Getting Schlossed

'Twas a big day today.  Not only were we now over half way through the tour but the route from Uberlingen to Kressbronn was to be our longest single day to date. With 50/55 Km ahead of us we scooped up the now dried laundry, filled up with a good breakfast and hit the road by 9.15am. 

The cycle path on this stage has been excellent pretty much all day and something hit me as we settled into a steady rhythm (not literally, don't panic Mum). For the first time I felt like a proper cyclist! The bike is no longer an encumbrance but now feels comfortable and familiar, my legs are getting stronger and confidence is growing - my trusty steed and I were flying along in 7th gear at a steady 18-20km per hour and for perhaps the first time I was able to really take in the scenery. Despite the heavy mist over the water the countryside is a real picture with much of the northern shoreline given over to vineyards. What's more, the nature of the landscape, rising steeply from the waters edge, means that many of the towns and villages we passed through had, in medieval times, made the most of any vantage points and plonked not only a schloss up above their township to defend against incoming attack but often a fortified church or monastery to boot. 

(Birnau Abbey above the vineyards just outside Uberlingen).

A brief pause in Unteruhldingen later we happened upon a tiny church which at first sight appeared to be open only for us to find the front door indeed unlocked but the inner grill firmly bolted.

(Unteruhldingen church, mostly inaccessible. Interior shots taken through a security grill. Sad.)

And so to Meersburg - Time to get properly schlossed. Bikes parked, tickets purchased and an enjoyable hour was spent exploring the well preserved and extremely well staged medieval castle where HRH declared himself a very happy bunny (in fact what he said was "I like a good castle" - the 'happy bunny' bit was my interpretation of the enthusiastic noises he was making as we followed the very helpful mini English guide from room to room - a leaflet, not a small person - and the fact that he got his own camera out for a change). 

(Photo montage courtesy of HRH himself).

(And some of mine)

From Meersburg it was all aboard again aiming for Friedrichschafen in time for lunch. Apart from having a very pretty harbour where we stopped to eat, Friedrichschafen boasts another major distinction. It was, and indeed since the mid 1990s is again, the home of the zeppelin. The man who invented this, the most well-known form of the airship, was born close to Friedrichshafen and the fated Hindenburg, amongst many others, was manufactured here. The museum in which we passed an interesting half hour includes a replica of the 'luxury' interior as it would have looked in 1937 before bursting into flames and hitting the ground in 32 seconds flat!

(Luxurious? By the standards of the day this was the height of posh being modernistic, simple, and importantly lightweight).

The last stage of the day, bringing us now to Kressbronn, took the total tally to 183km to date. If I survive the night (the mossies are rife here) I'm looking forward to crossing another border tomorrow - into Austria!

(Sampling the local Zeppelin Ale. Had to be done on the 'getting schlossed' day).