The German Alpenstrasse

  Bregenz, Lindau, Wangen, Isny, Wies, Munich, Germany
Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Chapter Summary
Germany, In the foothills of the Bavarian Alps bordering Switzerland and Austria

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The German Alpenstrasse



Amaretto and Baileys
20 July, Wednesday
Start point: Feldkirch (near Liechtenstein), Austria
End point: Weissenberg (Just north of Bregenz)
Via: Bregenz, Lindau
Odom(Km): 67.92
Moving(hrs.mim): 4.09
Ave(Km/h): 16.39
Total Ascent(m): 69
Max Altitude(m) 479
Max Speed(Km/h): 46.1

I followed a series of cycle routes that took me across the Austrian / German border to Lindau, a town that sits on Lake Constance - or Bodensee as it is known as. The area of interest is a small island with a bridge connecting it to the mainland. The old quarter of Lindau retains all the charm of a medieval town. Narrow cobbled streets, painted buildings, harbour and lookout tower. Much of the island is pedestrianised allowing people to sit and relax - which they do so in great numbers. I climbed the lookout tower and lunched overlooking the harbour. A noisy gaggle of German grannies accosted me and asked me the usual questions about my trip. When I explained, they got very excited indeed and all personally congratulated me and wished me luck on the road ahead. After lunch I found an internet connection and spent an hour or two emailing and updating.
The near by campsite turned out to be one of the biggest in Europe and there I introduced myself to a group of students from the Netherlands - Remco, Suzan, Mathijs, Jelle and Inge. They had been enjoying the lake from Peddelos. After tea they invited me over for some Amaretto and Baileys. We has a great time joking, discussing, but most of all getting very drunk. The girls were all very good looking but with all the fun and drinking going on, I never got round to enquiring if any were single! Reminder to me; make more of an effort next time.


Lindau


Lindau, Typical narrow streets


View of the tower that overlooks the harbour


View from the top


Jon on his lunch break


Evening survivors photo


The Alpenstrasse - base of the Alps
21 July, Thursday
Start point: Weissenberg (Just north of Bregenz)
End point: Immenstadt, Lake Alpssee.
Via: Wangen, Isny
Odom(Km): 66.33
Moving(hrs.mim): 4.37
Ave(Km/h): 14.3
Total Ascent(m): 970
Max Altitude(m) 973
Max Speed(Km/h): 45.2

In the morning I didn't feel too bad. I'd guzzled a bottle of wine, triples of Amaretto and Baileys - then it started to get very fuzzy indeed; something with Coke was on offer - Vodka I think, but it is difficult to be sure. I only remember saying yes. Funny as I had listened to a radio program that day where one of the guests wrote a book after being given this advice, "Say yes more". The message must have sunk into my subconscious.
I packed before the others were up and was waved off after breakfast. The two stop off points for that day were Wangen and Isny. They sit at the beginning of the next stage of my cycling trip - The Alpenstrasse. This is an area of countryside that lies at the foot of the Alps. The gently rolling hills are almost an unnatural shade of green. In a word, lush.
Wangen and Isny are both walled towns and Wangen town centre is peaceful and pleasant. I took pictures of the main square where everything seemed to be happening.
Isny has a similar feel but is smaller. The outstanding feature of this town is the decoration of its main church, the most beautiful church I have visited so far. Purchased 1Kg of cherries from a farmer on the way and proceeded to eat them all sitting by the water fountain. The descent into the campsite next to a lake gave me a good view of the countryside ahead. I think I'm going to have fun.
After supper I made way down to the lake where I got chatting to an elderly German gentleman who had just finished sailing on the lake. "I'm a grandfather for the third time today", he said. I offered my congratulations. We talked some more about how and why his offspring are scattered around Canada and Australia and the holidays he took over to be with them. Talked about my journey of exploration and learning by bike. Together we pulled the sailing boat out of the water onto its trailer - a job that took the full strength of both of us. "1-2-3... pull [groan.grunt]". He invited my back to his house to stay - but since I had already made camp, I thanked him and declined the offer.


