Day 21 - Obermarchtal to Höchstädt an der Donau (73 miles)

This morning, as I looked into the mirror at the drawn and baggy-eyed face staring back, I wondered which part of regular daily exercise is meant to be good for me. On the bright side though, today's forecast was for blue skies and sun which bode well for my relatively long day.

I spent the best part of the morning getting to Ulm, the 'gateway to Bavaria' and birthplace of Albert Einstein. After an initial stretch along the Danube I saw little of the river. Instead, stretches of woodland and long sections across a patchwork of green, brown and yellow fields on the river plain were strung together with sections on cycle paths alongside busy roads. I passed through the town of Munderkingen, its beautiful medieval centre full of timber framed buildings in a variety of colours, and cobblestone streets that made for slow and uncomfortable riding. By late morning I had reached Ulm.

In Ulm, Saturday morning Germany was in full swing with families making the most of the river and the sunshine. I had originally intended to go in search of a fountain in the city commemorating Einstein but it was a little off the route and also uphill. I still had a fair way to go and I am mindful that over the course of a day my overall speed is not that high; it only takes some rough track or a hill or two to bring down my average considerably. So instead, for half an hour I sat by the Danube, enjoyed the sun and ate from the food I carried before heading off along the river once again.

Ulm from the Danube

The afternoon was spent almost entirely on tracks, either through woodland or along the riverside. It was an enjoyable and relaxed cycle away from roads and in the sunshine. The river here is now noticeably wider and less meandering than the stretch from Mühlheim; a wiser, calmer version of the erratic youth I cycled alongside only yesterday.  I often wondered at this difference in such a short time but I am now over 130 miles further downstream, a lot I guess in the life of a river. 

I am now in what seems to be a traditional Bavarian guest house in the town of Höchstädt an der Donau, a small but seemingly more modern place than some of the medieval gems I have passed through in the last few days. This, and the fact that my day of cycling seems to be catching up with me, makes me disinclined to explore so I am now showered, fed on traditional local fare and relaxed and although it is not late I think decisions about tomorrow might now get left until morning.