Cycling in Germany, Austria

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/40319083

I aimed for Freiburg where I had a date with the manufacturer of the USB charging port connected to my dynamo that had been malfunctioning since day 1 of the trip. 

Freiburg was so impressive, so many people cycling! The most I've ever seen! Really great cycling infrastructure, like most all of Germany-e.g. dedicated bicycle underpasses, overpasses, bridges, oh my! 

I camped at a quite expensive family camp ground in the edge of the black forest, $21

Leaving Freiburg I was right into the beautiful pastoral landscape of the Black Forest and a solid bit of climbing.  I was already enamored with Germany, quickly becoming one of my favorite countries to cycle in: A+ quality roads and bike ways. Beautiful long windy mountain valleys, for gradual ascents/descents. A totally distinct architectural design, often with beautiful flower arrangements to suit.

I learned that they water the logs because if they do not the wood is liable to catch on fire at the paper mill. 

Google maps takes you some strange ways sometimes! 

It got a bit hairy! Here I had to pass through this small tunnel... 

But I eventually joined a legitimate bike path in the woods. I took a video. 

I ended up at nice campground where I setup next to trailer with a lovely garden. 

They had a man made swimming pond (poured concrete bottom) 

And horses for the kids..... The place was packed with people. 

Like France. they totally do camping differently than I know from elsewhere I've camped (USA, Canada, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand). Communal (toilets, showers, washing sinks) and economical - so nice for families with kids.

Departing the mountains of the black forest, I descended towards the Rhine River in Switzerland. 

I've been through a number of Swiss towns where everything is modern and nice but there's hardly anyone around. The antithesis of so many places I've been where it's overflowing with people and traffic... Here is so much nicer 😁 

Arriving Schaffhausen I noticed across the river people swimming and floating down the river. I decided to get a picnic and join them.

Great underpasses! 

And bicycle route directions 

I spoke with a Swiss couple who (invited me to stay with them at their house, I declined) told me that the largest waterfall in continental Europe was just down the way, so I had a look at the Rhinefells waterfall.

Shortly thereafter I was able to mostly stay on bike path and get over to Lake Constance.

I had to catch the last 630pm ferry to the island where I was recommended to camp out. There's a lot of good summer living going on around lake constance

I cycled through the small German city of Konstanz in Lake Konstanz, before catching a ferry. 

Heading towards Munich, where I had arranged to couch surf at a friend of a friend, I had 250km to cover in 2 days. 

At one point I saw a bunch of cars parked on the side of hill so I went to see what was going on. It was an equestrian competition, so I took a beer break to check it out. 

Had my first meal at a restaurant in Germany 

And found a place to camp. It was entirely enclosed in a fence, so I had to open a gate to enter - which struck me as odd... 

But despite the fence and gated entrance, I awoke in the middle of the night to a fox having knocked over my bike looking for food. I only had some fruit and cereal, so it tried to take a bite out of my soap 😂

Had a wonderful rest day with some new friends in Munich. We cycled around the city--what else do you do on a cycle touring rest day? :)

I really enjoyed Munich.  It has a high quality of life.  Like the Inn river and it's canals that wind through the city and through a park where people lay out and bathe in the shallow river water. Just what we need to figure out to do with the Charles river in Boston.

And we had a BBQ on the balcony

But I had a date with the Alps. So I was keen to leave the city and cycle south.

I ended up cycling along 3 lovely lakes that day.  And with temps in the 90s, I swam in each one up to and into the Alps.

Wonderful scenery in these parts.  And much of my way was on bike path.

My Aldi (supermarket) dinner

I was taking the long way to get to my friend's in Bolzano, seeking to cycle along as much of the Via Claudia Augusta as I could

Which soon crossed me into Austria.

on either paved or unpaved path

Ski jumps

before descending into the Austrian valley town, Telfs

part way down

the river water was flowing heavy on this side of the alps. despite the drought I was hearing about on the Italian side of the Alps

Castle on a cliff--from a distance

and zoomed in to it

I ended up wild camping near a school field, by some equipement. I didn't sleep well at night and at 6am sharp I awoke to a sprinkler going off right next to my tent. I was naked so I had to quickly throw something on and get outside to smother it. While it turned away I quickly evacuated my camping spot. Shit got wet. But it made for an early start!...and that day I ended up cycling 99miles/160km all the way to my friend's place in Bolzano, Italy. It was a magnificent day.

the public water fountains can be so inviting. and the fresh, cool water is amazing when it's hot

Nauder, Austria

I took this video of the bridge leading to a castle where I met a couple of German guys.

Noted long after we split, I found a cell phone laying in the middle of the trail. I grab it and hope to catch up to whoever it belonged to. Most people were cycling my direction on Ebikes. So I'm asking people as I cycle up the path and road. No luck. About an hour later, I'm climbing a 1200' climb and catch up with the German I met earlier. And it was his phone! He sure was happy with me! Fortunatly for him I was faster than his Ebike! ;) So I asked him to take this video of me climbing the hill.

The mountain experience was picking up 

And I soon crossed the border towards the top of the mountain pass into Italy.