Day 12 Reidlingen to Gunzberg

119 km (74 miles) day , 784 miles total 

Set off early and had a really good day. Weather still good.  The morning was spent climbing up and down the series of hills as the Danube valley occasionally narrowed and wouldn’t allow the path to stay by the river. In these cases the only alternative was to climb steeply up out of the valley to the level of the main countryside and then drop back down. Hard work but interesting. The morning passed cycling through ridiculously cute Swabian, and ultimately Bavarian villages and lush country growing wheat and corn. Often, the margins of the fields were covered in really lovely wildflowers. Churches very pretty with onion domes towers and half timbered houses in many colours. The signage for bicycle routes throughout Germany is unbelievably good with crossroads of small farm tracks and very minor roads being signed to aid travelers. I post a picture below. What a great investment to encourage riding! Lunchtime found me in Ulm, which is a beautiful city. Ulm Minster is the highest church in the world and it’s fantastic. I stopped and had a beer a a good look around .In one part of my career I worked extensively, for three years, with the factory in Günzburg - which was 22 km down the road - and I often visited. I called a number I had kept and was delughted to find my friend Rainer was not only still alive but retired and delighted to hear from me. I decided on a hotel and we had a great evening catching up. His daughter, who was training to be a singer when we last met, is now a world famous opera star! He gave me a DVD if some of her performances. Sadly, but I guess inevitably, many of my former colleagues have passed away. Those that remain are all retired, except the youngest, who is now the Cheif Executive. Brilliant sleep after a good meal and writing this in my room in the morning sleep 💤   Photos below just a representation of the day.