Travelogue: Bavaria (2)

From Swabia back to Upper Bavaria and finally crossing the Allgau. Once again, way too many photos... And anyway: Damn, this post has gotten long. Quite an eventful section this time.

Day 14 - Wednesday, 20th August 2014
The second and final night in Dani's village is over and I notice: My phone's alarm should have been going off about half an hour ago. Which means: We successfully overslept, both of us. Dani has to leave for business for a few days and his bus is coming soon, so I got to pack my stuff rather quickly in order to evacuate his flat right in time. There's no spare key.
So this is where we part ways again, half past six early in the morning. It was short, but very pleasant here. So while one is runnig to the bus stop, the other one has now time to unhurriedly attach all his baggage to the bike again. Hopefully I didn't forget anything inside...

About one hour later I arrive over in Nördlingen, the circular romantic town with its fully preserved town walls. This is where I spend the rest of the day. Impressions, facts and why the place is frequently visited by anime fans can be viewed over there:
Blog entry: Nördlingen - The Walled City

Here's a lye pretzel from bakery "Mack". Was recommended to me and it's incredibly tasty. 

No salt crystals like on Upper Bavarian pretzels, but I prefer it that way.

While I'm lurking the main square in the evening, I get talked to by a peculiar but friendly old man with a feather on his hat: "Have you seen our storks already?" This is what he asks everyone around that looks like they got some time on their hands. Most people tend to not look up the sky very frequently, but on one of the roofs there's actually a pair of storks having their nest. Being very proud of that fact he recommends me to check back at around quarter to nine in the morning, this is apparently when they get up.

After the tower guard finishes his evening call it's time to look for a sleeping place. The town wall's roofed defense corridor looks like a good idea, since it's quite chilly and there could be rain. So I heave the bicycle up some stairs and stumble upon a nightly closed kiosk in one of the towers. There's a desk, could use that one to sleep. Just sorting some stuff in my pockets first...
Just a few minutes later a couple happens by that apparently owns the kiosk. They tell me I could sleep at their miniature golf course behind the wall, which is supposedly "supersafe". Camping on the lawn for example, but I have to pay attention to the gardeners in the morning. Since I'm too lazy/tired I simply lie down on one of the snack bar's benches. Even sheltered from the rain.

Day 15 - Thursday, 21st August 2014
More or less early in the morning a bunch of lawnmowers is waking me up. Bench was hard as fuck, but when you're tired enouh after an eventful day you don't really care and just sleep. Sadly I was a tad too slow to see the storks but well, can't be helped.
Furthermore I notice that my spoon is missing, apparently I left that one at Dani's place. Just like washcloth and towel by the the way. But then: Five meters down the road someone has left half of their cake and coffee. Munch! I can keep the spoon.

Well then, time to move on. I leave Nördlingen at one of th northern towngates and somehow there's a strange feeling... like you'd leave something behind inseide of those walls. The contrast between the fairy tale-like historic center and the normal, boring "outer world" has a strong effect here.
Anyway, towards southeast it is... Nah, wait, actually I have to take a small detour to Baden-Wuerttemberg first, looking for a Geocache there. There's an unlockable picture for each German federal state, so while I'm still around...
Afterwards I'm roughly following the Romantic Road, which continues via Augsburg all the way to Füssen and the famous Neuschwanstein castle. There's a version of that route for cars, but also a separate one for bicycles. Depending on the mood I switch between the two; generally the bicycle one with all its detours from the main road is longer and a bit more exhausting, but also more rewarding in terms of landscape and views.

The blue flower: In romanticism a symbol of striving for the infinite but also wanderlust.

Sometimes the cycling road leads you to small curiosities, such as a 24-hour self service station for fresh milk. Just a small hut with a vendor, a manual and some empty bottles. A wonderful idea.

"Our milk makes Bavaria (or Bavarians) stronger!"

On the right: Dinner using a Czech milk bottle and a Swabian spoon.

The cycleway was quite nice, but I didn't make much progress today. So I'm switching to the road again for a night-driving session, I want to reach Augsburg before going to sleep. Well... I've had better ideas before. There might be no mountains to cross and the weather is dry, but it's also dark, cold and I'm tired. Way too tired. A few kilometers before Augsburg I kind of fall asleep for a few seconds while cycling (!) and briefly get off course for a couple of times. Which is not good. At least there's next to no traffic anymore... But since there's no convenient spot for sleeping anywhere and temperatures start to get really uncomfortable, I just continue and finally reach my goal at about 4pm or something. In the city I stumble upon a heated shopping mall, its gates are still opening. Quite a peculiar location, most of the shops are unoccupied... I don't care and just go fall asleep in a corner.

Day 16 - Friday, 22nd August 2014
It's about time for some internet and electricity again. I've been informed that McDonald's usually has both and the staff doesn't even care if you buy anything. The train station's branch at least had sockets. WiFi didn't really want to work, but there's another hotspot at a brewery close by.
After that there's only one thing on my mind: Getting the hell out of this dump. Yes, I don't like Augsburg at all, at least whate I've seen of it. It feels uncomfortable, has no charme, is packed with way too many people. Probably this negative view is partly grounded in the fact that I barely had any sleep last night, and I also might have missed really beautiful parts of the city. But still, at the moment I just want to get out.