The lush Alpenstrasse countryside


Wangen, a walled town


Wangen, a walled town


The church in Isny



Another picture postcard house



A real Bavarian beer festival
22 July, Friday
Start point: Immenstadt, Lake Alpssee
End point: Bad Baversohlen
Via: Fussen, Wies
Odom(Km): 99.12
Moving(hrs.mim): 6.45
Ave(Km/h): 14.6
Total Ascent(m): 1354
Max Altitude(m) 993
Max Speed(Km/h): 54.1

Today started off like any other day, I made the usual short list of goals; places to see and a rough idea of where I want to end the day. It ended with a very unexpected surprise, something I will remember for a long time to come.
Goal number one, the royal castles of Hohenschwagau and Neuschwanstein. Built by a Bavarian king and perched high at the beginning of the Alps, they had a commanding presence over the flat lands below. They could be seen for miles around and it is my guess that was the intention.
Leaving the campsite I cut through quiet lanes and lush countryside. Village and farmsteads flew past. Then the unthinkable happened. The maps on my GPS came to an end. As it has limited memory I can only store so many square km on it and without a definite route, this often only lasts around a week.
So I little choice but to move away from the country roads to those marked on my 1:200 0000 map. Lacking such detail all the sign posted roads I followed had an unacceptable level of traffic on them. They are narrow, winding with a constant stream of cars and lorries backing up behind me waiting (all be it patiently) for a gap in the oncoming traffic before overtaking. In some cases I hopped onto pavement and continued in relative safety. It was only then I realised how much I relied on the mapping to keep me away from such situations and a wake up call to give more notice about my route ahead to David who works hard as my GPS map master. Arriving at 14.00, I had plenty of time to took round as closing was in the evening - or so I thought. The next available entrance was 16.15. I couldn't wait as my panniers were being looked after by a kind souvenir store owner who closed at 17.30. Time to rethink. Not wanting to waste the time taken to get there and already having the bike suitably locked up I hiked the 20 minutes to the top for a glimpse of the castle. I was not disappointed. Found a few good photo shots and hiked down and continued on my way.
Next to goal number 2, Wieskirche, a decorated basilica. It was indeed a masterpiece of Rocooco art, with more white and gold on display that an Elvis impersonation competition. Every corner was embellished with symbolism that reinforced the glory, power and piety of the church. For me I marvelled at the craftsmanship, attention to detail and total 'over the top' imagery. Now this is indeed the most lavishly decorated building I've ever been inside - by a long way. After the church I headed in the general area of the campsite. I rolled into Baversohlen and located the camping spot by the lake. Only there was no camping, it was a park. I enquired at the cafe "Well, you're welcome to camp here, its not forbidden". Next I heard some music. "What is that music I can hear?". "Ah, it is... what do you call in English... A Beer festival ". Now that was indeed music to my ears.
"I think I'll take a look before I pitch my tent". Things had just started. The food was prepared and the first few people were arriving when in the distance I could hear the sound of marching music getting louder and louder. Groups of finely dressed ladies and gentlemen in traditional dress headed by the band made their grand entrance. The atmosphere in the tent was transformed.
The focus of these beer festivals is not the selection but quantity. The standard size glass is a litre and they were being ordered at the front few tables with staggering regularity.
Being at a beer festival on your own is not something I wanted, so I plucked up the courage and introduced myself to a family who were not sitting on the sidelines (like me) and were not engaged in the serious heavy drinking (which even I am unsuitable for) I had many questions to ask. First off, what were the uniforms about? They were the different organisations in the local area. The shooting club, the fire brigade, the Red Cross the list goes on. The gentleman I was questioning, Frank, was a member of a club involved with tourist industry (although it's my guess his wife, Marlene does most of the work judging by his early morning golf sessions). His garb was far more subdued that the others. No feathers, no shorts and no badges. I fired off questions such as what are the poles were in the villages? (see picture) They are 'May poles'. Put up on the first of May and decorated with badges that signify the trades of the village. It is a complete tree with the bark stripped way and fashioned into a pole - sometimes they don't lop the top off so you have the top few branches still attached high up. Every 4 years they replace the pole in a ceremony
The beer festival was a once every 10 year event to mark the founding of a club. I was indeed in the right place at the right time.
I talked about the places I'd been to, things I'd done and seen. The eyes of their two daughters, Maria and Lisa lit up as I described - and yes, if the truth be told, they were also the other reason I chose this group to talk to. I hope I inspired them to take on a challenge if it is something they really want to do. It was also nice to know that I was able to strike up such a conversation with strangers without feeling uncomfortable. I was hungry, as ever, so I opted for a traditional Bavarian dish; Sour Croat and noodles. It was nice but I found it a bit dry and not enough to satisfy my appetite, so I supplemented it with some heavy German unleavened bread.
"Do you wish to stay at our house tonight? We have a spare apartment" (I think the meant room). As my tent was still attached to my bike and it had started to rain, the option looked very attractive indeed. I thanked them and said yes. Next question from the girls, "We are going to a party, do you want to come". I did, yes. Very much indeed. However, the party was up in the mountains and with my bike and possessions outside and wearing mostly cycling gear with a jumper thrown on top, not knowing how to get back from the town the day after - they were staying there for a few days at friends, where to store or how or when to pick up my gear and bike back to Baversohlen, I had no choice and said thank you, but not thank you. I will always regret the decision, but it was the most practical thing to do. I waved them goodbye. Few hours notice and I would have been able to say yes...
The offer of the room still stood so after a ceremony on stage where the club that Frank belongs to handed over an engraved plate to another club we left and I followed behind the car back to the house. On arriving at the house I soon realised it was a health spa. When the offered an apartment, they indeed meant an apartment. Lounge, en suite, kitchen, outdoor patio. "I don't deserve it, give me space on the garage floor", I wanted to say, but that would have been ungrateful. I thanked them and readied for bed. After 6 weeks of living in a tent I stood over the bed not rely knowing what to do. It was a shock. I was overcome and I got a very good nights sleep.
I extend a warm welcome to all the family if you visit the UK
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The spa even has its own web site which I urge you to visit. It even has a picture of the room I stayed in.
Appartement-Haus am Moosanger
http://www.kurbad-moosanger.de/start.htm
They have a sauna, steam room and pool and specialise in mud baths.


