Of generous Germans and Mutton Briyani in Munich

Some of you might already know that my cycling adventure is partly sponsored by UFL in the form of equipment and some cash and among the equipment UFL sponsored and supplied are products manufactured by Deuter of Germany, so as we were in Gersthofen where Deuter operates from we paid a visit to the Company. We were warmly welcomed by Mr Rainer Wenninger, the Marketing Manager and Mr Melvyn Jones, the International sales Manager and after being briefed and showed around the Deuter complex we were presented with Deuter products that we needed to continue with our cycling. Among the items were a new set of panniers, handlebar panniers, a backpack, a sleeping bag and waist pouches. Deuter is big in Germany and their products are of a high quality. Half of their total volume are for Germany and the other half are for export. I am indeed grateful to Deuter for the support.
My cycling adventure have also been covered by the local media and on the whole I find that people are quite amazed when I tell them that I am from Malaysia. That is because , although most people in Europe are quite used to seeing Europeans on such long journeys on bicycles, not many are from Asia let alone Malaysia. And the fact that I am about seventy is to most a respectable effort by any standards. So far I have appeared on TV in Lahore,Pakistan, the Kurier newspaper in Austria, in Passau, Germany and again here in Gersthofen , carried by the local newspaper Augsburger Allgemene. At some Guesthouses or Pensions and even some hotels I was given generous discounts when I disclosed the nature of my journey. At bicycle outlets we were either given free services or given discounts on items purchased. In Kissing, a small town about 50 kilometer from Munich when we stopped to have the bicycle chain replaced and the rack checked, the outlet manager Ado not only had everything attended to but also did everything for free. Also given free were tubes for our tyres and sets of brake pads.
We made a brief visit to Munich and while there we stayed at the residence of Dr Winfried Kapfhammer who was kind enough to take us in as guests although we did not know him. We were only told to look him up by a mutual friend Sajjad from Pakistan. In spite of his busy schedule Dr Winfried was able to have dinner with us at an Indian restaurant near his house and of course the choice had to be Briyani, Mutton Briyani and mutton curry and rice. The last time we had briyani was when we were in Lahore in January. Dr Winfried is a much travelled man and had travelled extensively in Asia and Europe. He must have left an impression in Pakistan because some people from there still keep in touch with him regularly although the last time he was there was about ten years ago.
There is a lot to see and do in Germany but accommodation is very expensive so we cannot be certain as to how long we will be here before moving on to the Netherlands and Belgium before crossing to England. We have done some 'wild' camping in Germany although we are told that such camping is illegal. Well, if we are caught perhaps we'll get free accommodation in the police station.
I have sometimes been asked if there are wild animals in Malaysia and if camping in Malaysia is safe. They must have watched Tourism Malaysia's promotions on TV showing the wild side of Malaysia. They also asked if there are many monkeys in Malaysia. I have always answered in the affirmative but added that most of the 'monkeys' are found in Putra Jaya, he! he!
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On the Danube in Neuberg

With Mr Rainer of Deuter

At the Deuter complex

With Ado at his Bicycle outlet

Wild Camping

Kaiser's Palace in Munich

Munich's City Hall

The Museum

River Surfing in Munich

The Old Fountain

Dinner with Dr Winfried

Ado attending to my bicycle

Munich

The King's Garden

With Dr Winfried at his residence

The baby goes everywhere with me

In the centre of Munich






With Michael at Hotel Romerstadt.

The German Adventure Continues

We left Kelheim on a cold and wet morning and as soon as we left the 'Pension' house and on our way towards Neustadt  little did we know that we had to tackle a forested area that was a steep hill and our bicycles were certainly not suited to tackle the rough trail. It also started to drizzle and as we had no other choice ,we pushed our bicycles all the way until we cleared the stretch in about an hour. The distance covered was hardly two kilometers and needless to say we were really exhausted. When we finally got on to familiar terrain the drizzle stopped for a little while, but when we thought that the worst was over we had to deal with something Malaysians don't experience back home - sleet. Only a bus shelter 200 meters further on saved us from disaster, had we got fully soaked. Sometimes the weather here plays havoc, changing from glorious sunshine, to cloudy and windy conditions, to rain , snow and back to sunshine, all within the hour. When we finally were faced with very strong headwinds, we decided to call it a day, although we only managed about 30 odd kilometers that day. Cycling along the Danube can sometimes be longer than cycling on the normal roads because you have to go into villages meandering in and out before you get to your intended destination. Many local cyclists use the road and avoid the Danube trails to save cycling time. We managed to find a Guesthouse in Neustadt and spent the night there despite the high cost.

The next day we were back on the Danube headed for Ingolstadt but when we got there we couldn't find a place in any Guesthouse or Pension as they were either fully booked or closed because the day was a public holiday (Father's Day?) As checking into a hotel was not an option we camped at a secluded spot about 10 kilometers outside the town along the Danube . But again the weather was not kind to us,  it was freezing cold in the night. That's the way it is with the weather in this part of the world. Warm sunny days and freezing cold nights. When we were in Regensburg we were told that there are also Malaysian students in Ingolstadt, but we did not meet any.

