End of Romantic Road, plus side trips.

I left Donuworth without any real plans for the day. The Romantic Road went through some nice wooded areas, and a local swimming spot that was tempting in the warm weather. German girls are beautiful and fit. The bike paths in Germany are amazing, cutting their way through very scenic and sometime remote areas. I even saw the whitewater solemn course used in the 1972 Olympics. The Romantic Road is sometimes miss marked, and I'm glad I had the GPS for backup. The bike responded nicely to the weight I removed, and I picked up 2-3 mph on cruising speed, which may be another 20 miles per day.

I came to the point in my trip where I had to make the decision ongoing to Munich. I hadn't planned on going, and it was a big divergence from my route, but I figured I that I'm so close I might as well head over. It was, however, off my GPS route, and required turn by turn directions by checking my phone's maps. I rode with a local who showed me through the first village where he lived. From there, I followed dirt roads that ran alongside the railroad lines, thinking this would be a direct way into the city. I tried to capture a video of a high speed train blowing over my shoulder, but I think you can picture this. Although the distance was fairly short, I took some wrong turns and was not making good time. It was getting late, I was getting hungry, and I still had no idea of where to stay for the night. Having flashbacks of Berlin, I decided to spend the 7 euro and take the local train the last few miles into the city, where I was able to find a Hostel near the central station. The hostel had 40 person rooms, but they were mostly empty. I did meet some Americans, who were nice to talk with, but some seemed like they were into the bars too much... like the kind of people I came half way around the world to get away from.

I decided to stay in Munich at least one full day. I again turned to Rick Steve and some maps from reception to plan my next day through the local markets, the royal palace, and Hofbrahouse. The local markets were basically what I expected. Interestingly, local tax law has been adjusted allow older and local business to remain in business, so there were woodcarvers, cobblers, and other professions you wouldn't ordinary see. Some things did surprise me. There were still many stores selling traditional clothing (aka “lederhosen” etc). I would have thought these went out of style years ago, but they are very much still in fashion. There were also a lot of outdoors stores, selling everything from climbing, running, roller blading, and surf gear (which I thought was odd for Germany). Roller blading is very popular here. I did buy a new bike chain as the one I was using was original and had seen some hard use. There were also some amazing street performers playing the xylophone.

The royal residence filled out the cultural part of the day. Like other structures, it was bombed and rebuilt, and had a long history of add-ons and alterations. This was in many ways like the royal homes in Worzburg, in highly detailed barroke and Rokoko styling. Perhaps most memorable was the relics, which contained (supposed) remains of saints such as John the Baptist, bone, wood, and other fragments inclosed in glass and gold cases. These gave the rulers legitimacy, and a closer connection to the gods. These were all in one vaulted room, so I said a prayer, and was on my way.

I finished the day with a trip to Hofbrahouse, a famous beer hall where they really do serve 12 letters of beer at a time. Live ompa music filled a large and noisy hall where people from around the world mixed, some of which in traditional cloths. I slipped and asked for a “pint” which got me a serious eye roll from the waitress who brought me a letter mug. It was somewhat hard to find your way alone in such a place where the smallest table seats 12. I did meetup with another tour group, mostly from Australia, and spend a good chunk of the night chatting with them.

Although there were other things worth seeing, such as the Holocaust memorial, I decided to leave Munich the next morning, just a little hungover from the night before. The run out of the city was simple and easy, and I rejoined the Romantic Route quickly, where I turned south again. Still, I had no idea of where to stay, so when I ran across a campsite I decided to stay for the night. They offered a big, somewhat American style bar-B-que, where I had two plates worth of food. I shared a table with some very nice people from Denmark, and we talked for several hours on everything from language, food, economics, politics etc. etc. It was a very nice evening.

I left very early the next morning wanting to finish the Romantic Road. This turned out to be one of the most epic riding days I've ever had. The climbing started, and mountains were in he distance. Rolling farmland came up, and cowbells seemed omnidirectional. Part of the path went through a cow and horse pasture, and it was intimidating to ride through herds of animals. I almost took a selfie, but decided to roll along slowly and silently. On recommendation of a friend, I did take another detour through Oberamegau. Large mountains stand in all directions at the bottom of ski slopes, and a nice little town in between. I was able to stop a bakery and grab lunch before backtracking over some gravely mountain roads (some of which were marked as ski paths) back to the Romantic Road.

The final stretch of the Romantic Road was something to write home about. The views of pastures and giant mountains in the distance was truly breathtaking. I had a nice tailwind pushing me through the last ten miles of open farms and imposing mountains; some of which went right up through the partly cloudy sky. Perhaps even more surprising was the Forggensee (lake) which had an aqua blue color that could only be compared to the Caribbean waters. My reason for coming, of course, was to see the Neuschwantein castle. Unlike other castles built for protection, this castle was built for pleasure by royalty with a big dreams and deep pockets. King Ludwick was considered mad, and died a mysterious and early death before the castle's completion, but the castle still makes for a very impressive tour. It is said that Walt Disney used this castle for designing the one in the US, and there is a resemblance. I took the tour, but pictures are only allowed from outside. Most of the inside was not finished, but what was is equal in grandeur; large throne rooms and banquet halls, with ornate wood carvings, window treatments, and mosaic floors. Detailed paintings cover the walls from christian or mythological stories. On a side note, a huge chunk of this trip has tested my biblical knowledge; the apostles, saints, and stations of the cross etc.

Most alluring about this area is the mountains and lakes. Huge mountains draw rock climbers, hikers, and paraglidrs are frequent in the skies. On the lake, sailboats, windsurfers, and kite borders are in the dozens at any time, and cyclists of all types hit the streets. This is definitively a place I could spend a few days, but I have yet to decide when I will head to Austria. Although the views are impressive, even from my campsite, they are also very intimidating and promise to be one of the biggest challenges of the trip, perhaps my life? But why back down now?