Day 10: Into the Black Forest!
Saturday July 6 - Day 10 - 42 miles - Total 402 miles
We packed up our "wild campsite" behind the tennis club. It was a warm and humid night so there was lots of dew on the tent. There were also a few slugs that we had to flick off the tent!... when you flick them from the inside of the tent they go flying! We hung the fly and the ground sheet in the pear trees to dry while we had breakfast. Andrea made a wonderful concoction of fried mushrooms, tomatoes & lima beans (which we had filched yesterday!), all washed down with espresso coffee and cherry juice. The best part of this campsite was that it was only 10 yards away from the bike path which we needed to be on!
We got on the bikes at about 10am and headed towards the Black Forest! We were extremely impressed at the German infrastructure again. Every major road had a separated bike path beside it - something that the US could learn a lot from. It is a classic case of "build it and they will come". There were cyclists everywhere.
There were also cherry trees everywhere. We stopped a few times in the morning to boost our energy with the natural sugar laden cherries. They were delicious! They were so ripe and juicy that we ate until they turned our fingers purple... Warm in the sun, they were better than any black cherry ice-cream on the planet.
We came across a beautiful visitor centre right on the bike path, that also had a restaurant and an artisan small food market. Best of all, the rest stop had wonderful bathrooms which was excellent after wild camping. It was a hot day today so we soaked our bandannas with water before putting them back on.....kinda like a cyclist's swamp cooler..... Andrea bought some dark chocolate filled with pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts, and sour cherries to eat later as an energy boost. Our first chocolate in Germany!
Throughout the day, we saw castles and towers dotting the hillsides... to remind us that the Rhine basin has been fought over in ancient and recent history. They were way up there though, so even though we wanted to see them closer, there was no way that we were hauling our touring bikes up there!
The paths led us gradually higher, but the wonderful thing was it never really felt like we were climbing until much later in the day. The gradients were very gentle and the only reason we knew we were climbing was the altimeter kept clicking upwards! We cycled alongside rivers, through woods and into very Germanic towns.
Also there must have been a classic car festival on nearby as we saw everything from Ferraris and Lamborghinis to old Cadillacs and Citroens....and there were LOTS of them.
We finally stopped just outside of Schlitach and tried to grab some lunch, however it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner......Germany is much more "open" than France was, but it still has the European business hours. We settled for some ice coffee to cool us down and give us a jolt, however what we were served was more like an ice coffee float with lots of whipped cream on top! Suited us! Delicious!
At this point we both needed to reapply the sunblock because the day was still very hot and the sun was still very high... Bruce put on some long pants to cover his knees which were frying in the early afternoon sun. But with a good reapply of factor 50 we thought we would be alright.
We climbed a little more up the next side valley along the bed of a closed rail line towards the town of Schramberg. Upon entering town, we found a Lidl supermarket which is the delight of all touring cyclists - cheap groceries! Also since tomorrow is Sunday we have to stock up as things as the shops will be closed.
Andrea talking: At this point I need to note that Bruce's map making skills are AMAZING! He found connections between bike paths that only locals should have known just by looking at the Google maps image of the area! You have no idea how cool it is to just end up right where we need to be! I know he is my husband and I am supposed to be all supportive and what not... but I am legitimately impressed. ... Now back to your regularly scheduled blogging...
The town center of Schramberg is beautiful with wonderful architecture and a relaxed air. We went to a pizza cafe for dinner and got chatting with two young locals, Daniel & Nina, who were sitting at one of the other tables. Daniel spoke wonderful English and gave us a recommendation for a hotel in town that was close. We talked about traveling a lot and he gave us some good local information.
After dinner we went down the street to the Baren Hotel and found it deserted! The front door was open but there was nobody around! We called the number on the door and finally the phone was answered and we got a double room (bit pricey but it was a warm uphill day!). One of the staff appeared after about 10mins to give us our key and show us around. At least we get breakfast tomorrow.
We are now showered and are sneaking a load of laundry in the deserted hotel.....
