September 5th: Vohburg

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Neil: Today is a day I have been looking forward to for some time . The Danube descends between steep cliffs and makes it impossible to follow . To traverse it means a trip in a boat downstream. However we are still not sure if it’s possible as water levels are so low we know the larger boats cannot go. One of the benefits of the internet is the site EuroVelo 6 which has a Facebook presence. We post too it . We are reassured it runs we think. There are now 13 long distance cycle rides criss crossing Europe EV6 runs from Nantes to the Black Sea via the Loire and Danube
Weather is all important and today we have rain for 2 hours so we get up later as our Norwegian 🇳🇴 App tells us it will stop by 09.00 and it does
Our other excitement today is that we are using Warmshowers which is an altruistic app dedicated to hosting cyclists for free . Ingrid and John will be our hosts tonight. So a short cycle ride today to Kelheim via the famous ravine . We pass a Roman ruin remains of an outpost of empire . Not as good as Vindolanda but a nice spot . We have a chat on video to my Australian family and while we stop to chat and ask a passing German cyclist to join in the videoclip. My great niece is getting married, such is the randomness of cycling.
The gorge does not disappoint. Small motorised punts pick up tourists and yes they have space for two bicycles. We are enchanted with steep cliffs and keep hold of bicycles. I celebrate with a beer except it’s a cider ! I had pointed to a German gentleman drinking brown liquid ! Hey Ho . We are slightly early for our hosts tonight so have a sleep in a field
Ingrid and John are super people and host Warmshower cyclists sometimes twice a week. They cook for us , whilst we supplied a bottle of Ventoux wine we found in a supermarket. Conversation and laughter flow whilst we each swop life stories. They are originally South African and part of the diaspora of people who have left . We learn a lot about German society and the AFD . Volkswagen has not invested in EV for cars and is laying off many workers .
We will definitely use Warmshowers again and are keen to host back in Devon when we return. We will definitely hope to welcome John and Ingrid

Neil chatting on his phone to his family in Australia who end up chatting to some passing Germans!

We cycled past forests of hops- no wonder the beer is so good

Abusina-Eining part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site (Roman settlement)

In 1987, Hadrian’s Wall in northern England was the first section of Roman frontier to be added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In 2005, the World Heritage Site ‘Hadrian’s Wall’ was extended into the transnational Heritage Site Frontiers of the Roman Empire’. At the same time, the Roman frontier between the Rhine and Danube was also included in the list of World Heritage sites. As of 2009, the Antonine Wall in Scotland forms a further part of the ‘Frontiers of the Roman Empire’ World Heritage Site.

Yay- the small boats can take trippers down the Weltenburg gorge in the Danube, so we hopped on

Weltenburg Abbey – oldest monastery in Bavaria

Stone pulpit from which Luther is said to have preached to the fisherman

Suddenly he stops and says “bikes off!”

And so we picnic. A group of singing party men jumped off the next boat so I grabbed the phone quickly- hence fingers on the video ! They were very entertaining. Then we continued along the bike path to Kelheim.