Table of Contents
Day 64 Salzburg to Herrenchiemsee (DE) (55 km)
Morning visit to Salzburg. The castle on the heights gives it a real vibe. I skip the tour but take a beautiful walk on the heights next to the castle, which also has a certain charm and allows me to respect my timing. The large church near the city rock is also majestic with an enchanting dome. This is also the city to visit if you want to retrace the early steps of Mozart, with his house, museum, and statue.
I enjoy a Sachertorte near his birthplace. Before leaving Austria, I think I’ve tried almost all the country’s culinary specialties!
My bike and I now head towards Bavaria and hope for a superb Bavarian autumn with beautiful orange colors. Fingers crossed.
I don’t even realize I’ve crossed the border, which is a change from previous borders, long live Schengen. The rest of the route is peculiar; I see the beautiful reliefs around me, but my path is entirely flat. I’m not complaining, of course, knowing that the next 2-3 days won’t be the same.
I arrive at Lake Herrenchiemsee but am too late to visit the island with the castle in the middle. I’ll do that first thing tomorrow. However, I have a lordly night by pitching my tent on the lakeside beach with a superb sunset and sunrise; the only downside will be the sand to clean off the tent the next day, haha.
Day 65 Herrenchiemsee to Hausham (70 km)
I want to catch the 9:00 boat, so I wake up early.
Despite running late, I manage to arrive but spend 4 hours on the island, starting my journey very late (14:45). The 8€ boat ride and 9€ castle tour are surprisingly affordable. The islands are very beautiful with lovely gardens and fountains, reminiscent of French châteaux. You’ll see why soon.
Interlude Bavaria and Herrenchiemsee Castle
The tour begins, and we are overwhelmed by luxury and grandeur.
The castle was built under Ludwig II of Bavaria for 16 million Goldmarks, costing more than the other two castles built during his reign combined. The man was a fan of the Bourbons, especially the last 3 French Louis (XIV – XV – XVI), which is why he created these impressive Versailles-inspired edifices. The Fleur-de-lys is everywhere inside, along with paintings of French monarchs. Louis XIV even has a statue on a horse.
The first room we visit is the staircase entrance on one side; the staircase is entirely made of marble, while the rest of the walls are fake as real marble would be too expensive. The exit, which probably should have looked like the other side entrance, is entirely built in bricks because construction stopped due to lack of budget, as you’ll soon learn.
We can’t take photos, but the rare wooden furniture covered sometimes in gold leaf makes each room luxurious. Ludwig II wanted to completely replicate Versailles, but after his death, several installations were removed due to high maintenance costs.
In the Oeil-de-Boeuf room, mirrors are used to enlarge the space. There are 50 chandeliers in the castle, and the company that made them still exists. Of the 16 million Goldmark cost, the most expensive room (the bedroom) alone costs 5 million. Gold is everywhere, but it represents only 5 kilos as only leaves are used to cover parts of the room. It was never used for sleeping, and the other bedroom was used only 10 times. It took 7 years to complete this room.
The Hall of Mirrors is almost 1000 m², 13 meters high, with over 2200 candles, which took 30 minutes for all necessary staff to light. Classical concerts can still be held here, but only with fake candles, as real ones would be too time-consuming, costly, and dangerous to maintain.
The last rooms are more dedicated to Louis XV, probably because both sovereigns shared a passion for hunting. In one room, the extravagance has no limits: under a porcelain chandelier, there’s an elevator for bringing meals with an amazing mechanism.
The museum about Ludwig II’s life is also interesting. Understanding the character’s madness is pretty interesting : despite the state’s coffers being consumed by his projects, he wished to build a fourth castle. Rumors are that he drowned in the lake and was more or less pushed to not survive. Maybe Otto Von Bismarck would have a clear answer for us 🙂
Upon leaving the castle, I see a hunting demonstration (Chasse à cour). I see the huntsmen, their mounts, their beautiful gear, and finally the pack of dogs, although I can’t discern what they’re chasing as it’s too far away.
There’s also the old castle, offering some artworks of artists painting the castle or the surrounding region and some historical facts about Bavaria.
Finally, I leave the island, quickly have lunch, and charge my phone to the max.
The flat land of Bavaria turns into good climbs by the end of the day. I’m struggling a lot. I hesitate to pitch my tent, but seeing the area darkening and the rainy weather, I decide to find someone in a town to host me. Stopping at Lidl, I ask a gentleman, but being a true Bavarian, he of course directs me to the nearest Gasthaus and not his house 😛
I go to Zierer for their last available room at 48 euros with breakfast included, which isn’t bad considering the humid situation I’m in. I wanted to avoid expenses, but I get more rejections or no replies on Warmshowers than positive responses, so I have to adapt. At least I’ll sleep warmly.
