Vals snippets week 7

The second 1000 kms

The second thousand Kilometers took us from south west Czech repubic most of the way across south Germany. We follwed the Danube cycle path from Passau to the source, crossed over to the Rhine valley on a more energetic day, and along the Rhine to Basel. The biking has been splendid, and the bike paths well marked and mostly easy to find. We have been as high as 800 m, and the low point, in another sense was one wet day with thunder storms.

DELIGHTS, have been many.

More and yet more extravagant Rococo churches. I hear there is one in Austria to top them all, I need to go there.

 The spring at Blatopt, a tribtary of the Donau, was crystal clear and as blue as the postcards. Roger wll be pleased toknpw the perfect swim has been achieved, near the source of the Rhine. Besides flowing our of Lake Constance/ the Bodensee many springs contribute to the young river. I floated down for some way in cool green water. Our host Gunther, now tells me the he has floated for many kms, with his gear in a special water proof bag. Then he got out, and caught the train home.

A festival of barrel organs, it seems like a hundred, in groups of three, playing through a small town centre.
Finding ourselves in Switzerland. Some areas of the North bank of the Rhine are Swiss, cuckoo clock in style, festooned with red/ white flags and selling, (at a high price) knives and chocolate.


MY TURN TO COOK
What, three times on this trip???
Answer, go to the Netto, Lidl or Norma at a pinch. Note which door you go in, as if you come put of the wrong one your bike has vanished, and its quite worrying. Pick up all the packets of pre made foods, salami, runny Camembert cheese, fishy treats and things made of pigs bits. Find salad, not always easy in small quantities, eggs and spuds. Search hard for Gordon's gin and tonic in little tins, very worth the search, or wine. All this is so remarkably cheap I have come to like shopping.
Boil the eggs and spuds. Roll round the pot if you don't have enough water to cover them (cooking tip)
Open the packets, serve and have a little rest.

WATERSHEDS
I love the idea of a watershed. Imagine two little rain drops falling side by ide. One heads off to join the Danube, and arrive in the Black Sea. The other falls a millimeter way and heads off down to the Rhine, and the North Sea. We crossed that line the other day. It was not marked or celebrated, except by me.