The World is Ours
Saturday July 6 - Day 10 - 42 miles - Total 402 miles
We packed up our "wild campsite" behind the tennis club. It was a warm and humid night so there was lots of dew on the tent. There were also a few slugs that we had to flick off the tent!... when you flick them from the inside of the tent they go flying! We hung the fly and the ground sheet in the pear trees to dry while we had breakfast. Andrea made a wonderful concoction of fried mushrooms, tomatoes & lima beans (which we had filched yesterday!), all washed down with espresso coffee and cherry juice. The best part of this campsite was that it was only 10 yards away from the bike path which we needed to be on!
We got on the bikes at about 10am and headed towards the Black Forest! We were extremely impressed at the German infrastructure again. Every major road had a separated bike path beside it - something that the US could learn a lot from. It is a classic case of "build it and they will come". There were cyclists everywhere.
There were also cherry trees everywhere. We stopped a few times in the morning to boost our energy with the natural sugar laden cherries. They were delicious! They were so ripe and juicy that we ate until they turned our fingers purple... Warm in the sun, they were better than any black cherry ice-cream on the planet.
We came across a beautiful visitor centre right on the bike path, that also had a restaurant and an artisan small food market. Best of all, the rest stop had wonderful bathrooms which was excellent after wild camping. It was a hot day today so we soaked our bandannas with water before putting them back on.....kinda like a cyclist's swamp cooler..... Andrea bought some dark chocolate filled with pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts, and sour cherries to eat later as an energy boost. Our first chocolate in Germany!
Throughout the day, we saw castles and towers dotting the hillsides... to remind us that the Rhine basin has been fought over in ancient and recent history. They were way up there though, so even though we wanted to see them closer, there was no way that we were hauling our touring bikes up there!
The paths led us gradually higher, but the wonderful thing was it never really felt like we were climbing until much later in the day. The gradients were very gentle and the only reason we knew we were climbing was the altimeter kept clicking upwards! We cycled alongside rivers, through woods and into very Germanic towns.
Also there must have been a classic car festival on nearby as we saw everything from Ferraris and Lamborghinis to old Cadillacs and Citroens....and there were LOTS of them.
We finally stopped just outside of Schlitach and tried to grab some lunch, however it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner......Germany is much more "open" than France was, but it still has the European business hours. We settled for some ice coffee to cool us down and give us a jolt, however what we were served was more like an ice coffee float with lots of whipped cream on top! Suited us! Delicious!
At this point we both needed to reapply the sunblock because the day was still very hot and the sun was still very high... Bruce put on some long pants to cover his knees which were frying in the early afternoon sun. But with a good reapply of factor 50 we thought we would be alright.
We climbed a little more up the next side valley along the bed of a closed rail line towards the town of Schramberg. Upon entering town, we found a Lidl supermarket which is the delight of all touring cyclists - cheap groceries! Also since tomorrow is Sunday we have to stock up as things as the shops will be closed.
Andrea talking: At this point I need to note that Bruce's map making skills are AMAZING! He found connections between bike paths that only locals should have known just by looking at the Google maps image of the area! You have no idea how cool it is to just end up right where we need to be! I know he is my husband and I am supposed to be all supportive and what not... but I am legitimately impressed. ... Now back to your regularly scheduled blogging...
The town center of Schramberg is beautiful with wonderful architecture and a relaxed air. We went to a pizza cafe for dinner and got chatting with two young locals, Daniel & Nina, who were sitting at one of the other tables. Daniel spoke wonderful English and gave us a recommendation for a hotel in town that was close. We talked about traveling a lot and he gave us some good local information.
After dinner we went down the street to the Baren Hotel and found it deserted! The front door was open but there was nobody around! We called the number on the door and finally the phone was answered and we got a double room (bit pricey but it was a warm uphill day!). One of the staff appeared after about 10mins to give us our key and show us around. At least we get breakfast tomorrow.
We are now showered and are sneaking a load of laundry in the deserted hotel.....
The World is Ours