Day 66 Hausham to Füssen / Neuschwanstein (100 km)
After a hearty breakfast, since I’ve paid for it and it’s a buffet, I don’t hold back from stuffing myself, though it has little taste as Covid probably got me but I have to continue and finish the adventure :/
I leave at 10:30, heading to the FAMOUS Neuschwanstein today. I’ll likely spend the night in a hostel as Warmshowers is still useless in this area. The weather is awful, confirming autumn; October gives me no respite compared to the luck I’ve had so far. But at least the trees are starting to show beautiful colors, one of the few things I can enjoy.
I wonder if I should reach Liechtenstein even for an hour and reach 4000 km of total distance and another country on the trip; I decide yes, I’ll attempt it in two days.
During the day, I meet the only kind man in Bavaria I met, and we talk for 10 minutes. I can’t even remember his name with my half dead sick brain. He has 3 months until retirement. He says he’s also considering a bike tour with his wife, so the concept of Warmshowers catches his attention. It was a nice encounter but really the only one here. Everyone I meet gives me a not-very-welcoming look even when it’s clear I’m in trouble. Bavarian hospitality, I guess.
Evening comes, and I see the castle illuminated from afar. It’s the grand thing of the day. The dark gray and stormy environment, deer on my path, I even play a bit of Boris Brejcha to accentuate the dark and mystical side of the scene, it’s indescribable. I enjoy it, but then the cold reminds me to get warm.
I finally reach the hostel at 40 euros a night instead of 20, due to Covid, they privatize dorms for one person or at least for groups together. No luck to split the bill; I’m alone, hehe. There’s no kitchen, so I cook my pasta on the window sill with my camping stove; I don’t care anymore.
Day 67 Füssen to around Bregenz (84 km)
I leave at 10:00 for the famous Disney-inspired castle : Schloss Neuschwanstein.
The mistake of the late departure: tickets for the day’s tours are already sold out since 8:00 x), so I content myself with seeing the building from the outside, which is probably the most interesting anyway. On Marienbrücke, it’s really majestic.
Snowy mountains in the background, the view over the valley (Thal), this fairy-tale castle overlooking an ochre and golden nature, pwah, what a sight. A real artist’s painting in full size. In a romantic style, the castle truly reflects a Sleeping Beauty scene.
I walk a bit more and leave around 13:30 aiming for the Western Austrian border (Bregenz, yes Austria has a pretty extravagant shape). Another unsuccessful Warmshowers attempt, so I’ll pitch the tent for one last night in Bavaria. Stop at 18:30, I have a confirmed Warmshowers for tomorrow in Konstanz (some 130 km away), so it’ll be quite a distance to cover, I’ll need to hustle.
Day 68 Bregenz to Konstanz (135 km)
A pleasant wake-up in the foggy Bavarian forest. Breakfast is enhanced by a mix of oats and water—mmmm, what a delight. Fortunately, I have some fruit to add flavor to this cement-like meal.
I set off at 9:00 for the longest distance of the trip, aiming to reach the easternmost part of Lake Constance, the city of Konstanz. The route after the border should be relatively flat, following the Rhine and the lake, so theoretically manageable. I make up for the lousy breakfast with a good piece of Black Forest cake (Schwarzwalder) and hot chocolate (Schoki) for 6 euros at the Sternen Hotel in Wolfurt.
Then, I pick up the pace to reach Liechtenstein. The views nestled in the mountains and the beginnings of the Rhine, much narrower and more natural here compared to the wider, boat-filled river I’m used to at home. An apricot streusel and a cappuccino in Ruggell (Liechtenstein) revive my spirits.
Barely time to savor it before I leave this tiny principality. On the way, I meet a duo for my lunch break: a kind lady walking with an elderly gentleman who still manages small walks in the Austrian countryside around his local retirement home (they call it an Altersheim). They were very curious about my project and were super sweet and touching. We talked about the man’s walking pace and the importance of traveling and rekindling one’s curiosity. It warmed my heart for the day.
I then speed along the southern shore of Lake Constance/Bodensee via Switzerland, arriving late at my hosts’ place. It’s a shared flat with people over 40, a first for me, but I hear it’s common in Germany when living alone in a city.
Ulrike is a school assistant, and Stephan teaches cooking; he is very calm, composed, and positive. Brigit, the third, worked for a travel agency booking boats in Croatia, so she knows a bit about my journey. She even knows some Croatian words and can read Cyrillic, which is amusing to note. She recommends going to a concert at a retirement home the next morning. I plan to stop by to say hello and also goodbye.
Ulrike offers me some red wine and cheese (Käse), and we chat a bit in German and a bit in English, with me explaining my Alsatian dialect. They don’t quite understand it but immediately notice that the Alsatian Sundgau accent sounds very Swiss. It’s well observed, as our language closely resembles the Swiss German of Basel with our pronounced “ch” sounds (sexy Elsassisch).
After some lovely discussions, my private little bed awaits me, and I get a well-deserved rest after a long and active day.
Day 69 Konstanz to around Schaffhausen (CH) (55 km)
Woke up for breakfast with Brigit, always nice with a good tea offered.
