As has become the norm, let me flip back to yesterday. Dinner was at an Italian restaurant (pizza) and then, at Jeff's suggestion, we went back for another crack at the Go-Karts. I had tried to convince him for another round when we were there earlier in the day but it obviously took a bit of time for the "fun factor" to sink in for him and want some more. This time we were on the track with two others which makes for a bit more manoeuvring on the track. We both improved our lap times from the afternoon and it was just as much fun as the first time. Back at the hotel we made use of the sauna and as we returned to our rooms we heard fireworks outside being let off over the ... read more

Yes, I'm a Beatles fan and that title track came to mind as the day's weather unfolded. Nice to see you after you hiatus Mr Sunshine. Breakfast wasn't available until 8am so we got another sleep in. We were ready to leave about 9am. On the way up to the hotel yesterday afternoon there was some very aggressive and down right dangerous driving going on. Jeff felt we should take an alternate route back to the Danube for today's ride. This meant completing the climb we had started all the way to the top of the hill and then back down the other side via much quieter roads to the Danube below. So that's what we did. What we didn't realise was just how steep the 100m meters we had to climb was at 13%. Again, ... read more

Let's start with dinner last night. We went across the road to the Greek restaurant, Santorini's. Another big plate of mixed meats and a strudel to finish off. We were celebrating smashing the 2,000km mark after all. It was still wet when we went to dinner, and when we came back to the hotel. It rained all night. We woke and it was still raining. A look at the forecast and we knew we were in for a cold and wet day. I put an extra layer of clothing on to keep warm. It never rains in California because it's all falling in Germany - on us! I thought this was meant to be summer? Today was simple, get from A to B - safely. At least the breakfast was first rate, best we've had so ... read more

The Gasthof Zum Hirschen was a wonderful hotel, we wished we could have stayed longer. Dinner last night and breakfast this morning were sensational. We also found a much longer road down to the canal which would have made the climb up yesterday bareable. Back on the canal for the morning stint and it's very quite, eerily so. No wind, hardly a ripple on the water and no barges, in fact no barges since Bamberg. We spoke to one person who said the water level is too low for the big barges. The big locks are not manned. You have to book ahead for locks to be operated for you. It really was like a ghost canal, but still very scenic. We had our morning break at a sleepy little town where we found a shop ... read more

Move over Gent, here comes Nuremburg. Wow, just Wow! Rest day today and I spent it doing a self guided walk I found on "The Flashpacker" which took in the major sites of Old Town. Nuremberg was part of the Roman Empire and was where the emperor would come on his holidays. The city is completely surrounded by an intact huge stone wall and the Imperial Castle stands on top of the hill at one end presiding over Old Town. Not only is the wall that surrounds the city intact, so is the outer wall which surrounds that. While some of it was destroyed by bombing in WWII it has been rebuilt seamlessly since then. I could go on about the semi-wooden houses done in an eclectic mix of colours, the towers, the churches, the fountains, ... read more