We woke to a very wet and rainy morning, but hopefully things would clear as we tucked into our brekkie. And what a phenomenal brekkie it was - probably the best of the whole trip. We stayed at Steindl's B&B - and it's worth if for the brekkie alone.
Our destination today was Fussen, home to the famous Neuschwanstein Castle on which the Disney Castle is based. Plan was to ride over the Timmeljosch Pass, stop for a ganders at the bike museum and then head north towards Imst. The final leg would see us ride over the Hantennjoch Pass and then onto Fussen. Unfortunately as the morning progressed the rain just got heavier and the cloud dropped lower. We checked forecasts and there was no sign of a clearance till much later in the day.
We decided to skip the Timmeljosch Pass as riding miles of hairpins on wet roads with not even a nice view to admire just didn't seem worth it. Twas disappointing but you gotta take the good with the bad as they say. So, after clambering into our wet gear, we headed due north towards the Brenner Pass, back the same way we had come yesterday.
Heading north we got caught up in unbelievable amounts of traffic. Coupled with the fact that filtering in Germany isn't allowed it made for a trying ride. In retrospect (always a wonderful thing) I would rather have been riding twisty passes in the rain, but sure that's the way things go sometimes.
Gradually the weather improved a bit so we stopped for fuel and coffee break just outside of Telfs on the B171. Lovely coffee it was too - the mainland Europeans know how to serve up a proper beverage!
Jim uses all the hangers at once!
Top notch coffees
We tempted fate by removing our wets before heading off again. The skies threatened rain, but it was fierce warm so getting out of the raingear was lovely and refreshing. Every biker knows that wearing rain gear prevents rainfall and to an even greater degree, removing it guarantees a downpour!
But our luck held out and the bad weather held off for the most part. We detoured away from Fussen to first visit the Neuschwanstein Castle. When we learned it was a fairly hefty walk to the castle itself, we settled for a photo from the carpark and made our way back to the hotel. We fancied getting out of our gear and having a wander around town more than strolling around the castle with all our biking kit on.
Once checked in at the hotel, myself and Jim propped up the bar whilst Pauline donned the makeup. We opted to eat in the hotel as the menu looked pretty good and we were ravenous! Crackin' meal it was too. As we had dinner, Stuart and Aynsley arrived in after doing the full tour of the castle. Bellies full, meself and Pauline decided to have a wander whilst Jim opted for a power nap.
It really is a lovely town to stroll around and just see the sights....
Spotted some upgrades for next year's trip
Just around the corner from the hotel
We spotted a nice wee church and stepped in for a ganders. Not a religious chap meself, but there is a lovely sense of peace when you step into a place like this...
Into another church - this is getting to be a habit
Awesome ceiling
After watching the very buff male dancers the night before, Pauline wanted to kit me out in something similar...not happening!! I'll stick with my centuries old shorts thanks very much!
Pauline eyes up some new threads for me - not a chance!
All around the town there were lovely examples of murals, archways, cobbles streets. We just meandered about randomly and came across lots to admire.
Pretty archway
Way nicer that the boring churches back home
Would love to see the room on the other side...
View of Fussen's own castle
Too big for the panniers - whew! ;-)
Horsey door handles
I spotted an ice cream parlour, and seeing as we didn't have an official desert at dinner, there was only one thing for it! There was a lovely outdoor seating area so we settled in for a sugar and caffeine treat. Perfect.
More coffee and ice cream - addicted? Nah, not at all. :-)
Town took on a lovely glow after sundown
We wandered back towards the hotel and met up with Jim. Most of the watering holes were closed at this stage so we snuck back into the hotel bar and indulged in a few more fine German beers. The bar girl very kindly furnished me with a pot of hot water so I could top off the evening with a cup of Barry's tea. Top notch service I tell ya!
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