Our trip began and ended in Munich, Germany. We journeyed out of the town center, south along the Isar River on a gravel bike path - so civilized and simple for bicycles. Our direction took us south to Fussen, stopping and camping in some of the most beautiful countryside we've ever experienced. There are a number of forest roads and we did manage to get lost among them. There were great hordes of bicyclists and their families riding around in the country, particularly on the weekends.
This was the test tour of our new Co-Motion coupled tandem and the tandem Arkel Panniers. Both proved to be reliable companions and will serve us well on our Round-the-World (RTW) adventure. We also realized how comfortable we have become with the luxurious European Campground model: numerous toilets, showers, dish sinks, clothes washing facilities, and warm, dry public rooms to ward off the rain!.
The food in this area is supreme! After 3.5 weeks of pretty strenuous riding, we had not lost a pound. We cooked most of our meals, but the selection of foods and some of the delicious pre-prepared choices allowed us to eat very well. And of course, there was a wonderful selection of great beers!
People provide the heart of any trip. Our camground host in Salzburg was the smiling face who met us over coffee in the morning with daily weather reports and a little insight to Austrian life. To escape the rain, we stayed in a zimmer (a room in a private home) and were received by the teeange son and fed a hearty breakfast the next morning by "mom".
Art & I are always proud of ourselves after we have conquered another emotionally difficult day-- ie: when we were lost in Germany during a drenching rain, using only a compas to gain our bearings without being accusatory or yelling!
Accomplishment!!
