Saturday, May 19, 2012

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







5 comments:

Syed Rahman said...

Ya Allah, kasian dengar lps seronok2 dgn angel n the students. I checked in the i pad ur location is more than 350 meters above sea level while in Vienna it is only 150 mtrs. Berbukitlah tepi sungei semakin hampir dgn Hulu sungei d Black Forest! kena ikut jln biasalah. Selamat berjuang!

Anonymous said...

abang adnan ur story really good and and good pictures too i believe alot of money spent on lodging,but no choice.the last photo shows a small horse cart, look like it can be used for racing.well take care u and aede.bye for now. may god bless us all. deen from j.b. Malaysia.

Joe said...

You guys are getting closer to your target - London! All our thoughts for a safe finale.

Anonymous said...

Hi Adnan, Aede.
Your hands Adnan you need to apply some lotion, the water is hard in Europe. Just early this year my skin cracked so badly that i had to look for good cream to apply on the cracks. the weather looks pretty bad.Anyway you all are just nearer to London. Take care and have a safe ride through. Hoy.

Anonymous said...

abang nan i did spot the black sheep but u were not there except a sheep in black. may god bless us all,bye.deen j.b.Malaysia.