I found a true friend at last!


Solar energy is big in this country. They clad their houses in the stuff. It would only get nicked if you did it in the UK!


Painted your house is a big thing


Fussen town centre


Hohenschwagau castle


Neuschwanstein castle, just next door and lived in for 180 days after it was built


Neuschwanstein castle


Weis church (Wieskirche) from the outside it looks rather plain


but don't be fooled....








Beer fest!




My friend

Lost in the countryside
23 July, Saturday
Start point: Bad Baversohlen
End point: Buchberg (near Bad Tolz)
Via: Murnau
Odom(Km): 70.92
Moving(hrs.mim): 4.45
Ave(Km/h): 14.9
Total Ascent(m): 788
Max Altitude(m) 811
Max Speed(Km/h): 52.3

In the morning I had coffee with Marlene who told me about their Spa then headed off to the lake for my usual breakfast feast.
Stopped off in Murnau which has a pleasant high street. The journey that day was very frustrating as without a detailed map I found it difficult to avoid roads with the lorries and streams of traffic. When I tried I watched my self carve out giant S shaped routes through the countryside. In one case I almost completed a circle with a diameter of 3 Km. In Murnau I stopped in a map shop and studied the 1:50,000 scale maps but they were all quite small. I looked at the one for the area I had cycled through. I would need 3-4 maps to cover the area I traveled in one day. At 6 Euro each it would work out too expensive to buy maps for the coming days so I battled on. Finished early that day and did camp chores instead. The campsite, buy a lake was very quiet indeed.


