8th May (sunny and hot 23C) 55km

Thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in a bed for the last time for a while but still woke quite early – at 6am in fact.  The mornings start getting light about 5.30am and so 6am is generally our waking time.  We were quite excited to put all our gear together inside two panniers and see how everything was going to fit.  While we were showering and preparing for the road, Katja and Stefan prepared a traditional German Sunday breakfast which we enjoyed outside in the sunshine.  

The main feature was weissworst or white sausage which was precooked and simply warmed through with a pot of hot water and served with sweet mustard.  When Stefan handed us our plates with two fat weissworsts on, we were hoping we liked the taste as we didn’t want to offend our hosts by not finishing this traditional food.  No problem there – it was delicious!!!  I dare say it helps to know exactly what kind of weissworst to buy and what kind of sweet mustard but we will definitely give it a shot while camping as it is easy to prepare.  Of course like all good Bavarian meals, it is traditionally accompanied by a stein if beer, which Stefan enjoyed (although alcohol free!) and we stuck with coffee.  Rounded breakfast off with fresh bread from the bakery which is still very much the norm over here.

Ready to go!

It was nearly 11.00am before we were ready to hit the road as we wanted to make sure the wages were all taken care of before we left the sanctity of free wifi.  It was a cracking day and we were thrilled that Stefan decided to accompany us and help us find the cycle tracks.  

He knew his way to Wangen which was almost halfway to Lindau and it was an idyllic ride with bike lanes all the way, some off-road and often following the Argen river which looked clear and inviting.  We passed over four wooden covered bridges, one that dated back to the 15^th century.  The first one had been a toll bridge as it was the main access way for traffic over the river.  Hard to imagine the toll system was operating all those years ago and that system probably dates even further back.

Stefan was a mine of information as we travelled but most importantly also knew where to buy the best ice-cream in Wangen!  We all sampled various flavours from merrin (which is a nut grown on a tree locally), to sparkling wine and Campari orange which actually did taste like alcoholic drinks in the nicest possible way.  All these flavours are made fresh and only available as seasons allow and you can taste the difference for sure.

Stefan left us about three quarters of the way and turned off to cycle back up the Argen valley while Pete and I followed the cycle lanes and quiet roads in to Lindau.  The compass that we have mounted on my bike has been a godsend and we found the campground without having to ask anyone for directions.  Weirdly enough Pete wanted to ask someone and I said No – bit of role reversal there!

With Markus and Esther at Lindau campground

We arrived at the pre-arranged campground of Parking Am See at half past two where we had arranged to meet our Swiss friends, Markus and Esther who were just beginning their cycle tour and had travelled from their home in St Gallen, about 55km away that day.  We hadn’t seen them in about fifteen years but Esther saw us as soon as we walked up to reception and gave us a big hug.

She led us to where they had already pitched their tent and we put ours up outside for the first time and it went easily.  It was really hot so we all wandered down to the lake, Markus and Esther seeming surprised we wanted a swim.  So initially we just paddled but the water didn’t seem too cold so we got changed and wandered in for a swim.  We were the only people swimming.

The only unfortunate thing about Europe is generally you have to wade a long time to go for a swim anywhere and this was no exception.  The wading was not very pleasant as there were small rocks covered in slime to walk on which gradually gave way to mud.  The water was also pretty murky but got clearer the further in we ventured.  It also got colder – a lot colder and would have been only about 15C.  We dived under several times seeing as we’d made the effort to walk all the way out to the deep clear water and then retraced our steps to enjoy catching up with Markus and Esther on the wall at the lake edge in the sunshine.

About 4.30pm we decided to head into the old town of Lindau for a look around and hoped to catch the free bus which came every half hour.  After arriving five mins early at the bus stop and waiting for 25 mins, we decided to go back and get our bikes.  Good decision as there was a huge traffic jam with loads of people leaving town at once and being held up by the frequent trains going across the railway lines that crossed the only way out of town.  The bikes managed to bypass the railway on the bike lane and we were in town in ten mins.  The old town is actually an island in Lake Constance and had some beautiful vistas.  

So we sat at one of the many open air restaurants and enjoyed a huge Radler each (probably about half a litre I think).  Then we pushed our bikes around the cobbled streets taking photographs and enjoying catching up after all these years.

Cycled back to camp and while Markus and Esther cooked their dinner, we went to the small restaurant just out of camp for spaghetti Bolognese.  Seeing as it is Sunday, all the shops are shut so we couldn’t buy groceries or camping gas.  The Bolognese was huge and we could easily have shared one but Pete made a superhuman effort and actually managed to finish his!

Back to camp and it was going dark now so we changed into our long pants and shoes and sat outside with Markus and Esther and enjoyed a coffee from their campstove, comparing notes, mapping techniques, good routes to take and various equipment, talking until 10.30pm when we decided it was time for bed.

FOOTNOTE: The cost of this particular campground was $40 and Marcus and Esther told us that was okay. So with that in mind, we’ll be hunting for free camps or trying more of the warm showers system. The biggest nightmare we have is getting wifi. Easy access is not good in Germany, so we will have to buy a “dongle” so we can use it anytime….however these aren’t cheap and with moving from country to country, their use may be limited. So, with blogs to write and post and pictures to download, it’s not easy.