Suzanne's Cycling Site
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        • 6. A Short Ride: Golling to Werfen
        • 7. A Patch of Blue Sky: Werfen to Sankt Veit
        • 8. Holed up in Sankt Veit
        • 9. The Big Climb: Sankt Veit to Unterkolbnitz
        • 10. Inching Our Way: Kolbnitz to Spittal
        • 11. Flat and Dry: Spittal to Arnoldstein
        • 12. Buongiorno Bella Italia: Arnoldstein to Chiusaforte
        • 13. Best Bike Path Ever: Chiusaforte to Tavagnacco
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        • 15. Last Day on the Road: Palmanova to Grado
        • 16. Grado and How We Got Home
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Cycling in Circles

Circling in the sun ... from Ottenhofen to Garching
Wednesday April 18, 2018

Spring has set in fast and furious. Zoom kaboom - within days the tender buds were full blown leaves. It was definitely time for another segment of the circle.
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One gap left in the circle. Today is the orange segment. We traveled from east to west.

We took the train to Ottenhofen. At the train station they announced that there would be "Schienenersatzverkehr" on part of the train line due to construction. That's one of those compound German words, literally translated as rail substitution transportation. What they mean is a bus. Now why don't they say bus in the first place. We got busy figuring out how we would get to our starting point since we wouldn't be able to get on the bus with our bikes. It turned out that the train was going to skip one stop which had no effect on our plans at all. Much ado about nothing. We rode in a fairly empty train to Ottenhofen and got on our bikes.

We had little traffic on our route and it seemed everything that could possibly blossom was blossoming. "Ooooh" and "aaaah" and "stop for a picture" the whole way.

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Spring for sure!
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Fields of canola are starting to bloom, soon the fields will be a blinding yellow.
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Detail of the canola

We had a few little rises in the beginning and then a very flat ride between fields. Some were still brown, others were bright green with the first shoots of wheat.

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Crossing the Isar Canal
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Country roads
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Every village has its church
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Many roadside crosses here

Before crossing the Isar, we cycled through Ismanning and stopped to admire its Maibaum or maypole. On May first one of the most popular traditions in Bavaria is the raising of the maypole. This custom dates back to the 16th century and has been a symbol for national identity in Bavarian villages since the 18th century. Here's a website with some more information.

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The maypole in Ismaning - Traditionally the guilds and trades of the town are represented on the Maibaum. Sorry I cut off the top, but I wanted to get our bicycles in the picture, of course!
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The last stretch is the Isar path to the bridge across the river.

We crossed the Isar in the south as it flows towards Munich a week ago. Today we see it on the other side of Munich as it makes its way to the Danube.
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I've shown this view on other rides. The season and light make it different every time.

I noted on the map while planning our route that there would be a beer garden just before we reach Garching. Our timing was right, we were there around noon. Biergarten Mühlenpark was a delightful little beer garden on a stream and next to a water mill. They served simple food, no frills, just good Bavarian fare. We had beer, a big pretzel, pork sausages, sauerkraut and "pressack" with raw onions and vinegar dressing - which I guess is called headcheese and most people haven't heard of it. Or am I wrong? Anyway, some people find it gross, others love it. I kind of like it myself.
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Old mill and beer garden
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Biergarten Mühlenpark
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Beer, soft pretzel and "pressack"

This time we didn't take the city train (S-Bahn) home but used the subway (U-Bahn). The U-6 runs every ten minutes and since we were fairly far out on the line we were sure it wouldn't be crowded where we got on. The U-Bahn has no special compartments or cars just for bicycles, you can get on anywhere, but usually have to stand and hold your bike. Not quite as convenient as the S-Bahn. We were in the first car and from where I was standing I could look through the pane of glass separating the passengers from the driver. I felt like I was almost in the cockpit with our driver.

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On our way from the beer garden to the subway
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Underground, waiting for the train. The right picture is a detail from one of the wall paintings (see behind Janos on the left). It has a bike on it so I thought I would take a picture of it.
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We were up front and I could keep my eye on the driver. The pane of glass reflects my bicycle, on the other side is the driver with his controls.

We didn't go all the way to the main train station but got out at Münchner Freiheit which is a fairly big subway station with two levels, one for the trains and an upper level with shops - and a mirror-like ceiling. So I took some more pictures.

