A Day for Driving

Waking up in Heidelberg, we tried to establish a route that wouldn't be all motorway. There's a bit of a problem with German autobahn. It's too perfect... It's too fast. It's not prudish to say so either. The bikes we're on are old technology. 130km an hour is a bit of work on these bikes... and that is amongst the slowest of the cars. The speeds are really insane and quickly becomes a game of high stakes Frogger in an 80 mph wind.

We stumbled onto a couple of brilliant little finds today. The first is the road just east of Heidelberg. There were s many castles. If I were on my own, I highly expect I wouldn't have made it 50 miles today for having to stop. To dad's credit, he asked if I wanted to stop. I declined, knowing he had never been to Dachau and badly wanted to see it. Instead, I nearly drove off the road on several occasions craning to see the castles that were literally every 3 miles. Possibly closer. If I were in charge, I would name it something creative and clever like "Castle Way" or, being German "Bergen Strasse" And the I would phone Lonely Planet and tell them what they were missing out on.

Today, however, we continued. And on to the autobahn towards Munich. We pulled over for a coffee and some German hot dogs, which aren't called hot dogs and taste better than hot dogs. Only I can't remember what they are called when you're buying them from a motorway pull off. Regardless, they were good.

Then it was back onto the autobahn and all the way to Dachau. Dachau is the sight of the first Nazi concentration camp. I saw it back in 1994. Yes. 1994. They've since changed the entrance and made it free. Otherwise, it still the same disturbing place it was. Dad was profoundly interested and much of the conversation since then has been about the horrors that humanity can exert on itself. For me, it was confirmation you only NEED to see these places once. It was a poignant reminder of how crappy things can get but I have to be honest that I was relieved to leave.

We had a lovely dinner in Dachau at another beautiful, historic building. The atmosphere is addictive. We ate, had a coffee and mused about where to go next. It was down to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic or south to the Alps. I threw out a quick poll on Facebook while dad and I discussed. For all sorts of good reasons that have mainly to do with the quality of the driving, we headed for the Alps. Friends overwhelmingly voted for Cesky Krumlov on Facebook. Whilst it would bring me a certain joy to turn this into a choose your own (democratic) adventure, it just seemed too far east in the short time we're working with.

And, so we piled back on the bikes and headed south. The roads empty and the tarmac some of the smoothest I have ever seen (and a complete lack of speed limit), it was tempting to see what the bikes would do. Of course, my bike is rented and I would never imagine taking it above the recommended limit of 130km/hr. Dad, being on an identical bike got his to 115 mph, or about 180km/hr(?). I can only imagine mine would do the same.

I have to say that one of the great pleasures of a motorcycle tour is not just the midway ride style corners as they come about. Rather, it's the smells. Grass, forest, diesel, hot engines, towns, countryside, manure on the fields. It's all there. Smell is such a strong nostalgic sense for me too and I am constantly transported back to my trip with Ange. Somehow they're the same--but different than in Canada. The other is temperature. It got warm today. Really warm. Vents were opened on jackets and under-fleece removed. Hands were not numb from cold. But then, you dip down into the shade of small valley and it cools ever so slightly. You're washed over with the cool air and entirely refreshed. Throw in some manure smell and it's like being on a 80mph hike across a farm... and somewhat less tiring. It's also the revelation of where you are. Amidst the smells and the temperature changes, you catch the turret of a castle or a glimpse of a cathedral spire. Or, you crest a hill and get your first site of the Alps. There's nothing and then there's the full majesty of the Alps... before you dip down again, through a sweeping corner (at the suggested speed) and into the cool of a Bavarian forest. It's a strange sort of magic.

In the end, we took a wrong turn. the GPS is a revelation. Not that a continental map and my own internal GPS wasn't top quality, but this one never goes wrong. Our end goal this evening was a small village at the base of some crazy scenic ascent into the mountains... only we took a wrong turn and ended up in Bad Tolz (a hint I've come to terms with is that if in Germany and in doubt, look up some town that starts with "Bad"--it's almost certainly cute and worthwhile...a little German/English oxymoron). And, as ever, a wrong turn landed us a brilliant old Bavarian hotel that is cheap as chips--and includes breakfast. Beers in the garden were only 3 Euros each, but I've imposed a strict 2 beer limit on myself. I don't need a headache on a ride. Ask Ange about a stop for a tyre puncture that ended in red wine. Not to be repeated.

So, tomorrow is Alps. First Austria. Then Luxembourg. Then Switzerland. Who knows, maybe we'll clear our way right to France?