Kelheim

13. Etappe
Ingolstadt - Kelheim
53km mit dem Fahrrad, 6 km mit dem Schiff
Wir treffen auf eine grosse Schafherde. 3 Hirtenhunde halten die Tiere zusammen. Wir schauen eine ganze Weile zu.
Beim Benediktiner Kloster Weltenburg, wo heute noch 7 Mönche leben, steigen wir aufs Schiff um und fahren durch den Donaudurchbruch bis Kelheim. Es ist die engste und tiefste Stelle, die die Donau auf dem Weg zum schwarzen Meer nimmt.Read more

Friday September 16th
In Which we Take a Boat Journey

After the terrible night at the Pfeffermuhle Hotel, I was not sorry to see the last of the place. Even the Internet was a proverbial pain in the bum. We all hoped that the next hotel would raise the standard again.

Since the Ghostriders would be starting from two different hotels we had arranged to each leave and then meet at the church in the next town. At risk of sounding repetitive, the weather was perfect, the sky blue and the temperature absolutely ideal for riding.

We arrived at the church in question and waited in the sunshine for the others to arrive. They didn't. Instead I got a phone call from Douglas, informing me that they had missed the turn and were already several kilometres further ahead. We climbed back on the bikes and enjoyed an easy paced ride of around 55 km.

Much of the ride was along the tops of imposing levy banks. This gave us a clear view of how much higher is the Danube than the surrounding countryside. I tried not to think of what would happen if these banks were ever breached.
A short distance further along we rode past what is apparently the world's largest gas fired power stations. The three large towers looked impressive and the humming power lines high overhead gave some indication of the massive scale of the operation. I guessed that, if you were interested in such things, you would have stopped for a longer look. We weren't.

Our morning tea stop was alongside a beautiful small creek and consisted of coffee and cakes from the nearby bakery. With the warm day and the relaxing sounds of the running water, it was very tempting to declare a siesta break, however I decided that we should push on instead

The final 10 km was directly along the banks of the Danube. By this time the river has grown into a mighty waterway - a far cry from the modest stream we had been following since Donaueschingen.Our passage was eventually blocked by the narrowing of the river into the Danube Gorge.

At this point the only way to proceed is to board a large ferry boat to transport us through the gorge to Kelheim. We boarded the boat and I was looking forward to enjoying the short cruise and the views of the towering cliffs on either side. My plans were interrupted by an inquisitive German cyclist who wanted to know everything about our group, where we were going, where we had come from, what sort of bikes we had, how many times we had come to Germany, my mother's maiden name and my preferred sock colour. He was a friendly guy, who I guessed might have been lonely, so I tried to be informative as possible. But I also wanted to take some pictures and talk to Maggie as well. It was just that, every time I turned around, he was standing about 50 cm behind me. I had not really been looking for a new best friend, but I think I inadvertently found one on that boat.

We reached the lovely town of Kelheim and I almost expected my new friend to follow us to the hotel, however he waved us off and wished us a safe journey. Probably I misjudged him.

Our hotel was right in the middle of the old part of the town and I was relieved to find that the rooms were not only cooler, but they were quiet as well. That was absolute bliss.

The weather forest for tomorrow is for heavy rain, so it appears that the incredible run of fine weather has finally reached an end.Read more