An old tower, alone and lost in the middle of the city.

Going to rural Bavaria again, now just have a bunch of pictures.

"Grüß Gott" (lit.: (may) God greet (you)) is the typical greeting around here,
while "Pfüa Gott" is the according way of saying good bye.

There are wayside crosses everywhere in catholic Bavaria, but sometimes there's a Maria as well.

It's time for some traditional Totems poles again. We had maypoles quite a while ago and last time I stumbled upon other specimens for parish fairs and marriage. Now here on the left there's a new one set up by families who just got a kid, provided with name, birthday and baby's clothing. The one on the right with the church is one of many varieties of a maypole, this time colored in Bavarian blue/white and equipped with crests of the surrounding villages.

And here's an election poster of the mighty Bavaria Party which wants Bavaria to become a sovereign country. The flags around its lion belong to other European regions that display a certain level of autonomy as well as cultural and linguistic differences to the rest of their respective country. For example Catalonia, South Tyrol, Corsica and Wales.
With usually less than 1% of total votes among the free state it doesn't really have as much influence as the CSU, though. But things can always change, so they're just trying again and again.

Down below: Advertisement for a beer garden. With large beer mugs and Dirndl. Very important cultural heritage.

With the evening sun I pass Landsberg am Lech. Quite beautiful here, but I want to go on a little further today. A patch of grass next to the highway looks good enough for my tent so I get in there, eat some muesli and fall asleep. The noise isn't even a bother at all.

Day 17 - Saturday, 23rd August 2014
Following the Romantic Road to Füssen.

Interesting: They way is also signposted in Japanese.

That chalk writing on the right could be seen in all of Bavaria from time to time. It's grounded in a Catholic tradition: Carol singers. Children or teenagers, dressed up as the three kings of the East, visit houses after Christmas to collect money for charity purposes. After singing they write 20*C+M+B+14 (or similar) on the front door, which is supposed to bring bessings. The numbers show the current year, "*" represents the star of Bethlehem and the "+" are supposed to be crosses. The letters CMB stand for the kings' names Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, but also for „Christus mansionem benedicat“ (= „Christ bless this house“).

Chainsaw art: There's a collection of wooden statues on the wayside, all of them are given a name and most of them carry a price tag. You can actually make quite some money with this.

Rich green everywhere... In contrast to Bohemia with all its tawny corn fields the Allgau brims with pastures for cows and other livestock.

Where's cows, there's also cheese: A real Allgau one, that was necessary. 

And I encounter the first fountains for drinking water, typical for the Alps.

Some more hills and a plain later I arrive in Oberschwangau, which also goes by the name village of royal castles. Why? That's why:

The yellow one is Hohenschwangau castle, the white/greyish one is the world famous Neuschwanstein castle. No, it's not medieval. Actually it's just the idealized idea of a medieval knight's castle, built from 1869 onwards. It was the wish of Ludwig II, Bavarian King and hopeless romanticist, and only got finished after his death.
There's one thing very apparent at this place: Mass tourism. I hear basically all major European languages and there's Indians, Chinese, Japanese and Arabs walking about. There's a huge parking lot for tour buses and the path leading up to the castle is paved with souvenir stalls.

Castle's inner courtyard.

After a thogough inspection I go on to Füssen in the evening, last bit for today.

Gorgeously turquoise mountain water...

And once again I take a seat in a McDumb, this time internet is actually working. What, only 2 hours a day? Well, still better than nothing. Just going to wash my hair at the disabled's restroom first and pull the wrong string accidentally so one of the staff comes running. Embarassing. But the gentlemen's room's faucet wasn't quite working.

So while I'm sitting there on the couch, sorting photos, suddenly two girls sit down right beside me.
"What are you doing here so alone at this time?"
It's Saturday after all, quite late in the evening. I tell them how I got here from Dresden with a bicycle. Splendid, those unbelieving faces. And suddenly they have lots of questions. Meanwhile the Turk they had in tow has other worries:
"Oi, why are you hitting on my girlfriend?"
Wat? I was just peacefully sitting around. They push him aside.
"We just got to know him... No need to pay attention." 
I see.
"Come on, let's go!"
"No, that's interesting. I want to hear more."
Since that strategy wasn't quite working out he proceeds to beg his "girlfriend" for the tomatoes in her salad instead. Not successfully. She loves tomatoes. Finally he bids goodbye with the words: "You always meet twice in a lifetime!" Okay.

One of the girls says I should come along to Big Apple later, apparently the worst club in Bavaria and a must-see. There's even supposed to be be a way to secure bicycle and baggage. They give me directions to the place and climb in their car, I pack my stuff and think about this. Should I really go there all alone? Don't know anyone around here after all... and I didn't even do any proper pregaming for being able to dance. Urgh. But I finally convince myself and just go over.
All in all quite nice, pleasant atmoshphere. They basically all know each other and the info about me is spread quite fast. One of the guys says I can sleep in his garden if there's any need, later he's too wasted to properly communicate, though. Strange: For some reason every other dude is wearing a basecap, must be a local fad.
Highlight of the evening is without a doubt that one wheelchair user on the dancefloor, being spun around by girls, having them on his lap from time to time and generally being on the move just like the rest. Buddy's partying just like the others and of course they move him all the way up the stairs to the entrance again, when everything's over.
So they're all going home, I go as well and crash out on a sheltered desk next to the club. It's raining once again after all.

