14th May (cold and rainy until mid-afternoon then mild and sunny) 85km

So, last night we spent in Carlos’s caravan. It was warm and inviting and we slept on a comfortable surface. He has two caravans, the one he uses was just across the way. It was extremely nice of him to offer it to us and even though he was quite drunk last night, he obviously didn’t want us sleeping in that pouring rain in a tent.  And rain it did, all night and at times very heavy, so we were grateful for his generosity.  Up at 6.15am and both went to the toilet block, before gathering all our belongings from the tent and taking them to the laundry where we planned to dry some of the gear.  That went well and whilst the dryer was going full belt, we tucked into some cereal. Also had our sleeping mats out on top of dryers to air.  Julia went to pay and it only cost 13 euros. 

Then she went to buy some rolls so we could fill up a bit more before leaving.  The old lady, Annie, who ran the shop, offered to make us a coffee and made a makeshift table in the shop, so we’d be warm. The people we’ve met, especially at this camp, have been truly welcoming to a couple of bedraggled cyclists.  Time to take down the tent.  It hasn’t stopped raining for two days and it still was.  Basically just grabbed the sodden flysheet and took it off, laying it down on the ground just off to the side. We were hoping to keep the inner somewhat dry, but it was raining too hard to have any opportunity to do this, so we grabbed both the inner and the ground sheet together and carried them up under cover of the overhanging roof of the facilities building.  No need to try to do any proper folding of the fly, it was too wet, so we basically just bundled it into a bag, the water oozing out of it as we did so.

Bikes loaded and a quick conversation with yet another nice man, who spoke excellent English and it was off to say goodbye to Carlos, our host from last night, who had saved us from a miserable night.  He invited us into his smoke-filled cabin and offered us a cup of coffee.  We immediately noticed the cigarette butts everywhere and mess laying around.  He was obviously still drunk from the night before and then Julia noticed a packet of crystals on the table which we assume was crystal meth – or perhaps seasalt needing grinding?  Probably that was why his eyes were so glazed.  In his small caravan, he had a huge television and it was sad to see this man who had offered us kindness, obviously living, to us, a very sad existence. He had gone to work there five years ago in the town of Geretsreid and had lived in the camp that long, possibly with little companionship, other than the people living a similar lifestyle.  He was very sad to see us go, I think because we had taken the short time to try to converse with him, even through the language barrier.  We left feeling sorry for someone, who basically has a good heart.

Cycled into Geretsreid having made up our minds that today we would be extra vigilant with directions and use our bike compass as it’s served us well.  After picking up supplies at a local supermarket, we headed off.  It was already 10.40am and no let-up in the rain.  

Typical German farmhouse, complete with cross at the top

At mid-morning we were cycling lovely smooth backcountry roads but then had one heeluva hill to cycle up into the village of Emmerkofen.  It had stopped raining but still looked ominous so we just took our jackets off to cool down a bit after the climb.  In Emmerkofen we got directions to Holzkirchen from a man pulling into his driveway and he put us onto a fantastic flat, smooth ride through the forest which ended far too soon at a church and a football club, in the middle of nowhere. You really wonder how they can be funded as they aren’t connected to any towns, but this being Germany, this passion for football and doing things correctly, runs strong. The football club was deserted so we found a sheltered spot for lunch as the rain began again.  After lunch we donned all our raingear once again and headed for Holzkirchen.  Just before we got there the weather finally broke and we could remove our various layers for good. From here we checked directions and as the weather got better and a breeze began to blow, decided to stop and dry everything by the side of the road on a patch of concrete outside a bus stop. 

Yes kids, Dad was loving this - whistling happily while he tended to his flock! 

By the time we’d dragged gear, including tent, fly sheet, sleeping mats, jackets, and anything else we could lay out, the scene looked like a gypsy camp.  A police car twice checked us out, but probably couldn’t be bothered with the paperwork, in case they had to warn us.  After a coffee and something to eat, now wearing just t-shirt and shorts as the sun was shining, it was the push on to Rosenheim, where Julia’s dad was in a labour camp in WWII. The riding now, although on busy roads, gave us the opportunity to put the pedal to the metal and we made good time into the city, finishing the day with a 10km ride along the river to reach there. 

One of the bike tracks in Rosenheim is
called Julia

Had an address for Harald and Elvira, who were to be our hosts on the Warm Showers website, a bit like couch surfing, but for cyclists.  Have to say, it was rather difficult to find their place as even locals had no idea, but finally after stopping a lady on the footpath with a smartphone, Julia got a look at where we should be.

Pulled up to their home shortly after and were greeted by a lovely couple who we spent the rest of the evening talking to. Harald had prepared a lovely meal and it was great to hear of their travels. They are extremely well travelled.  Harald has his own photography business which takes him all over the globe and Elvira is a retired journalist.  Thoroughly enjoyed the evening and talked until 12.30am, when after being pampered all night, we turned in.