Day 4 (4. Tag) 4th September
Ursingen - Guenzburg 47.3 kms (220 kms from start)
Ersingen - Erbach - Donautal - Ulm - Thalfingen - Oberelchingen - Elchingen - Weissingen - Leipheim - Guenzburg
Click here for Day 5 - Guenzburg to Donauwoerth
It rained during the night and continued on for most of the day today. Out came the arm and leg warmers and the cycle raincoat did good service today. The weather was cool with the rain but we warmed up a bit cycling. Everything in our packs was contained in large plastic bags so we were confident we would have dry clothes at the end of the day. We left a bit later than normal after taking everything under shelter next to the rescue services building. Don replaced the tape on his rear carrier while I cycled into the village to get some breakfast rolls. he had originally put paper masking tape over the tentpegs which were used to strengthen the carrier and replaced this with leucoplast. In the second photo you can see Don boiling up water for tea. He had made a very lightweight stove with the base of a beer can. In this he poured a little alcohol. Around this he placed a support/windbreak made of the walls of two beer cans. The 'stove' worked very fast, boiling a cup of water in 3 minutes. After breakfast we set off.
The first stage was a long ride through forests and fields and occasional villages. We stayed on the right bank of the river cycling in between it and a dammed section which finished at the Hydro works at Donaustetten where we crossed over to the left bank. The track followed the river to Donautal where we crossed back again to the right bank. At the next Kraftwerk (Hydro) we crossed back again to the left bank and cycled along a fantastic cyclepath in a riverside park at Ulm.
After some time we noticed the walls of the old city and a peek through an old gateway revealed some magnificent buildings. It was still drizzling at this stage but we walked the bikes through an open tower gate up a small hill to the Town Hall and square. Don was excited to see an installation of human size Loewenmensch figures, an ancient sculpture going back to prehistoric times. They were painted in crazy colours. The Town Hall was absolutely superb - covered in the most magnificent murals. After coffee and cake at a sidewalk cafe (I had a Melba!) we started riding again along the riverside track. I was sorry to leave it as it was a good track and the scenery along the river was wonderful. The other side of Ulm is more modern and there are boats docked along the river's edge.
The Lion Lady from Hohlenstein-Stadel. Height 28 cm, about 6 cm diameter. Made of mammoth ivory. Found in the cave of Hohlenstein-Stadel in the Valley of Lone, Baden-Wurttemberg (Germany), in 1931. Dated as Aurignacian, in a 32 000 year old level. Although this is known in some places as the lion lady, it is by no means certain that it is female. It is known as both Die Lowenfrau and Der Lowenmensch. The arms bear striations carved into the ivory. Years after the initial discovery the museum officials were presented with an ivory lion muzzle found in the cave. It was a perfect fit. Today it is pieced together from more than 200 tiny pieces. This 'venus' may be an attempt to capture the power of the lion.
http://home.bawue.de/~wmwerner/english/lionlady.html
We then followed the railway line closely on the left bank deviating through Thalfingen, Oberelchingen and into Elchingen. It was now lunch time and we needed to find a bakery. We left the track and went into the town but couldn't find anything. When we finally spotted the bakery, it was closed for lunch. Many shops and businesses close for lunch in these parts so that the employees can go home and have a hot lunch - their main meal of the day. We got directions to a supermarket and rode through an industrial section till we found the Lidl store. Here we stocked up, packed in the shelter of a doorway and continued riding. It was raining fairly heavily at this stage and we were sopping wet. I realised that I needed to get a basket for my bicycle as it was too hard to pack away food supplies without them getting all squashed. The track now went across country through fields, under the autobahn, and into Weissingen. Then we had a long forest ride through the Donauwald where we stopped during a dry spell to have lunch.
We avoided going into Leipheim but stayed on the left bank riding through more forest then crossing the river into Guenzburg. Guenzburg is a very quaint Bavarian town. As we cycled through the town we saw a sign for the Youth Hostel and decided to stay there for the night. Fortunately they had a room free. At the hostel we met up with a large group of Kiwis (New Zealanders) who were on a supported ride. They were doing the full trip too but had a van and driver to take luggage. They spent most nights in hostels and had pre-booked. We were taking our chances with accommodation as we didn't know where we would be on any day. Don and I walked into town and found a lovely Bavarian restaurant where I had Spaetzle (a specialty of South Germany) and Don had Schnitzel. Dry clothes and a warm bed - we both slept very well.
