After yesterday's demolition at Würzburg's "Immerhin" (what a brilliant location on the second basement level of a post office hall...it felt a bit like being in a subway station), I would describe my state this morning as "physically present." Regardless, it was totally worth it; the evening was simply

My hope of sniffing or tasting the luxury of the super-rich (of course) didn't come true. For breakfast, the Michelin-starred restaurant served a rather bland roll, a cheese platter, and a cold cut. Oh well, I'm not here to eat, I'm here to ride my bike.

Then it was business as usual: Gray sky? Check

A glance through the torn pleated blinds in my bathroom (it wasn't me!) revealed not only the obligatory gray sky but also fog. Actually, that was a good thing, since no one could see me showering. You just have to think positively.

In the breakfast room, I was greeted by two charming ladies in what appeared

Today was simply a mess. My phone alarm clock showed 3:44 a.m. when I woke up, and for some reason, it took at least half an hour to at least fall back into a twilight state.

Accordingly, I was exhausted (!) when I stood in front of the guesthouse early and hung my bags on my bike. During breakfast, I

11:22 a.m., somewhere in a wooded area in the middle of the Swabian Alb, a phone rings. "Hello?"..."Yes, hello, this is Pension Sigmaringen. We're missing the room key. You probably still have it in your pocket." Panic, sweating, mental images. All those meters of elevation were wasted because of such

Monday morning, first stop at Lidl. I usually do my shopping in the evening, but that's difficult on Sundays. And since I don't like leaving my fully loaded bike in front of the store, I jogged off before I even checked out.

I stood at the checkout line with mechanics, construction workers, and schoolchildren

Sunday. The second most popular day of the weekend. You somehow always have it in the back of your mind that tomorrow will be the day of work, and often the day passes faster than expected, even though you haven't actually done anything special. Even though, as a vacationer, the days of the week are

"It's so cold...gray sky...no sun..." Someone up there at the weather station must have been really fed up with my complaining over the past few days. Anyway, this morning, looking out the window, I actually saw a sun-drenched courtyard of the B&B (no B&B...I had to get breakfast myself). So, my anticipation

A glance out the window initially left me with no clue as to where I was. It was pitch black at 6:45 a.m. when my cell phone alarm mercilessly shook me out of bed. But maybe that was for the best, given the nonsense I dream up. Strangely, that usually happens on vacation; at home, I'm unfortunately 95

What actually makes a successful cycling trip? For me, it's the diversity of the different stages. I always found it most enjoyable when I was traveling through what felt like a completely new landscape every day. That's why I'm not a big fan of river bike paths. And the days of travel need experiences