I wander around the city a bit and then quickly head to the concert she mentioned yesterday. It’s a small duo, with a saxophone, a keyboard, and singing; it was nice. I meet also Peter, a former traveler. You can see his very hippie and eco-friendly side. He invites me to his place to chat. I quickly say goodbye to Brigit, and then we go to his recycling den.
You can see he keeps a lot of things; it’s a bit chaotic. His ex-wife was the same, but almost too much for his taste, and for other reasons, they had to part ways. Nino and Oalina are his two children that I meet, who look Asian, so I conclude the ex-wife has ties to East Asia. Oalina has already studied in France, China, and Taiwan; she’s relatively young and has already traveled so much. It’s pretty intriguing, but I find it great :). The trio even went to Belgrade by bike; we have a little connection, hehe. Peter’s bike broke down on the way, so he tried to fix it, being the zero-waste person he is. He’s vegetarian, and the leftover dish he had was really good, so I took some leftovers with me for the road 😛 He even speaks French and English.
After this nice exchange, I still have to head west, leaving at 15:00.
I quickly reach Schaffhausen for a good Schokoccino and a delicious Sachertorte.
I enjoy the good weather and then want to hurry to reach a Warmshowers host who gave me the green light before… [Schaffhausen is a city on the Rhine, characterized by the largest waterfall in Europe, which means the city is hilly. What I didn’t mention is that my last flat kilometers were marked by increasingly ineffective brakes. But seeing I was getting closer to home and knowing the rest of the way would be flat, I felt smart enough to think that changing the brake pads for the last 2-3 days was unnecessary.] Except that what had to happen happened: I tackle the steep descent from the city center leading to the bottom of the falls to see them from below when suddenly my front and rear brakes don’t respond at all. The descent starts, and I try everything to brake with my feet, which is not very effective. Two choices are left: 1) race down and risk a serious accident at the end of the run or a deliberate fall to avoid the worst and see what happens to the bike, or 2) veer to the right and gently crash into a barrier on the flat before picking up too much speed. The choice had to be made in a fraction of a second before having no option. The impact is relatively reduced by my foot braking, so it was more fear than harm. However, I walk the slope down and pass by the falls in shock.
I decide to continue out of the city but give up on reaching the Warmshowers host and focus on changing the brake pads following a YouTube tutorial in the dark. Quite a scare; it’s the only thing I had to repair on the bike itself, and it had to happen on the penultimate day to remind me how some decisions can impact one’s transport.
The brake pads changed and a bit wobbly, I sleep soundly for a last day to reach my sacred ground. I eat cold and also the leftovers given by Peter.
In conclusion, it’s the first day I literally feel like I’m arriving home. The first sign was reaching Germanic countries and understanding the language again, but really, seeing Lake Constance, Schaffhausen, and regions that resemble mine is the trigger. Head down, I don’t even think about tomorrow’s return properly; I just want to get home and have some daily comfort to recharge.
Day 70 Schaffhausen to HOME (FR) (120 km)
Last stage of the journey. For a few days now, my motivation has only been towards the return and the wish to sit on something other than a saddle. The delightful oats for breakfast help me get started.
Departure at 9:00, the brakes seem to work more or less correctly (at least much better than yesterday, that’s something). I head towards Basel and its countryside, zigzagging with small frustrating detours to lose more time than necessary, but the countryside is pretty and calming. I pass through Rheinfelden (Swiss side) and Augst, which are nice to see. A (too) quick crossing of Basel, which I know quite well already.
Finally crossing the border, I then head to the clinic to see if I can quickly do a PCR test for the covid. It’s unfortunate it’s closed. To compensate, I quickly buy a delicious Religieuse and other pastries to comfort myself in Saint-Louis (Boulangerie Leyes).
I speed up with evening and almost nightfall. And as if by chance, on the way, I come across a white Clio 2 that stops in front of me; it’s of course Mom returning from shopping. I’m happy but only want to celebrate the reunion by actually arriving home. She lets me continue my last half-hour solo.
The weather is still very bad. The weather might have been sad about the end of my journey, but I can’t wait for these last pedal strokes to be over.
I finally set foot on the ground to put the bike in the garage and hug my parents tightly to appreciate the accomplished feat. A beautiful journey I will remember for my entire life.
In my writings, you can read that I can’t wait to review the notes on paper that I will make, to see them again soon but also far in the future. Well, it’s done, the notes are in digital format and now shared with many. I will be able to appreciate them in the coming decades. A true little personal accomplishment that, as I initially said, had been on my mind since the end of these adventures.
I dedicate this trip to my Papepa (grandpa) who left us at the end of 2020 after this trip. I will name my bike Milé. It sounds a bit like a mix of my grandfather and grandma’s nickname (Mili and Grittlé) and at the same time Slavic/Balkan. I hope it will be a nice little tribute. Tschüss un machs guet Papepa, ech hoff as des schein hesch dert auba met Mamema 🙂 <3
Thank you to all those who have supported me on this exciting first journey. And, of course, thanks to all the readers. I look forward to your feedback and opinions. We’ll be back for more adventures in the near future.