Archive for August, 2007
Wednesday, August 8th, 2007
34km Wallgau to Seefeld
The pitter patter of rain falling on our tent woke us up this morning, just as it carried us off to sleep the night before. Usually the weather clears before long though, so we packed up all our bags, had our breakfast and started getting the bikes ready. Just as we were about to start taking down the tent, the skies opened and we crept back inside our shelter. We sat there for well over an hour and still the rain poured down. There was really nothing to do but to make a break for it so we dressed up in all our waterproof clothes and made a dash outside, pulling the tent down as quickly as possible and then pushing on down the road with water dripping down our noses. We saw a few other crazy cyclists out in the wet, but mostly we had the trails and roads to ourselves. On these cold, soggy days we try to make lots of stops so we first went for coffee, then groceries and to the tourist bureau. Every few minutes in the warm and dry is a boost to the morale. Our spirits got a real dash, however, when we checked the weather: four straight days of rain are in the forecast. It could be a wet week ahead! We did get the occasional break in the rain but mostly it kept true to the prediction. Wet, wet, wet. By the time we reached the mountain resort town of Seefeld we were fed up, tired and grumpy. With our tent soaked, we thought a campsite with a hot shower might be just the ticket. There’s only one in Seefeld and it’s a ritzy spot with prices to match but when the campsite comes with a sauna and heated TV room we can relax and eat meals in, it’s worth it.
1 Comment » - Posted in Austria, Cycling Trips, Germany, Journal Entries by andrew
Tuesday, August 7th, 2007
66km Gartenberg to Wallgau
The foothills of the Alps gave our legs got a workout today and a good thing too since the truly lofty peaks aren’t far ahead. We’ve got at least one mountain pass in our path tomorrow and within the next few days we’ll have the chance to climb to nearly 2,800m to Italy’s famous Passo di Stelvio. The weather and our mood will determine whether we make the hike but at the moment it’s a tempting thought. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a good challenge and mountain climbs are always a thriller; for the view and sense of achievement at the top as well as for the eye-watering descents. For the moment, however, we are content to roll along the ups and downs of the tail end of Bavaria. We’ve continued to follow the Isar river and have stopped more than once to read on its banks and swim in the clear blue and very cold water. There were also plenty of local beer gardens in our path so we propped our bikes up against a fence and treated ourselves to a cool drink. When in Germany…. Despite the beer, we were making quite good time and hoped to cross into Austria today but rain set in late in the afternoon and instead we stopped for a final night in Germany, camping once again close to the Isar river.
1 Comment » - Posted in Cycling Trips, Germany, Journal Entries by andrew
Monday, August 6th, 2007
61km Munich to Gartenberg
Getting out of cities is almost always a challenge and leaving Munich was no exception, even though it’s a city we love and know well. We missed turns for the bike path we tried to follow, fought traffic and dodged numerous crowds of photo-snapping tourists before we finally reached the Isar river and the trail leading out of the city. When we finally got underway we found a side of Munich we’d never seen before: hundreds of people out swimming and sunbathing on the banks of the fast-flowing Isar. Smooth white rocks made up the beach and nearby there were plenty of green tree-filled fields. It looked like an idyllic spot to spend a sunny afternoon. We stopped for a few minutes to dip our toes in the water but soon carried on, down a woodland trail that will take us all the way to Austria. We were glad to have thick tyres on the bike because the path was often covered in gravel and bumpy. Hills also reappeared – something we haven’t really had in some time – so overall things were a little more challenging than the smooth, flat roads we’ve become used to but nothing we couldn’t handle. All through the afternoon we saw people jumping in the river and sailing down its waters in plastic inflatable boats. The current was quite fast and we wonder how some of them got back upstream at the end of the day! Near sunset we found a clearing in the woods to pitch our tent and gladly flopped into bed. Normally we’d feel rested after a few days in one place but with so much running around to see family and friends we now are trying to get back into our normal pattern.
1 Comment » - Posted in Cycling Trips, Germany, Journal Entries by andrew
Monday, August 6th, 2007
A visit with Tante Gertrud
After a wonderful weekend in Munich, we are now hitting the road again, direction Austria and Italy. But just before we do, we thought we`d share some pictures of our weekend, spent with Friedel`s uncle Paul in and her great-aunt Gertrud, who has just turned 90 years old. Never have we met someone so amazing as Gertrud, who is as lively and sharp as someone at least 20 years younger. Even her doctor thought there was a mistake with her birth date in the files when she recently went for an appointment. If we all looked so good at 90…. Happy Birthday Tante Gertrud and many more to come.
No Comments » - Posted in Germany, Munich by friedel
Friday, August 3rd, 2007
Foooooooood!
Do we eat to cycle or cycle to eat? It´s a tough question to answer and, even though we have always been keen eaters, we have developed a whole new level of hunger since we started jumping on our bikes and pedalling for hours every day. Why it´s taken us so long to start writing about the food we eat, we´re not sure, but finally we´ve started a gallery of food photos and we plan to share recipes for “camp food” with you along the way.
Let´s start with a fast an easy meal, 5-minute chilli. We came up with this one when we were almost out of fuel for our cooker so whatever we made had to be simple and quick. For this you need:
- 500g ground beef
- 1 400g tin mushrooms, drained and quartered
- 1 400g tin kidney beans, drained
- 500ml canned tomatoes or passata
- 1 packet of chilli seasoning
Making it couldn´t be simpler. Just brown the ground beef, adding the mushrooms after a couple minutes. Once the beef is cooked, add in the kidney beans, tomatoes and seasoning and heat through. To make this dish more interesting, you could also fry up an onion with the meat or grate some cheddar cheese on top. You could also serve it on top of rice. It´s not fancy, but it is quick and filling!
