Best of Europe - BOE2602
Before we hop on the motorcycles, we take a tour through central Munich with historical sights and plenty of food. Of course, a visit to the Frauenkirche, the Viktualienmarkt and the Hofbräuhaus has to be on the list. After a busy day we return to Hotel Henry in Erding for the start of teh welcome briefing.
On a beautiful, sunny morning Thomas starts the welcome briefing with everyone ready to go. We head out of the Munich metropolitan area and ride through the hops region towards Eichstätt in the Altmühl Valley. After lunch we ride along the Altmühl river throug beautiful lanscapes and after a short gelato stop in Dinkelsbühl we arrive in Rothenburg for the Nightwatch guard tour.
We set off in ideal weather conditions. The overnight rain has cooled things down a bit, but now the sun is shining brightly as we pull out of the underground parking garage of the very cozy Hotel Altes Brauhaus in Rothenburg. After one last detour through Rothenburg’s legendary old town, we reach our first photo and coffee stop right in front of Langenburg Castle. Luck is on the travelers’ side—the Langenburg Automobile Museum has opened early, much to the group’s delight. Even “Batman” stopped by here and forgot his Batmobile ;-). Refreshed with coffee, we continue through winding, picturesque countryside to the monumental Schöntal Monastery with its bright, impressive Baroque church and spacious courtyards. Here we make only a brief coffee stop, as another highlight—or rather, surprise—awaits us shortly thereafter. Arno (the best picnic planner ever) has created an enchanting menu for us by the swimming lake. Arno really went all out and conjured up a wide variety of sandwiches, wraps, salads, and desserts. A hearty meal at just the right time. After refueling, part of the group sets off to visit Hornberg Castle, which offers yet another breathtaking view, while the other part of the group spends the afternoon break in Hirschhorn, sipping coffee and admiring the view of the Neckar River. To round off the day, we make a quick pit stop before setting out to conquer Heidelberg’s Königstuhl via shady forest roads. For dinner, we take the cable car from Königstuhl Mountain down to Heidelberg’s Old Town and head to Brauhaus Vetter—what a culinary delight, and what a perfect ending to a successful day of riding—we’re already looking forward to tomorrow Your tour guide team: Walter, Arno & Tom
Todays ride takes us from Heidelberg to the border region of France and Germany on the edge of the Vosges mountains, to Riquewihr. We leave our fabulous hotel on Königsstuhl mountain through small roads towards the Autobahn, where the highspeed capabilities of some of the bikes are tested. Afterwards we head into the northern part of the black forest, where twisty roads and black forest cake await us. Afterwards we cross the Rhine valley westbound and arrive in the charming village of Riquewihr, where we will spend our rest day tomorrow.
Fortune favors the bold! After quite some discussiond on the previous day due to the the weather forecast, we came up with three plans for our rest day: 1) to actually rest and enjoy Riquewihr with everything it had to offer; 2) a short morning ride to Koenigbourg Castle; and 3) a jaunt through the Vosges Mountains. ln the village itself it waa sunny which made strolling through the streets and enjoying refreshing hot and cold drinks a delight for our resting guests. The sightseeing options, including the castle, walks in the vineyards, and shopping, proved to be worth the hype. Even the third group got their money's worth They went out for a ride despite some clouds rolling in over the mountains, which apparently kept other motorcyclists off the roads. So, the roads were ours, same as the café Relais Vosges Alsace up there. To top it all off, everyone stayed dry until the very end and everyone was smiling at dinner. ... The evening was wrapped uo with drinks in the hotel lobby, including a typical French specialty – Pastis. Cheers!
After yesterday’s rest day—which turned out to be another fantastic day of riding—we’re setting off today from Riquewihr toward Germany and Switzerland. “Three countries in one day” is our motto. Just before the German border, we’ll pass by the La Croix Du Moulin Memorial. It honors the victims of the fierce fighting (“Battle of the Alsace Bridgehead”) in January 1945. It commemorates the 900 soldiers killed and 2,000 wounded from the U.S., French, and German forces. Some of the bikes are running low on fuel, so a quick pit stop is unavoidable. At a leisurely pace, we ride through the foothills of the Black Forest. We pass through picturesque little villages, and part of the group reaches the “Kandel,” the region’s vantage point. The other part of the group winds its way through a picturesque landscape to the “Hexenlochmühle” for a coffee break. Indulging in a Black Forest cake here is practically a must. We set off again, as one culinary highlight follows another. In Göschweiler, Walter awaits us with a regional delicacy for a picnic. Gray clouds are rolling in… but before they catch up with us, we’re already on our way to Europe’s largest waterfall. The Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen are truly impressive. With our heads full of unforgettable experiences, we cruise leisurely toward our hotel, the “Promenade.” What a fantastic day!!! Over dinner, we share photos and impressions. The atmosphere is fantastic—we’re already looking forward to tomorrow
Even though the forecast promised some rain, we started the daily briefing in front of the hotel in bright sunshine. After leaving busy Schaffhausen, we rode along the crystal clear Rhein river towards Lake Konstanz. A quick photo stop overlooking the lake, and we were off riding to our next coffee stop, a small café with a selection of old motorcycles in the basement. Then on towards Schwägalp, the base of the Säntis cable Car, which is being refurbished at the moment, so we ate dinner at the base of the majestic mountain. After that we continued through Liechtenstein and two more passes towards the hotel, where the best van driver of the western hemisphere, Tom, had prepared boot beers including snacks. Another exciting day came to an end.
The clouds over Steeg were weeping sad tears that morning. Nonetheless, still fired up from yesterday’s ride, everyone swung his/her leg over the bike, started their engines and ride off courageously. Our first stop in Schwangau provided us with hot beverages and a view of Schwanstein Castle, the next one at Linderhof Castle also held snacks for us. Our tourguide Tom truly understands how to play the waiting game. “Let’s stay for 10 more minutes, the rain will be over”, no one believed him at first, but 10 minutes later we rode off since the rain has stopped indeed. The second half of the ride was almost dry and the mood shift of the whole group was clearly noticeable. One more pit stop for soup in Aying before everyone arrived safe and sound at our start and finish line Hotel Henry. The last dinner as a group brought back all the emotions and excitement of the last few days and plans for more of them were made.