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Subway station Münchner Freiheit with its reflecting ceilings
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Selfie in the ceiling

It was just a few more turns of the pedals, about 3 km and we were home. On the way I discovered one last photo op. Couldn't resist. I was a student when the fountain was first erected. We nicknamed the statue Ewige Verstopfung, "eternal constipation", and thought we were very naughty and witty. I see some students are still having fun with the meditating monk.

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Almost home now - The fountain statue has been here since 1960. As a student, I had a room in the house in the background.

Just one more ride to come full circle. Stay tuned!

Cycle Route 4380306 - via Bikemap.net
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  • Home
  • Bicycle Tours
    • 2021 >
      • Autumn in the Allgäu
      • Austria Again
      • A Dip into Tyrol
      • Wertheim and Beyond
      • We got as far as Wertheim
      • Bavarian Getaways
    • 2020 >
      • Out and About in Bavaria >
        • Day 1: Gauting - Bad Tölz
        • Day 2: Bad Tölz - Bad Kohlgrub
        • Day 3: Bad Kohlgrub - Landsberg
        • Day 4: Landsberg - Gauting
    • 2019 >
      • The Season Has Begun
      • Pedaling and Shooting in Bavaria >
        • Day 1
        • Day 2
      • More Pedaling in Bavaria >
        • Day 1
        • Day 2
      • Cycling the Inn in Austria >
        • Day 1 Gautig to Tölz
        • Day 2 Tölz to Jenbach
        • Day 3 Jenbach to Innsbruck
        • Day 4 Innsbruck to Rietz
        • Day 5 Rietz to Landeck
        • Day 6 Landeck and Home
    • 2018 >
      • A Two Day Outing
      • A nine-day tour in Lower Bavaria >
        • Day 1
        • Day 2
        • Day 3
        • Day 4
        • Day 5
        • Day 6
        • Day 7
        • Day 8
        • Day 9
      • The Romantic Road >
        • Day 1 - Füssen to Peiting
        • Day 2 - Peiting to Klosterlechfeld
        • Day 3 - Kosterlechfeld to Gersthofen
        • Day 4 - Gersthofen to Donauwörth
        • Day 5 - Train Ride Home
      • Continuing on the Romantic Road >
        • Day 1 - Donauwörth to Raustetten
        • Day 2 - Raustetten to Dorfgütingen
        • Day 3 - Dorfgütingen to Creglingen
        • Day 4 - Creglingen to Hochhausen
        • Day 5: Hochhausen to Uettingen
        • Day 6 - Uettingen to Würzburg
      • Alpe-Adria Tour 2018 >
        • 1. Alsace or the Alps?
        • 2. We're Off: Munich to Bruckmühl
        • 3. Mountains Aready? Bruckmühl to Übersee
        • 4. Almost Salzburg: Übersee to Freilassing
        • 5. On the Ciclovia Alpe-Adria: Freilassing to Golling
        • 6. A Short Ride: Golling to Werfen
        • 7. A Patch of Blue Sky: Werfen to Sankt Veit
        • 8. Holed up in Sankt Veit
        • 9. The Big Climb: Sankt Veit to Unterkolbnitz
        • 10. Inching Our Way: Kolbnitz to Spittal
        • 11. Flat and Dry: Spittal to Arnoldstein
        • 12. Buongiorno Bella Italia: Arnoldstein to Chiusaforte
        • 13. Best Bike Path Ever: Chiusaforte to Tavagnacco
        • 14. Closer to the Sea: Tavagnacco to Palmanova
        • 15. Last Day on the Road: Palmanova to Grado
        • 16. Grado and How We Got Home
    • 2016 >
      • To Berlin and Beyond
    • 2013 >
      • Eight Wheels in Transit
    • 2011 >
      • From Passau to Vienna
    • 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006
  • Day Rides
    • Rides 2023
    • 2022 Rides
    • 2021 Walks and Rides
    • 2020 Bicycle Days
    • 2019 Rides >
      • Bicycle Days 2019
    • 2018 Rides >
      • Bicycle Days 2018
      • 2018 Monthly Challenges
      • Cycling in Circles
    • 2017 Rides and Challenges >
      • Late to the Party
      • The Munich Kaffeeklatsch
  • Bicycle Memories
    • 1981: Bicycling with Daniel
    • 1981 - Passau to Vienna
    • 1982 - Provence with Daniel
    • 1985: Believe It or Not
    • 1986 - Southwest France
  • About
  • Contact
  • My Blog
  • Miscellaneous
    • Hochbunkers in Munich