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Ceri: What an extraordinary day. 

We were both excited to finally start cycling. The sun was shining and the cycle route was easy and smooth. Germany is so organised! Instead of a cigarette machine on the roadside, we came across an inner tube machine, and later on a bike repair DIY station where everything works! At our first coffee stop, a group of vintage cars pulled up. Neil was in his element exchanging his Morris Minor stories with the VW beetle owners and others. 

Every turn was signposted as we cycled through picturesque farmland and shady forests. Farm barn roofs and houses, new and old, are literally smothered in solar panels. And a bar for a beer is never hard to find. 

After a few miles, the Danube seeps through mud, disappearing underground for 12km then resurfaces back up through the limestone rocks. Quite extraordinary.

We managed to reach our hotel in time to watch Neil’s cousin Jean’s funeral which was live streamed from her church in Gorey, Ireland. We must have looked a strange site, both sitting in the hotel lobby solemnly watching my iPhone- but it was a quiet respectful space . Neil’s tears flowed for his wonderful cousin. We were so pleased we got to share the moment . Technology has its advantages. 

This evening we headed out to eat. It was pretty uneventful until it came to paying the bill…. they didn’t accept credit cards…… for heaven’s sake! So hero Neil ran all the way back to the hotel to collect cash, pay, and all was well. It was a Serbian restaurant so who knows what might have happened!!! There’s always the washing up I suppose . 

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