Passau to Ulm, approx. 400km

We have now been riding through Bayern, undoubtebly the most exotic part of Germany for about a week and we are eager to confirm that most of the things you might have heard on this area are indeed true. The weather would be considered mild and balmy if this was January but since we are still in early september, we aussies (true and honorary) refer to it as crap! On the other hand, and for our greatest pleasure, Blackforest cake, locally known as "Schwarzwalde" is easily found at any good Konditorei and of course, the famous Lederhausen get-up is still very much in style, purchased anywhere from supermarkets to more classy shops down the streets of quaint Bavarian towns. In any case, this latest section has been a pleasant mix of bad weather, good morning coffee and high fashion.


Local residents of one of our campgrounds

It took us 5 days to complete the 400km that stretch between Passau and Ulm. In a fortunate and clever arrangement, each day was slightly shorter than the one before, going from 100km on the first day to only 60km on the last day, making it feel like an early rest day. This section, apparently less popular with the big tour groups, offered more diversity than the previous one, from Vienna to Passau. We spent a lot of time following the river, gradually narrowing as we get closer to its source. The route also took us inland more often, going through villages separated by rolling hills covered in various crops.


Poor kid...

It is fair to say that as far as cycle-tourism goes, we are definitely more on the cycle side of things and less focused on the tourism making us a bit of an exception on the EuroVelo circuit. Apart from Marcin and Rose, we have not met anyone travelling for as long as us, and with our time frame being pretty tight, we do feel like we need to cover a lot of ground each day, not leaving much time for visiting sights and cities along the way. We figure that is what our rest days are for, in strategically chosen locations to be able to run various errands in a beautiful setting. Luckily for us, Ulm is lovely and running around trying to find internet and maps is a pleasure in itself without having to actually visit anything. Our daily morning coffees are also another good excuse to sit at a terrace on the local marktplatz for a little while before riding off again.


Skyline in Ulm

Another one of our daily pleasures is food. I know this blog mentions food very regularly and with a particular focus on pastries and coffee. Although that is our daily touch of luxury, all of our other meals are equally satisfying and after over 2 months of constant camping, we are starting to have quite the repertoire of dishes at our disposal. It has been really fun trying local things along the way which have evolved a lot since we have left Denmark. Bread, cheese and local cured meats or sausages have been delighting us for the last few weeks and our new favourite trick is to pick apples from the side of the road (the supply is constant) with which we make apple sauce to mix into our morning muesli, a delicious and sustainable alternative to buying green bananas from Ecuador (leaving them for you to enjoy, Jac & Adam).


Chris taking a closer look at things

So anyway, things are pedalling along nicely and we are getting a little bit closer to our destination every day, with mixed feelings of anticipation at the idea of a bed to sleep in and sadness at the thought of the end of this trip, which from the word "go", has been one incredible succession of adventures. Our time is running out but we are making the most of it so that despite the bad weather and other difficulties, we are loving every second of it until the end.