Day 12

29/08/2011 – Day 12

Munderkingen to Ulm – 55km

Breakfast was a quiet affair this morning as there were only about six people staying in the hotel, a group of three German cyclists, myself and M and another man who was sat next to us. As we talked about the plans for today he introduced himself. D was another Brit cycling from the French Atlantic coast to the Black Sea (Eurovelo Route 6, we had seen the signs earlier).

As we went out to load our bikes he was there packing his. As we were going the same way we set off through the town together. He would now be following the Danube all the way to the end like us.  As we chatted he told us he had been camping all the way until the big storm of the other night and had decided to stop in a hotel to try and dry himself and his equipment.  He had arrived in time to have a few beers at the fest before it closed. It turns out that he was born in Kettering where my day now lives; it really is a small world, isn’t it.

One of the big problems with doing these long distance trips is finding someone compatible to travel with; you have to cycle at the same speed, like the same things and are able to get on together. D travelled a lot slower than us and slowly a gap developed, so we said our goodbye and parted. This does not mean to say we will never meet again. Firstly, the ‘official’ route is actually quite varied; there are several bypasses, short cuts, detours to see special sights. Plus there is the ability to get lost.

So it was no surprise to come across D again in Ehingen but in front of us! The route had given two options earlier, one down the cycle path next to the main road and the other through the fields; we must have taken the longer one through the fields. He was stopping to find a bank so we said hello and goodbye and carried on.

We have been blessed with another good day and good conditions so the kilometres just rolled by and it wasn’t until late in the morning that we stopped for second breakfast at a farming village called Ersingen. The restaurant was huge but empty. As we sat drinking coffee the locals started to appear, all farm workers coming in from the fields; that explained the size of the place. While we sat there we discussed the options for the rest of the day. Ulm was not very far and worth stopping in or we could just have lunch there, a quick whizz round then push on. Due to my hip we decided to stop there.

Suddenly the Danube has become quite large, no longer a small river it now has lock gate to allow boats to pass the numerous weirs. As with all best laid plans, we started to get hungry and knew we would never make Ulm without stopping to eat. At the village of Gӧgglingen we cross the bridge in search of food.

Stopping at the end of the bridge the main village appears straight across so off we set in search of a shop or something. After cycling down every street we could find we gave up, no shops or restaurants in sight. Coming back down to the main road I spot the sign for a petrol station and we decide if that is all there is then it will have to do. But that also proves to be illusive. Turning back towards the bridge I see a sign that is only visible from this direction, a bike friendly restaurant at last.

As I turn into what looks like a farm yard I have a near miss with about eight elderly cyclist coming out, some of whom had had at least one too many for the road. We abandoned the bikes in the car park and were met by the waitress who seemed a little grumpy, but that was just first impressions, she turned out to be very pleasant. Sitting outside we looked around the garden and in the tree opposite someone had made a face, in another tree a wooden cat had jumped halfway through. Someone here had a sense of humour.

As we had only about one kilometre to go there was no rush and we had a leisurely lunch. Leaving well fed and also maybe having had one too many!

The ride into Ulm takes you between the old city walls and the river; now a clean grassed area, no sign of its bloody past at the hands of Napoleon. The centre boasts the tallest church in the world and (according to Wikipedia) it is a church not a cathedral.  If you feel really energetic you can climb the long spiral staircase all the way to the top, the good news being there is an up staircase and a down one so there is no need to squeeze past someone on those narrow stairs. Other delights include the tower that leans 2m off true and the wonky hotel.

Talking of hotels, we found ours through the tourist office in the main square and as is common here we could not check in until after 5pm (they want to make sure you have plenty of time for sightseeing and not hide in the hotel all afternoon). Fortunately there are plenty of places to eat or have a coffee and ice cream around the church. One thing I did notice though that was unusual, there appeared to be a lot of beggars in the square, no leaving a bike full of bags unattended here then.

The hotel proved to be cheaper than the price would suggest with no bathroom just a shower stall in the corner; everything else was down the hall. And the room overlooked the main street so when the clubs turned out in the early hours we had all the delights of the singing and screaming as the revellers make their way home.