Best of Europe - BOE2502
A few of us decided to stay an extra night in Erding to tackle the jet leg, but all others are slowly arriving today. The buzz is feelable, the bikes are all lined up in the garage, everyone is looking forward to the welcome briefing and handover later. Some of the guest are the first time on tour with us, but we also have some real Edelweiss veterans on board who know the drill and are able to give some extra guidance. The motorcycles are a mixed bunch, from Harley tourers to BMW ADV bikes and others in between. We are now waiting for Angela, Joseph & Lloyd to return from their guided city tour to hear all about it at some joined drinks at the bar, before we can get down to business and present our introduction into the tour, the rules and the motorcycles.
The first day of riding was also about getting to know the Edelweiss motorcycle and its tourmates better. We left Erding heading north through the Holledau (the largest hop-growing region in the world). Due to a detour, we passed a dinosaur park before heading to the geographical center of Bavaria. We had an excellent lunch in Eichstätt before heading via Dinkelsbühl to Rothenburg o.d.T., where every(!) house in the old town is more than 500 years old. On the way there, we crossed the Limes from the Roman Empire to Germania.
Our second riding day started with some minor hiccups and a sprinkle of rain. We left the beautiful old town of Rothenburg through the medieval city gate, which is called The Gallow Gate! You wonder why. The morning took us through a wonderful lush green countryside and rolling hills. We stopped at the Archenbrücke in a covered bridge, originally built in the 18th century over the river Jagst. Riding over it definitely triggered the adventure spirit in all of us. From here we continued our route through Bavaria and visited the beautiful monastery Schöntal. It is not only an impressive build it also is home to a little inconspicuous cafe, which features an amazing selection of cakes and other sweet goodies! What a naughty pleasure they were! As the weather gods were not really on our side today and we did a lot of riding in the rain this morning, my group wanted to head to the hotel as quick as possible to enjoy a leisurely afternoon with views over the city and to head into town a little earlier before dinner. So we made the most of the rest of the ride and welcomed a hot shower on the other end. In the afternoon the second group had some more thurst on castles, so they decide to have a stop on Homberg castle and Hirschhorn castle. Homberg castle is amazing and Hirschhorn castle provides a great view down to the Neckar valley. John met some locals at the Hirschhorn castle (but finally they were from India and have just finished university in Karlsruhe :-))
We left our residence high above Heidelberg and were heading straight to the Autobahn towards Karlsruhe this morning. Not only could we make some kilometers, we also experienced how the bikes were doing at a higher speed. Near Ettlingen we left this high speed pleasure behind and rode to Bad Herrenalp. The little town was buzzing with activity. There was a little market on and we enjoyed a coffee and some people watching while the world went by. Of course, we also checked out the famous pine, that is literally looks like suspended in mid-air. And now it was time to experience the famous Schwarzwald and the infamous Schwarzwaldhöhenstraße. And boy, was it busy. The public holiday and sunshine got everyone going. Hundreds of motorcycles, many biciclist and a lot of sports cars shared the road. the highlight for some was definetly our lunch spot, the Renchtalhütte, and the ride up there. Quiet challenging, but immensely rewarding. Agaion, we spoilt ourselves with a rich lunch selection and had to heave our full bellies back onto the bikes. In the afternoon the landscape changed slowly from the green rolling hills of the Blackforest to the plain Rhine lowlands. temperatures were rising and we managed to stop at one of the big comercial river locks when it was levelling on river transporter ship out. That was very interesting to watch. In a last push we made it into France and arrived in Ribeauvillé in the wonderfully afternoon sunshine. The hotel is right in the centre of the old town and we were able to have an alfresco finishing to a fantastic day.
Today we have our rest day in Ribeauvilé and everybody can make it their own. So we had about 6 riders who descided to come along onto a short ride through the backcounty. Jonathan & Chris rented a car to drive to Stuttgart to visit the Porsche Museum and the rest of the group took it easy, had a sleep in and enjoyed the delights of the French village. Our riding group started a little later at a leisurely pace and a short ride took us to the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg, an impressive castle towering over the surrounding countryside. We had a good look around, went through the medieval garden and then enjoyed a coffee with an amazing view. From here we took the road to road to Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines and unfortunately they had blocked most of the town due to upcoming celebrations. So, Angela had to go on a scouting trip to find the easiest way through town. After that we had the pleasure of sweeping forest roads and lovely warm temperatures. Just in time for a late lunch we arrived back at the hotel and the group took a seat in front of the hotel to soaking up the afternoon sun, having a light bite to eat and swapping stories of the joined experience.
We enjoyed a refreshing rest day here in Ribeauvillé, but now are ready to leave again for our next destination Schaffhausen. Back across the river Rhine, which represents the border between France and Germany, we visit one of the WW II monuments. The quite remarkable view from the over 1000 meter high Kandel mountain leaves us in awe, especially while watching the hang gliders taking off. Some of us can't resist the Black Forest cherry cake, and to be honest, there couldn't be any more authentic place to eat it but in this remote old saw mill. But hey guys, leave some room in your stomachs! Franziska has prepared the typical Edelweiss picnic lunch for us. How much better can it get, today? What a delicious spread, prepared at such a lovely place near the forests. All of us enjoy the meal and the tranquil place. Before our arrival at our hotel in Schaffhausen we pay a visit to the famous Schaffhausen Rhine Falls. In the evening the whole group enjoys a drink on the hotel's garden terrace, while chatting away over the great riding day!
Today we headed into the mountains. Once again we split in 2 groups of 6 motorcycles each. We left the Lake Constance and its clear waters and turned towards the Alps. At our first coffee stop, we were able to visit a private motorcycle collection with some impressive exhibits. Blue skies and a gentle breeze, couldn't be any better. We steadily climbed in altitude. First to the Schwägalp, then we went by cable car up to the top of the Säntis at 2,502m. The mountain vista was simply stunning, especially in this excellent weather conditions. Lunch with a view of the surrounding mountains, some over 4,000m high. With a full belly and on a high, we continued our ride through high valleys with the meadows in full bloom. Next stop was the Furkajoch and the Hochtannbergpass. Curve after curve, finding your own flow. Exhausted but satisfied, we reached our hotel in Holzgau. Joe said that he had never ridden as many curves as today in his entire life.
Unfortunately, the last day of our European adventure has arrived. Some of us felt already a little heavy hearted on this outlook. Nevertheless, we had a full day still in front of us, so we left the Lechtal via a absolute cracker of a road the Berwang-Namloser Landstraße. What a blast that was! From there we made our way past Füssen to Schloss Neuschwanstein. Here, we took a quick photo stop and next time we see the Cinderella Castle in Disneyland everyone can say we saw the original! The ride continued under blue skies and already warm temperatures. So, when we saw Thomas waiting for us at the Plansee for our last picnic, Jonathan came up with the idea to have a dip in the crystal clear blue waters. It wasn't difficult to convince Franzi and Kyle to join him and even Chris after some hesitation took the plunge. He later said it was the best thing on the whole trip! Refreshed, we went and visited Castle Linderhof another of Ludwig II's creations. We had enough time for a strawl through the castle gardens and to admire the highly decorated architecture of the Neo-Rococo. From here, we slowly said goodbye to the alps and took the Autobahn towards Munich to gain some mileage. The last leg of our journey went on idyllic country roads circumnavigate the city towards our final destination of Erding. We arrived were everything started and spend the late afternoon and evening in the garden of the hotel to reminicened about the experienced and remind ourselves about the funny moments we shared. What a whirlwind it was! We like to say thank you for the fabulous company we had and hope to see every single one of this fantastic group again. Until then ...