On the Romantic Road from Hochhausen to Uettingen
Friday June 22, 2018
Overnight the temperatures drops from 28°C to 9°C, which sounds even better in Fahrenheit: 84° to 48°. And it is windy again. I am feeling no after-effects from my accident yesterday, just a few bruises, and am looking forward to this part of the Tauber Valley Bike Path which will snake back and forth on small roads following the river all the way to Wertheim. Today I am layering up, starting with my long sleeve merino wool shirt.
Hard to believe that in my first journals this year I was showing brown fields and barren trees. Now the hay is in bales and the forest is a curtain of green.
All bundled up
Quiet roads
Across the bridge to the right takes you to Niklashausen - we go straight.
Farm house gardens in full bloom - and see the grass blowing in the wind.
What a garden!
From here on we see red sandstone used in construction everywhere.
In Gamburg - red sandstone fountain and street
Lavish and lush
In spite of all the summer flowers, it's cold and windy. I'm putting on another layer.
An interesting wayside cross , in red sandstone - We couldn't decipher the date on it.
Red sandstone in its natural state
After 15 km we reach Bronnbach Monastery, one of the best preserved Cistercian monasteries in southern Germany.
It was established in 1151 and combines the building styles of Romanesque and Gothic. With secularization, the 650-year-long monastic history found its - provisional - end. In 1803, the monastery was repealed and the entire property was transferred to the princely house Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg.
We don't take the guided tour but even from the outside the buildings and gardens are impressive. I like it and take lots of pictures.
It was established in 1151 and combines the building styles of Romanesque and Gothic. With secularization, the 650-year-long monastic history found its - provisional - end. In 1803, the monastery was repealed and the entire property was transferred to the princely house Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg.
We don't take the guided tour but even from the outside the buildings and gardens are impressive. I like it and take lots of pictures.
Front view of Bronnbach Abbey and church
Entry to the church - extensive use of red sandstone
Door detail
So many great photo motifs
The gardens at Bronnbach Abbey
Fountain detail
Fountain and church
The Orangerie was built in 1773 to 1775 for frost-sensitive plants and has on its facade a baroque fresco, probably the largest outdoor fresco north of the Alps. From 1948, the orangerie was used as housing for WWII refugees. The glass windows were removed - a step that was reversed in the 2005 restoration. Today it houses a restaurant.
We are in wine country now and the steep slopes of the Tauber Valley provide ideal conditions for good wine. However, in the late 19th century, a devastating phylloxera plague broke out in the European wine industry, destroying much of the continent's vineyards. Wineries all over Europe tore up and burned their family’s ancient vineyards in a desperate attempt to stop the spread of the disease. Here, too, the vineyards never recovered. We see many abandoned wine terrasses.
Abandoned wine terrasses
As we approach Wertheim, we see its castle ruins.
Kilometer 25 finds us in Wertheim and at the confluence of the Tauber and the Main rivers. We have sandwiches and coffee and tea in a simple cafe, look around a bit but are soon off. A few drops of rain fall and it all looks gloomy. On a sunny day we might have spent more time here.
Pretty Wertheim on a very grey day
We are sorry that the Tauber Valley Bike Path has come to an end. It was lovely, we weren't disappointed. We now follow the Main Bike Path for a short distance and I am again sorry that we can't continue on this flat bike path. If we wished, we could follow the loop of the river as it flows north and then south again, all the way to Würzburg, our final destination. But that would mean an extra 60 km. And we have already cycled that part of the Main Bike Path. Below is the route we don't take. We leave the path at Bettingen and head directly for Würzburg.
We cycle 8 km along the banks of the Main River.
After eight km we leave the Main and strike out across the open fields. As always, when you cut off the loop of a river, you have a hill to cross. After climging about 3 km, we see some ugly commercial development and wonder why it is permitted that things like that can be built in such beautiful countryside. Then a small path branches off from the main road and we again have the lovely rolling countryside with sweeping views that I so love.
We leave the Main river bank behind us.
Fantastic paths between the fields, originally built for farm vehicles
We are closer to our destination, but the blue patch of sky is a false promise.
On the final kilometers, our planned route takes us on a gravel path paralleling the road. It's very slow going and I have to concentrate on the ground and can't even look at my surroundings. At the first opportunity we pick up the road. The traffic isn't bad, it's a good solution. The clouds are getting darker, we better hurry. We're almost there when the first rain drops fall, no need for rain jackets so close to our goal, we just pedal harder and increase the e-support. The rain doesn't last long and we arrive at our hotel a bit damp, but not soaked.
Again we are in a kind of small town. Our hotel has been run by the same family for generations, and has its own restaurant. The rooms are nice and the restaurant is good. It was a great day.
Again we are in a kind of small town. Our hotel has been run by the same family for generations, and has its own restaurant. The rooms are nice and the restaurant is good. It was a great day.
Our evening meal - bread dumpling with porc roast and mushrooms, and since we are in wine country a local wine.