The last few days

Plan X never got off the ground when I found out it would involve 190Euros just in train fares. Believe it or not, I'm back to Plan C .... but its actually Plan C ++
From Gundelsheim, I took another couple of days to complete the descent of the Neckar past Heidelberg and down to Mannheim, where it joins the Rhine. My cunning plan is to go down the Rhine again ... but this time on the German side, instead of the French. So far it is turning out to be a GOOD plan. Today has been one of the best yet. The countryside leaving Mannheim is stunning, the weather has been gorgeous and there are plenty of campsites to choose from towards the end of the day. Tonight I'm heading for Philipsburg.
The other good thing about today is that I passed the 2000km mark at a little place called Altrip, just North of Speyer ... which is where this blog is coming from.

Special Edition ... some thoughts on German Beer ...

It appears there are five general types of German beer - each suited to a different kind of drinker so ...
1. `"HELL" ... appropriately named ... we're talking serious stuff here - enought to test the mettle of a seasoned Stella drinker like Dave. This can suck the moisture from your brain simply by raising the glass to your lips ...
2. `"WEISSBIER" ... this tastes awful and is cloudy. A couple of pints of this would do Steph good ... he'd never complain about the Bank Top again.
3.`"HALBWEISSBIER" ... pretty much the same as Weissbier
4.`"PILSNER" ... this is your regular evening scoop ... pretty much standard fare and suitable for most palettes ... although Ian would complain it's too cold
5. `"SCHWARTZBIER" ... Now there's not many occasions when you have to take your hat off and admit to agreeing with Mossy ... but this is one. Scwartzbier is the closest they do to "mild" (except it`s still 5%) ... it tastes more like real beer than the rest ... and if it's on the menu I generally pick it.
So there it is ... my guide to German Beers

17p rer Kilometer !!!

From Tubugen to Gundelsheim there's a 200km stretch of the Neckar with only one campsite - and that is in Stuttgart (half way). The alternatives were to split the route into 4 fifty km days but that meant three B and B's. ..... now I know I'm tight, but I wasn't going to run to that! ... so I did the 100km to Stuttgart in one, and prepared to take a day off to recover.
Stuttgart!! ... it would be better called Mercedesville. It seem to be built on the 'American' model ... massive boulevards, sliproads, underpasses and so on. The campsite (11Euros) was bounded on two sides by motorways and a railway on the third. It was so idyllic I immediately forgot the idea of a rest day ... in fact with the traffic noise I didn't get much rest that night either. Next day I set of to a Youth Hostel about 40km away but it was fully booked and I eventually found a cheap BandB in a place called Besigheim. (30Euros)
At least the countryside is back to its scenic best and the weather has picked up so I'm doing the last section to Gundelsheim today to the haven of it's campsite. ....
and so to the matter of 17p/ km ... I've worked out that by doing all those bloody miles in two days, thats all the saving I've made!

Legs of steel!

... what I would give for a pair! What did I say in the last entry about counting chickens ... In it's first 100km* the Neckar winds it's way through wooded hills between spurs .... and all the towns are built on the top of the spurs overlooking the river. They're all the same - steep 'up' into the town centre .... then steeper 'down' to get back to the river. Yesterday I arrived in a town called Horb and asked for directions to the campsite. It was like asking in the Oringal, only to find the campsite was at the top of Foxholes. The nett result was that on the way up I thought both my legs were going to drop off ... and on the way down this morning, both my brakes (already worn after the first 5 weeks) gave up the ghost, along with my front tyre.
If Carlsberg did bike shops, they'd do the one in Seltz!! I limped there and bought the parts (and a new gear cable too). The man in the shop not only let me use his workshop to change the parts, he gave me all the materials to give the bike a full service and a good clean too ... and a brew after I'd been working for an hour!
The other memorable (at least for me) thing about yesterday was I passed the 1600km mark (1000 miles). In another 4 - 5 days I'll be back in Heidelberg - and hope to unveil Plan X! It' going to be my final plan although I am keeping 'Y' and 'Z' back for emergencies.

A considerable amount of 'up' ! ... but on Sunday ...

Am I glad I took the train here to Donaueschingen. On the way up the mountain it at last stopped raining ... instead it turned to snow! At times it looked like a Christmas Card scene as the track wound its way up through the forest - very picturesque but I'm bloody glad I wasn't out in it on my bike. As it turned out, here on the 'other side' of the hill in Donaueschingen it was still coming down as rain. After a wet few km I found the campsite and got nicely sorted. Its got free hot water, there's a launderette and a cheap bar/restaurant. The forecast is for sun on Sunday so I've booked in for two nights to get everything washed and clean before I set off down the Neckar. (Because I'd had to take the tent down yesterday morning in the pouring rain, I had to use my dirty clothes last night as a mop to get the floor of the tent dry before I could roll out my Thermarest and sleeping bag!)
I've got the Radweg book (cycle guide) for the Neckar and it's all downhill from now on. The first couple of days in particular ought to see me covering a decent distance ... but you know what they say about counting chickens!

