Our classic first shot when leaving, crossing the fields very near home.
Still in Germany - Gauting to Bad Tölz
Wednesday August 14, 2019
This is to be the "long tour" of the summer. Early summer we were busy with moving and getting settled in, then we waited for the heat wave to pass since as retirees we are flexible and can set out when we want. We are only limited by the weather and our aging bodies - constraints serious enough not to be scoffed at. But I am getting ahead of myself.
We set out on a sunny day, not too warm, not too cool. This ride to Bad Tölz is more or less a repetion of a ride we did 12 years ago. That was in our pre-ebike days. Then it was a short tour that ended in Innsbruck with knee problems. We are hoping for better luck this time. The first kilometers are lovely, no bike path, just country roads and paths through the woods.
Along the way a sign for Höhenrain brings a flood of memories. As a rooky grade school teacher in Germany, my first assignment was in Höhenrain, a country village where the children spoke Bavarian better than the German I had learned. I taught the first and second grade in one classroom, the principal taught third and fourth in the other classroom, and that was it. I loved the children and I believe they loved me too, but I'm not sure how much they learned.
We pedal on. The middle section of the ride starting in Wolfratshausen is a dedicated bike path, free from traffic but not as interesting as the country roads over hill and dale. Later the roads from Königsdorf again offer more variety. When we arrive in Bad Tölz, we see our hotel is in a part of town we aren't familiar with. Bad is bath so one can know that Tölz is or was a spa or health resort but we were only familiar with its nice center with Bavarian facades. Today our lodgings are in the area that houses its spa hotels, new to us and not bad. Down the hill there is a simple Bavarian pub, all is good.
Janos is enhancing my journal with the videos he has made from our trip. For those who don't know us from other journals, Janos is my better half and trusty cycling companion. I hope you enjoy his video, although there is considerable loss of quality when uploaded to Youtube (and an awful lot of pictures of my backside). Music credits are at the very end.
This is to be the "long tour" of the summer. Early summer we were busy with moving and getting settled in, then we waited for the heat wave to pass since as retirees we are flexible and can set out when we want. We are only limited by the weather and our aging bodies - constraints serious enough not to be scoffed at. But I am getting ahead of myself.
We set out on a sunny day, not too warm, not too cool. This ride to Bad Tölz is more or less a repetion of a ride we did 12 years ago. That was in our pre-ebike days. Then it was a short tour that ended in Innsbruck with knee problems. We are hoping for better luck this time. The first kilometers are lovely, no bike path, just country roads and paths through the woods.
Along the way a sign for Höhenrain brings a flood of memories. As a rooky grade school teacher in Germany, my first assignment was in Höhenrain, a country village where the children spoke Bavarian better than the German I had learned. I taught the first and second grade in one classroom, the principal taught third and fourth in the other classroom, and that was it. I loved the children and I believe they loved me too, but I'm not sure how much they learned.
We pedal on. The middle section of the ride starting in Wolfratshausen is a dedicated bike path, free from traffic but not as interesting as the country roads over hill and dale. Later the roads from Königsdorf again offer more variety. When we arrive in Bad Tölz, we see our hotel is in a part of town we aren't familiar with. Bad is bath so one can know that Tölz is or was a spa or health resort but we were only familiar with its nice center with Bavarian facades. Today our lodgings are in the area that houses its spa hotels, new to us and not bad. Down the hill there is a simple Bavarian pub, all is good.
Janos is enhancing my journal with the videos he has made from our trip. For those who don't know us from other journals, Janos is my better half and trusty cycling companion. I hope you enjoy his video, although there is considerable loss of quality when uploaded to Youtube (and an awful lot of pictures of my backside). Music credits are at the very end.
The classic second shot, riding through the forest that comes after the fields. We haven't cycled more than four km's yet, but it is a lovely send off.
Favorite kind of cycling
August
Taking a break
Bavaria with roadside crucifix and the Alps barely visible in the distance
Farmer at work with his pitchfork - I wonder if he ever gets to retire.