Eccentric house


Picture postcard towns


But the residents were made of straw


Munich on the map
24 July, Sunday
Start point: Buchberg (near Bad Tolz)
End point: Munich
Via: Bad Tolz
Odom(Km): 78.38
Moving(hrs.mim): 5.01
Ave(Km/h): 15.6
Total Ascent(m): 638
Max Altitude(m) 735
Max Speed(Km/h): 60.0

I talked the campsite owner into copying the maps onto my GPS as finding an internet cafe outside a city that allows you to connect USB devices is uncommon. They all tend to be sealed coin operated terminals.
Now back on the map I planned a route. The only problem was that one of the 5 maps I needed to head east was missing, and it covered a large area of the countryside. Time to rethink my route. Directly north was Munich, a city I was going to bypass as navigating such a city without the maps would be too frustrating. Now I had them, instead of continuing east I decided to head north, visit Munich and continue south east thus avoiding the gaps in the map. I now had a plan.
Rain delayed play but soon as it eased I was on the road. Set off at 12.00 following the usual series of tracks and country lanes and arrived at the campsite at 17.00. Pitched and went in to the city centre to soak up the Sunday evening atmosphere. Didn't get very far when I met Stacy and Hayley, backpackers from Sydney. They were studying specialist law and were on a European tour. They had travelled through all the places I had on my east bound itinerary staying in hostel dorms as far as Bratislava. I plied them for information and then plied them with drink. For beer, we went to the Hofbrau, a famous Munich beer house and the site of a few notable events in history. A litre of beer later and a number of laughs I headed back to the campsite a few Km south. If only I had that city centre Munich apartment, I could kid myself that the evening may have turned out very different!


Town on the way to Munich




Country tracks


Country dancing


Munich town hall


In the Hofbrau with Stacy and Hayley




Munching my way through Munich
25 July, Monday
Munich is a cycle commuter friendly city. Most of the main roads and some of the smaller ones have separate cycle tracks. It allowed me to fly around the city centre from sight to sight with the greatest of ease, once I worked out how the system works. I arrived in the centre and looked around the markets, shops and St Peters Basilica. The only downside was it was raining hard and I found myself sheltering in food shops and fast food outlets. Surprisingly, kebabs are as popular as fish and chips and being someone who eats what the locals eat, I tried one. Very tasty and for just over 1 pound, It was cheaper than I could cook a meal for.
One Kebab later I was not cured of my food cravings so I decided to move away from temptation to the Science Museum. I immersed myself in the exhibits covering a vast floor area. I don't think I even got round half before it closed.
Back at camp I chatted to two lads from the Netherlands who were on a beer mission. I joined them to eat and drink wine until the early hours before staggering off to bed.


The town hall


Science museum


Lucky for me, bikes have improved in the 150 years

Back to the Alpenstrasse
26 July, Tuesday
Start point: Munich
End point: Chieming, Lake Chiemsee
Via:
Odom(Km): 120.38
Moving(hrs.mim): 7.10
Ave(Km/h): 16.9
Total Ascent(m): 965
Max Altitude(m) 608
Max Speed(Km/h): 48.6

With the wind behind I was swept along in a south east direction from Munich back towards the Alpenstrasse. Traffic was the biggest problem as there is a shortage of farm tracks and white roads on my 1.200 000 map that covered any meaningful distance in the right direction. As a result I had to take a rather roundabout route. All other roads - yellow, brown and red were too busy with great big trailer lorries and far too dangerous to stay on for a long period of time. I was only able to cope with the volume of traffic on the white roads and they were far from quiet. It eased off after 18.00 so I carried on till dusk to try and get back into the Alpenstrasse. The campsite was located next to a lake and like most of the sites I have stayed at was full. A convenient spot was found and I made base for the night with a swarm of hungry mozzies for company. Tip: Waterproofs don't just keep out the cold..


A typical Maypole, the figures represent trades of the town folk