More ups and downs .... and a few words about kit

Got to the bottom of my mysterious 'puncture' yesterday, when I got up to find my other tyre was down too ... seems some jolly prankster thinks it's a real hoot to let them down! My early start from Strasbourg was delayed whilst I got them pumped up. Anyway, I finally got going - the sun came out and I covered the first 40km by lunch-time. Then came the next 35km along the now customary 'unspoilt' off-road section, just as the clouds rolled in and it started to rain ... then thunder ... then I got a genuine puncture. It meant taking all my panniers off to mend it. A wet half hour later I was thankfully back on the road ... for at least another kilometer before the next genuine puncture! While I mended this one I put poly bags over my feet to stop my shoes from getting waterlogged. Still looking stylish with my two ASDA bags I finally arrived at a little village with a campsite and a pub. It was a toss up which came first but you can guess. A couple of beers later the rain stopped and I got the tent up.
Next day I went into a town with a bike shop and bought a couple new spare inner tubes, a kevlar reinforced 'puncture-proof' outer and my new pride and joy ... a pair of waterproof over shoes cos by now my ASDA bags wetre worn through! Suitably attired I set off on the short 35km to Freiburg. It was short ... but all uphill - I'm now higher than quite a few of the Wainwrights in the Lakes. Looking at the hills beyond I've decided to chicken out on the next 30km up to Donauschingen and take the 3/4 hour train ride instead!

Now regarding Kit. Obviously fist is the bike. Its doing really well, still nice 'n smooth gear changes, and considering I've done 1500 heavily laden kilometers, the tyres have stood up remarkably well. Next ...the tent. Again, I'm really happy with it ... solid and nice and waterproof (and I'm a lot faster getting it pitched now there's been a few rainy days to 'encourage' haste!).
As far as other things I've brought, Jeffs Thermarest has been a lifesaver and Doz has been inspirational in the 'little' suggestions such as the roll of gardening poly-bags, the little handlebar pannier she bought me, the tiny bungee cord and loads of other thranklements. Above all though ... in the middle of the night, in the pouring rain, after a few scoops, my greatest acquisition has to be my collapsable plastic 'p***'-bucket.

Life's little ups and downs ... Update

Booked into a really good hostel ... more like a hotel really. Private bathroom and shower and breakfast thrown in ... and it has a laundry ... and all for 19.50Euros. The weather has bucked up too, so I think I'll stop here tomorrow too and have a good look round. I'm showered, in a nice change of clothes, just about to go out into town to find a place to eat ... and alls well with the world!

Life's little ups and downs!

Well I can't say I've altogether enjoyed the last two days! It has rained constantly day and night. The 'unspoilt' 30km cyclepath through beautiful woodland' turned out to be just what it said on the tin .... in fact so unspoilt there wasn't a single cafe, shed, shack, barn or hut to shelter in; wet through, with numb fingers I was forced to amputate several toes that had died of frostbite. At last I reached a small bar and went in to dry off before the next section ;;; guess what .... another 17km of unspoilt ... etc etc ... By the time I got to Gambsheim, the first proper town I'd seen all day all I wanted was to get my tent up in the campsite, get a hot shower and wash my wet things in the lauderette ... but the site was closed. I wild camped again but the saving grace was a restaurant in the town. I found a table next to a radiator, and despite several odd looks from other diners, I sat, determined but moist and steamed. I dried off whilst sampling one of the regions delicacies .... faux grille avec sauce moutard .... or as we say in England ... Grilled horse steak with mustard sauce. It was actually delicious (but then again you all know the story about the rat-curry!)
I've got to Strasbourg today. Thankfully it has held off rain for most of the morning. I'm off to the tourist info when I've finished this entry to find a room for the night.

Bonjour aux touts mes amis en Angleterre. Ce soir je suis en France a Seltz, aber Morgen Ich werde wieder in Deutschland fahren. The Rhine forms the border now for miles, so I'll be constantly bobbing between the two countries ... as if being crap at eine language isn't enough - now I get chance to be crap at deux - and alles in the meme day!
Plan C is going well though .... I've covered a lot of ground over the past two days since leaving Heidelberg, and I've reached Seltz tonight just across the river in France, on the way to Strasbourg. I've been helped by a really strong (but also bitterly cold) North wind. Last night I couldn't find a campsite that was open so had to manage with a 'wild camp' beside a lake outside a town called Sondernheim. About 1km away though there was a really friendly bar/restaurant so I kept out of the wind in there all evening - also tried a new menu item ... Zander fillets (some sort of river fish ... really good. Alors, c'est tout pour le moment .... a bientot
Johann

Back to civilization ... and Plan C!!

Had a very interesting few days just flirting with the edge of the Black Forest ... so I suppose it only counts as being the 'Dark Grey Forest' really. On the way from the Rhine I passed some amazing wetland areas ... saw a pair of grebes, coots, moorhens, swans, loads of geese herons, some sort of egret, storks and a big bird of prey (eagle or buzzard of some kind). I was able to get as close as Bolton going down, before it spread its wings and flew off. In the forest the only thing I saw were little birds I cant recognise, another one of the big bird of prey jobbies ... and a deer that jumped out onto the track, stopped and looked at me as if to say 'what the hell are you looking at' then jumped off.
Now, I've eventually emerged and made my way to Heidelberg, and booked into a hostel bunk room (so you'll probably never hear from me again!)
And so to unveil "Plan C". I've decided to go back to the Rhine and follow it all the way down to Basel in Switzerland ... then make my way back up to the source of the Nekkar and follow it back down to Esslingen in a nice big loop. It should take quite a few weeks altogether. Then, depending on the time I can either follow the river Fils to Ulm direct, or get the train to Donnaushingen and do the first 200km of the Danube down to Ulm ... simples !!
The weather has been pretty poor the last couple of days with some heavy rain. Went to see Worms which is supposed to be beautiful ... wasn't impressed though ... and it poured down on the way back!