Now I am writing this blog from a Pension house which is quite different from those that I have stayed before. This place, Kutscherhof Marienheim, is about 5 kilometers out of Neuburg, a small village and managed by a lady, and among other things she owns 20 horses and ponies all housed within the family property including all that is associated with horses : stables, several horse carriages, and other things that I am not familiar with .From the little that I gathered the facilities available here are horse carriages for weddings, family outings, parties, horse riding for children,etc. In the evening I heard music lessons (horn or a kind of wind instrument) coming from the main house and according to Mirien, families like hers are quite common in Germany. Well, what better way than to share with you my experience than with pictures.I hope you like them.








We stayed in this Guesthouse in Neustadt






Can you spot me somewhere there? Yes, the 'Black Sheep'






In Ingolstadt






Neuberg on the Danube






All kinds of horse carriages






What we could afford






My new friends






The Black Beauty






She's Arabian






Easier way to travel






Other things that I can do






The church is next door






She's also my friend






My poor hand













A huge Kastanie tree in bloom







Saddles and riding paraphernalia

An 'Angel' and Nasi Lemak in Germany

After leaving Passau we made up our minds that we should camp along the Danube whenever possible in order to save costs as accommodation in Germany was getting too expensive for us. We did just that for two nights before going to Deggendorf. Cycling along the cycle trail about 10 kilometers from Deggendorf a SYT came alongside me and said 'hello' in the usual German way and when I replied with my 'hello' she knew that I was not local. After her enquiry and when told that I was from Malaysia she thought that I was kidding and when I convinced her that I did actually cycled from Malaysia she began to ask more questions and when I told her that I was looking for a place to spend the night in Deggendorf she said that I should follow her to meet some friends in Deggendorf where she was heading to, to finish some work and perhaps they could offer some suggestions. We followed her (Anna Weiss)to meet her friends, who as a matter of fact are cycling enthusiasts and they publish a cycling magazine 'The World Of MTB' . After the introductions and the 'tales' that follow we were invited to be their guests at a BBQ party at Dieter Steiner's house the same night before they break off for the weekend. Dieter is the leader of the outfit and we were also offered a place to stay at the house. Dieter and Anna live in a big comfortable house with two of Dieter's children and that night we had a wonderful time with all present that included Anna's parents and sister, the staff of the publishing company and their families. It was indeed a night to remember.

The next morning, breakfast was prepared by Dieter's young son, Adrian and as we were not in a hurry to leave Deggendorf we stayed another night at Dieter's place and that night we had dinner with Dieter's parents. Dieter also has a teenage daughter who made us feel very comfortable while there. Anna and Dieter is a wonderful couple who really made us feel welcome and they did everything to not only care for us while spending our time in Deggendorf but also to provide for us cycling pants, tee shirts, socks , a backpack , etc. before we left Deggendorf. Anna even did our laundry. She is a real 'Angel' . Besides working with 'The World of MTB', Anna is also a part - time stewardess with Lufthansa and I look forward to see her and Dieter again when they visit Malaysia, which they must do after I get back home.

After Deggendorf we camped by the Danube again just outside Straubing and the following morning cycled to Regensburg , another lovely town on the Danube. We were in luck again in Regensburg, when while waiting at a Doner Kebab outlet to be served, a young man on seeing the miniature Malaysian flag on my bicycle spoke to me and was utterly pleased to see two Malaysians at this obscure German town. Noor Al Amin (22) from Langkap , Perak and some 10 of his friends are students at a university here and they live in an apartment close to where we met. After we got our kebabs, Amin invited us to the apartment and also offered us his room . How could we refuse. We met all his friends during the course of the day and for dinner we were served the traditional Malaysian fare, ' Nasi Lemak ' prepared by Khairul Faiz. It was indeed special for us as I had not had 'nasi lemak' since I left Malaysia in September 2011. Nasi lemak never tasted so good, complete with sambal Ikan Bilis, fried chicken, hard boiled eggs and cucumber. Some of the boys are also into cycling and after listening to my cycling tales, I know they are sure to see it from a different perspective. All these boys are engineering students and they certainly have a bright future . They could even stay on in Germany  and work in German companies or return to Malaysia.

As usual we did not see much of the town but close to the apartment where the boys are staying is a beautiful church (or is it St. Peter's Cathedral ) where tourists from all over converge. I am told told that the current Pope, Pope Benedict XVI was born in Regensburg. We left Regensburg at noon and are now in another town on the Danube, Kelheim .































Thank you Anna and Dieter






Noor Al Amin is at right





With a cyclist from Vienna





Thank you boys





Faiz showed us the way out of Regensburg














The bridges are all different






Camping under the bridge by the Danube






On the bridge at Regensburg





With Malaysian students in Regensburg





St Peter's Cathedral ?











Expensive, but sometimes we don't have a choice