Last Day on the Romantic Road - Uettingen to Würzburg
Saturday June 23, 2018
Again it's kind of cool and cloudy in the morning - and unfortunately the wind has died down. Unfortunately, because we are now travelling east and tailwinds are always welcome. It's a short ride to Würzburg, only 20 km, and we're hoping the route will be good for cycling since we can expect more traffic closer to Würzburg.
Before we leave Uettingen, we take a look at our hotel from the outside. Built of red sandstone, it was originally a beer brewery and the six-pointed star or star of David, one of the oldest beer guild symbols, is carved in a stone on the side of the building. The hanging sign for the restaurant also has a six-pointed star.
Before we leave Uettingen, we take a look at our hotel from the outside. Built of red sandstone, it was originally a beer brewery and the six-pointed star or star of David, one of the oldest beer guild symbols, is carved in a stone on the side of the building. The hanging sign for the restaurant also has a six-pointed star.
Hotel zur Alten Brauerei Zapf
Michael Fleischmann was the original proprietor of the beer brewery and restaurant.
Today the Hotel again has its own small brewery but they also sell St. Martin's Beer. On the hanging sign the story of St. Martin is shown, where he cuts his cloak in half. You can also see the six-pointed star, traditional symbol of the beer brewer's guild.
We leave town and are immediately in the countryside. It's a lovely ride with a few hills and through a few villages. When we get closer to Würzburg we have a long, straight gravel path though a forest, then some residential areas and a very steep downhill. I wouldn't want to pedal this route in the other direction!
We're off for the last kilometers of the trip.
Red poppies and daisies on the roadside
We stop for a few more pictures.
I love the countryside here - so glad we didn't take the Main River Bike Path.
Our last gravel grinding for a while
The bike path leading into the city is well marked - it's the same route I have on my Garmin - and we know we're there for sure when we see the mighty Fortress Marienberg, a symbol of Würzburg, towering above us. It has been a fort since ancient times, but was severely damaged by British bombs in March 1945. In 1990 it was fully rebuilt and today it houses two museums.
Fortress Marienberg - we're there!
We cross the Old Bridge, Alte Mainbrücke, and are in Würzburg. We ride through the historic center, a pedestrian zone with limited traffic and a tram line. I am just a little worried a tram will come while I cycle down the middle of the road and that I am forced to cross the tracks at a bad angle. I'm such a scaredy cat. So I push part of the way to the train station, but it isn't far. The sun comes out and we have plenty of time, so we stop for one last coffee before we get our train tickets to Munich.
The bridge, Alte Mainbrücke, was erected from 1473 to 1543 replacing an old Romanesque bridge. The 12 statues of saints were added around 1730. In the background you can see vineyards.
Alte Mainbrücke
A cafe stop here, in the sun
Blue and red - I watch our bicycles while Janos buys our train tickets.
We have to change trains once on our way back to Munich, but all goes smoothly, no snags, something we don't take for granted.
We had lots of wind, some hot weather, some cold weather, an encounter with bugs and my little accident - but these were all minor problems and they didn't spoil our trip. We enjoyed this part of the Romantic Road immensely. It was a great ride.
We had lots of wind, some hot weather, some cold weather, an encounter with bugs and my little accident - but these were all minor problems and they didn't spoil our trip. We enjoyed this part of the Romantic Road immensely. It was a great ride.