Germany has resisted fairly successfully the plastic culture of America. I would like to see if in East Germany, the German identity is more untainted.
Here are links to photos taken by members of the group. These photos tell better than my words of Germany's beauty.
Roger link:
Dee link:
John W
John D
Richard
Ed
