Day 1 (1. Tag) 1st September
Donaueschingen - Fridlingen 50 kms
Donaueschingen - Pfohren - Geisingen - Immendingen - Moehrigen - Tuttlingen - Muehlheim a.d.Donau - Fridlingen
Click here for Day 2 Fridlingen - Riedlingen
We had packed our rucksacks the night before making sure that everything was in plastic or rainproof bags. There had been thunderstorms during the night with more bad weather threatening. The bicycles were ready with 4 octopus straps each. Our packs were to go on the back carrier secured by the straps. We caught the InterRegional Express train from Offenburg at 7.59 (IRE 5185). This was a modern train with a dedicated bicycle compartment at the end of several carriages. You simply wheel the bicycle in, secure it and sit down on a fold down seat. We had the whole carriage to ourselves that morning - it was very civilised. The Germans have a real bicycle culture and many cyclists use these trains to get to and from the Black Forest where there are many hiking and biking trails. The train went through some lovely countryside - mountains, lakes and streams punctuated by small picturesque villages.
We alighted in Donaueschingen at 9.15am and wheeled the bikes to a nearby park to get set up and orient ourselves. There were other cyclists on the train as well but they soon wheeled away towards the town centre. The packs were quite heavy and it took a while to get them balanced and tied down with the straps. My relatives had joked that the straps wouldn't last very long on such a trip but amazingly they were good right up to the end. After a quick toilet stop at the station we started our ride to the origin of the Danube, a spring (Donauquelle) which bubbles into a small pool and disappears down a drain. There were several bikes propped up near the springs site, two of which belonged to a Dutch couple, Erwin and Sonia, who we met several times along the way during the first week.
It was well after 10.00 am by the time we left Donaueschingen. This was a fairly late start. Most days we would try to leave at around 8.00 am. Following the cycleway signs and using the Higginson book as a guide, we then started riding. There are also a number of large signboards with maps of the area and the Radweg marked. These are located at the entry to most towns and at occasional points along the way. The track was good, the sun was shining and the riding was easy (not like our NSW rides). It was reasonably flat except for one amazing rail bridge crossing which had large ramps on either side and some sharp turns. We passed small rustic towns and crossed the river several times, including crossing over a wonderful covered wooden bridge, a traditional construction in this part of Germany. There would be many crossings over the next few weeks as the trail snaked through the countryside. Along the way we passed small groups of cyclists, many of them older people with small panniers on the back. It looked like they were on supported short rides. A common feature on local bikes were the black mesh baskets on the front. These seemed very practical for carrying shopping items over small distances. Several cyclists remarked on the size of our packs as we passed them or caught up on the hills. We had trouble shifting gears to get up the hills and Don's chain came off several times as his gears seized. They really were cheap bikes.
We stopped for a break at the point where the river sinks into the ground walking along a bush track to see it. The Danube at this point is a small stream with a gravelly base. The water sank into the gravel at a few points and it was a dry river bed from there on. The site has a small picnic area/camping ground with a kiosk that sold beer and food. It also had toilets. It is obviously open only during the warmer months as there would be few tourists here during the winter. There were many groups of cyclists, enjoying the scenery and having a break. It was hard not to stop regularly to take photos as there were so many interesting things to see including this crazy sculpture of pigs in the river. We also took advantage of the odd seats to get out some food and have a break from riding. The surface of the Radweg is quite good for most of the way at this point.
We continued on along the track and watched the sky darkening and threatening to rain. At one point we stopped and took out the raincoats just before a downpour. The rain eased a bit and it became steamy as we rode through green fields and small woodlands. We passed small towns and farmhouse after farmhouse and the sky became darker. We also crossed over a railway line - the trains here are very modern and fast.
It was time to find some shelter and we reached Fridlingen as the rain pelted down. Just before the bridge leading into town there is a large sawmill and next to that is Gasthaus Feuerhake. We took a room there for the night and we delighted in a hot shower and dry clothes. After settling in we went down to the Gasthaus restaurant for a meal. We'd no sooner settled down with a local beer than in walked Erwin and Sonia. We invited them to share our table and introduced ourselves. They are a very interesting couple, also hoping to reach Budapest but they only have 3 weeks. Erwin was hauling a small bike trailer with about 80 kgs of camping gear and Sonia was also loaded up. They marveled at our small kit considering we were planning to camp as well. After they left for their apartment in the town we decided to go exploring and walked into the town for a stroll and a sightsee. Apart from the weather it had been an excellent day.