Last day: back to Erding
What an amazing way to start the last riding day: clear blue sky, no traffic whatsoever, stunning roads. Why can't this go on forever?
Hayssam and Sam and the last highlight of the tour: famous Neuschwanstein Castle. Turns out King Ludwig wasn't mad after all...
Day 6: Schaffhausen to Au, Vorarlberg, Austria
The group on top of Mount Säntis, 2500 m. Still lots of snow up here.
The day started out with a coffee break in Stein am Rhein. Nice little town, and still quiet at this early hour
Lovely view of Lake Constance
The brothers with Mount Säntis beckoning in the distance. Auffi muas i, auffi....
The group, adjusting to the Swiss lifestyle...
A stunning day for riding a gondola to a mountain top
The Swiss Nuclear Missile Base on Säntis is top secret! Everybody thinks it's just a telecom tower, but James Bond knows better!
It's grand, it's a tour, and it's Switzerland!
Sam and his little afternoon snack. He's on a see-food-diet...
Day 5: Ribeauvillé to Schaffhausen, Switzerland
it was cold in the Black Forest today, but the roads were dry, so we could have some fun. We had lots!
Black Forest fruit salad with lots of healthy cherries!
Our first glimpse of Switzerland
The Rhine Falls are Europe's largest waterfalls
Coffee break with a view. Swiss coffee turned out to be not that good...
The House of the Knight dates from 1492 and is the most famous building in Schaffhausen
Day 4: Rest day in Ribeauvillé, France.
Our hotel in Ribeauvillé
The Haute Koenigsbourg is the number one attraction in Alsace, of course we had to go and see it too. And yes, it is quite spectacular!
typical interior
Hayssam and Sam enjoying the view, but unfortunately it was a bit misty today.
The Vosges Mountains
Heidelberg to Ribeauvillé
Due to adverse weather conditions we decided to skip the twisty mountain roads of the Black Forest and go to Strasbourg instead, for some heary Alscian lunch. The center of the city is marked by the huge cathedral with its 142 meter tower. Simply stunning!
Lovely views from Mont Sainte Odile. If it weren't for the clouds you could see the Black Forest in the distance
Day 2: Rothenburg to Heidelberg
Chocolate "Snowballs" are the specialty of the cafe at Schöntal monastery
The brothers at Hirschhorn castles, one of many along the way
Our lovely hotel in Heidelberg
Approaching the city from the Old Bridge makes for dramatic views
Heidelberg's Main Street is the world's longest pedestrianised street (1 mile or 1.6 km long)
View of Heidelberg castle at dusk.
Welcome to the Heart of Europe, ladies and gentlemen. Brothers Hayssam from Australia and Sam from New Zealand - originally from Lebanon - are in the process of riding their shiny metal steeds across southern Germany, Alsace, Switzerland and western Austria. Today was day 1, the weather was much better than predicted and the tiny group had a very good time:
First picture stop: Eichstätt. Private question: remember this location, honey?
Eichstätt, the "Baroque City", has a lovely old center
Is is difficult to find a nice café in Dinkelsbühl? No, piece of cake!
An afternoon coffee and a large slice of creamy, soft cake: those Germans have great traditions...
Our three bikes. The other two are spares.
Another great German tradition: sit in beer garden and drink beer.
A Bavarian specialty: mixed salad and lean soy milk...
The famous night watchman of Rothenburg is a must-see
The skyline of Rothenburg, Germany's best-preserved medieval town