Day 18 - Sunday, 24th August 2014
I wake up and clear said desk, because it belongs to a shortly opening restaurant. Before leaving the town I get one of those traditional Seppl Hats at the flea market (picture further down with a football). Looks silly but is fun and makes for a nice memento.

This is the etablissement that housed me for most of the night.

Aaand going on, this time to the west. I want to visit Liechtenstein, which is most easy to get to via Lindau at Lake Constance. So I exit Füssen pass the idyllic Weissensee.

An alpine pasture closeby has some grazing cows. Quite photogenic, the ladies. And their coziness is somewhat infectious. Cought up in their pace I just sit down in the grass for a while and relax. With the Seppl Hat. A good idea after that eventful day before.

The cows rock.

So do the horses in the next village. It's called Rossmoos and is quite beautiful, but the lighting was too terrible for photos.

You see them all the time at the end of August: Pumpkin stalls at the roadside, without vendors.

After a few more kilometers cycling through rich green countryside I finally put up my tent at the wooded edge of a gorge.

Day 19 - Monday, 25th August 2014
Damn, was that a cold night! Especially for my feet. This shaded area wasn't the best option it seems. If I'm going for a forest edge again it should better be open to the east, so that the sun can heat up my tent in the morning as well as evaporate all the condensed water droplets. It's small things like that you're just learning along the way.
Anyway: Yeasterday I barely made any progress, so today should be all about making up kilometers. Full steam ahead!

A typical Allgäu house.

Around noon I pass two abandoned factory buildings, fenced, half ruinous and overtaken by plants. Curiosity piques me... Actually I would really like to in there, exploring, taking photos. I've been interested in urban exploring for quite a while now, but usually the "locations" are being kept secret in order to prevent them from random dolts who like to show up for some rioting. So at first you have to find some places yourself. In this sense it's the perfect opportunity, but I do have to carry on actually... There are some placards at the fence, saying "Get ready for your adventure!". It's advertising for a civil engineering apprenticeship, but also acts kind of motivating... Whatever, getting in there.
Blog entry: A little Urban Exploring

And I regret nothing, it was fun. Two hours of exploring and snapping photos I hit the road again, only to stop once more a few minutes later, this time at a supermarket. After Liechtenstein I want to pass a bit of Switzerland in order to cross the Alps. And as you might know, that country is outrageously expensive. So a "shopping spree" for 10€ definitely makes sense.

Some local advertisement posters at the parking lot.

Before stuffing my acquisitions onto the bags I spread the still dripping wet tent covers over some shopping carts, in order to finally let them dry. Especially in combination with a fully packet bicycle you kind of attract attention that way. An old man who just finished shopping talks to me: 
"Starting a longer journey?"
I tell him about my way so far and where I come from.
"Dresden..." he repeats.
There's some kind of nostalgic look in his eyes.
"Frauenkirche..." (Church of Our Lady, a major sight restored from ruins after WW II)
Did I awake some memories from the old days?
"Striezelmarkt..." (Famous Christmas fair in Dresden)
He's rummaging around in his pocket.
"Are you a student?"
Basically yes, forestry. I just have to finish my bachelor thesis on the road.
"Ah, so you're an outdoorsman? Hmm..."
With a smile he slips a ten euro note in my hand. What the heck? Can I just accept that?
"I'm sure you can use that."
Well screw it, I'm happy as a sandboy. And that's exactly the money I spent in the supermarket right now. What also stikes me: If I would've just hurried up at noon, leaving the factory buildings behind, I also would have missed this old man...

Then it's cycling through the hilly Allgau countryside again, accompanied by the sounds of cows, their bells, tractors and witnessing various kinds of creatures.

"Attention / speed trap / 60m on the right"

I pass another small piece of Baden-Wuerttemberg before abusing the next best sheltered waiting area near the mainroad as night-quarters, only a few kilometers before Lake Constance. Every passersby can notice me here, but it's dry and feels safe.

Day 20 - Tuesday, 26th August 2014 (Part 1)
Last official acts before passing the border: Finding Paper and an envelope. Mom needs a signed  form for some red tape. Furthermore I buy some Swabian sweets and a proper German beer as little gift for potential hosts or other nice people I could encounter.

In Lindau I meet an older woman, standing in the street with some brochures: One of Jehova's Witnesses. She's very friendly and likeable and all, but I have my problems with her world view, which is typical for that religious community:
The end is near!
The world is so bad!
People are soo baad!
Suffering and reason for sadness everywhere in this world!
I recall the past week and... Nope, that doesn't quite work out.

During more or less heavy rain I finally pass the border to Austria. Let's go to Liechtenstein and cross the Alps! (And write shorter posts in the future.)