At the foot of the Alps, Lechstausee (lake), Bavaria

 Wednesday Sep 4th

Can't believe it's September now. As I sit here outside the tent at 7.30am enjoying the view across the lake while my two riding partners are still curled up in their sleeping bags, I can't help feeling just a little daunted by the prospect of climbing through the mountains I can now see in front of me now. The view is stunning – the Alps are strung across the skyline and seem to go on for ever. Today we will reach the town of Fussen, which is right on the border with Austria and marks the gateway to the mountains.


Morning view at our campground

And yes, we are a party of three now! Our friend Nancy from Montreal joined us on Monday after a very complicated airline run-around. She flew into Munich and lucked out in finding a bike mechanic to help her assemble her bike. Nancy is an almost virgin bike-tourer, and this is her first experience with cycling in Europe. Kudos to her for taking a big leap in getting her new bike and all the gear and starting this journey by herself. Anyway, on Monday, she successfully navigated her way out of Munich and cycled the 60 odd km to meet us in the pretty town of Landsberg along the Via Claudia route.

 

Our two tents at last night's  scenic campground

Nancy on her second day of cycling, and she's already hooked!

The three Musketeers

Prior to meeting Nancy, Frank and I made our way from Donnauworth to Augsburg through a very agricultural landscape and many small villages. We'd had so deviate off the official cycle routes in order to get to our campgrounds, but it was exciting to see the first Via Claudia pathway sign and to start seeing some interpretive signage about this great Roman route.

The first Via Claudia sign we encountered

Via Claudia interpretive sign. A barcode gets you the english version

We did experience one episode of trail magic. As we were leaving the city of Augsburg, a young lady stopped us and said she noticed we were on the road and that we’d probably enjoy some food. So she insisted on giving us some plums and a big chunk of homemade apple cake. Her name was Maria and we appreciated her very thoughtful gesture. We enjoyed the treats later on by the river.

Birth announcents like this are typical in Germany. This one was particularly cute

Frank dealing with the first puncture of the tour yesterday

We experienced our first rain in the wee hours of Monday morning while camping near Augsburg. Thunder and lightning started about 5am and was followed by heavy rain for several hours. Fortunately it let up by 10am and we hit the road  shortly after that. The tent stayed perfectly dry inside.

 Today the plan is to ride on to Fussen where we will have a day off the bikes to check out the town and hopefully enjoy some lake time. And it also looks like we are going to be joined by two other Canadian friends, Sarah and Andrew. They have been cycling and hiking in Switzerland and are planning to come join us later today or tomorrow. It will be quite a party in Fussen!




Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 4, 2024 at 8:22 PM

    Happy to see that Nancy made it! Bravo from sunny Orford…Hélène. xxx 😗

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mike BSeptember 4, 2024 at 8:47 PM

    Those mountains ahead really do look intimidating to ride through. I hope the winds are in your favor. Nice to hear you're team is getting bigger with Nancy joining.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2024 at 7:02 AM

    Super! Nancy made it wow! We are happy for you guys. All together now for this great trip. Lucie & Mimi

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2024 at 7:02 AM

    Great pictures and big smiles Lucie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DaphneSeptember 7, 2024 at 2:03 PM

      Thanks for following along Lucie. Nancy seems to be enjoying it all so far 😀

      Delete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 9, 2024 at 4:58 PM

    Kudos to Nancy travelling and getting her bike assembled. As well as the 60 km solo ride! Brave girl! Tracey & Bry

    ReplyDelete

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