Grant and Barbara

Odyssey Day 29 Munich to Dillingen

A different day today, seeing life from the perspective of the support crew. They work well together, facing challenges with a positive and quick response. WhatsApp is used a lot and links the various strands together.

Munich traffic is just crazy in both directions, though the out stream at least moves. You get a sense of the size of the river plain, just enormous. Pristine villages and well tendered crops makes me wonder if Bavarians are close to the Germanic Swiss. Nothing is out of place.

Which is why is was fun to find an delapidated house in Lauingen together with a cigarette machine. No doubt the large and numerous churches keep the flock in line.

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The Danube dominates.

Germany, Odyssey

Munich

Had a different day benefitting from the excellent skins of the Bavarian Health Service. And having EHIC : another Brexit disaster looms.

Barbara explored the city for both of us, including a just amazing sports shop. She’ll do some notes…. that’s a hint!

Tbe Beer Cellar last night was a must do tourist trap.

Germany, Odyssey

Odyssey Day 28 Garmisch to Munich 62 miles 600m

A completely different landscape: river plain, meandering down and some rolling hills. The start was framed by mist covered forested hills.

Bavaria feels prosperous, traditional (as evidenced by numerous villagers in traditional dress going to church, and friendly. High Maypoles set the challenge. Sheep, cattle and horses in more abundance.

The friendliness seemed to change tbe closer we got to Munich: our greetings often ignored or people just passed by. Maybe a big city thing. Maybe us of course, going slower than the speeding local cyclists.

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What a way to enter a city though. Following the river and then, bam!, centre of town.

Prices have just rocketed since we left Trieste.

I discovered the cost of a momentary lapse of concentration on a gravel path. Gravel won. Nurses Tate and Balasz did a great job and we got to Munich.

Austria, Germany, Odyssey

Odyssey Day 27 Innsbruck to Garmisch-Partenkirchen 61 miles 1600m

Somes days are full of superlatives for the right reasons. Today was unexpected. Busy traffic on narrow roads going up and down steep hills is one thing. Intolerant drivers driving too close and others yelling abuse (well I took from the tone they weren’t wishing us a good day) was something else. One of our group was sprayed (rather his glasses were) with liquid so he couldn’t see. Not a good farewell to Austria nor welcome to Germany.

The border crossing is as it should be, non existent formality, just a sign.

Things getting more expensive: first coffee stop was £6.9, and we didn’t even get to keep the cups for that.

Looks a pretty town, well dual towns, the small Kirk at one end marking a plaque cemetery from mid 16C. We forget what European events the plaque outbreaks were.

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Not a lot else to say today!

Austria, Odyssey

Innsbruck

We’re in with the inn crowd. Ignorance comes to fore again. Innsbruck is in the Inn Valley and means bridge over the [river] Inn. Which is extremely high from the snow melt: last couple of days they’ve been on flood alert as it topped 6m.

We’ve spent most of the day in the AlltStadt, restored since WW2 bombing. Very old, pretty and hot, with some concrete brutalism on the outskirts. You can see how cities act as heat sinks. And money shifters given the range of expensive shops.

Maximilian 1 did a good job, the story goes, including leading to the Hapsburg dynasty. He certainly spawned some fancy building. I had to look to see what we were up to in the early 1500s (James IV and Henry VI, with John Knox not even warming up his tonsils).

First grumpy/rude waiter if entire trip: didn’t we know it’s customary in Austria to pay for table tap water? And to wait for him to give the bill rather than leave the right money? Tip stayed in pocket. Hope his leather hosen shrinks in the wash.

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Austria is a strange mix of Germanic efficiency and Highland laid back. Mo apparent rush. Shame they are the ashtray of Europe and still allow smoking in bars/cafes: one of the coalition deals in 2018.

Our room has no air conditioning (so very eco friendly and something that uses too much energy) : clothes dry well after we work out how to use the launderette.

Lovely city, cycle friendly (not too many cf Copenhagen) and easy to navigate.