Germany....July 11-25

We will catch up eventually....but here is part of Germany. We are currently in Venice. Beautiful!
Riding along the Bodensee that led us into Germany was of course beautiful, but one of the more crowded sections of our trip. As the path around the lake is only 200k, paved, flat and lined with towns and campsites, it was a touring mecca for older couples and families. Many young families pulled a trailer with a child or two, rode with a toddler seat directly behind their own, had a double bike or the kids rode solo. Needless to say, we spent much of our time ringing our bells and trying to get around the leisure riders.
The last time we were around English speaking people (thanks Jason and Christine!) was when we were in Barcelona visiting friends. Some of the adjustments along this trip are 1. getting used to not being able to understand the conversations going on around us (this will be a trip when we are in an English speaking country again) and 2. remembering to speak slowly when talking to someone who only speaks a bit of English. Needless to say, we were extremely excited for meet some friends from Australia in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
We set up camp right on the water a few blocks from the hotel where the Sea to Summit Australians were staying. If you have not hung out with Australians before, well you should. We just laughed, drank, ate, drank some more, walked the outdoor tradeshow, drank some more. It was quite fantastic to say the least. Our livers were in need of some serious detoxing after 5 days with the Aussie's. If you look at the pictures you can see some good times had at the beer festival. Bands playing in tents that sat along the Bodensee, men in lederhosens, women serving liters of beer by the ten fold, probably the best amusement park ride I have been on, and of course brauts. We had such a great time!

The last night of the tradeshow is a huge party with drinks, food and a band. Of course we stayed even though this meant only 2 days to ride 220k to Weil der Statt in time to meet my dad and Gina. A late start and little hung over, we did manage to make our way north toward Stuttgart, the major city most well known as Weil der Statt is a town of 10,000. We camped in the woods the next two nights, always a great way to give someone a hug who we haven't seen in months:-) Actually, camping in the middle of the woods makes for more comfortable sleeping compared to campgrounds because the ground is covered in pine needles rather than packed dirt. Since we don't have a phone, we emailed back and forth and decided to meet in front of the only hotel in Weil der Statt around 10am. Wow....I was a bit nervous in case these plans fell through for some reason. There was no way to get ahold of one another. Ryan and I arrived early and did our usual center of town routine, sat by the town water fountain and red our books. In pulls a woman with short blonde hair who slightly resembled Gina. "That has to be Gina's cousin," I thought. Sure enough, it's Sigrid. Fantastic! Seeing my dad and Gina pull up a few minutes later was such a great feeling. As we didn't have a computer at this point and keeping in touch has been so sparatic, it was so nice to have them right with us. I actually got a touch homesick at one time. Me, Lisa, homesick. Who would have though such a thing was possible?

The first two days in Weil der Statt were spent with Gina's family, amazing hosts, extremely kind and very funny. We toured their city as well as Stuttgart, making it up to the famous television tower that Seattle's Space Needle was built after. Dieter, Gina's uncle took us everywhere. As he seems to know most of the town, he brought us up to the top of the town church that is normally opened only once a year. He organized a tour of Weil der Statt with a night watchman, dressed as they did years and years ago to protect the town. We learned of the witches burned by the 100's, many declared witches soley because they had red hair. Puppet houses, torcher chambers, tiny doors that reminded me of the Wizard of Oz that were used after certain hours to get into the city walls. Thank goodness people could translate for us though! They also opened a restaurant and invited the entire extended family for dinner and delicious beer just because we were in town. They could not have been nicer. And German beer truly is delicious. I am now addicted to heifeweissen. So yummy.

Dad and Gina rented a car and we headed southwest through the Black Forest. We finagled our way through small towns, thankful we were not pedaling with our gear! Stopping for bread and local cheese, laughing as we rode through this town that had clocks everywhere. I'm not joking when I say everywhere, it was quite amazing. We drove to Meersburg, a town Ryan and I rode through to get to Weil der Statt, a meer 15k from our campground outside of Friedrichshafen. Always looking for the local spot, we strolled through the cobbled streets of Meersburg in the rain before sitting down to another great meal. Tasting new foods and alcohol is a part of this trip that Ryan and I just love. Heeemmm......Maybe that's why we don't look like we have been riding for 5 months?

The last day of driving, the day before dad and Gina took off for Rome, we stopped in Dachua, one of the concentration camps. The rain and fog had set in, making the setting quite perfect for what we experienced and learned. It was cold and covered with gray clouds, I think making it even more quiet than days when the sun was out. It has been 5 weeks since we experienced this and we still haven't talked about it. I am glad I got to learn about such a historical part of our lives, but I am thankful that I am not there anymore. Such a great reminder to appreciate the freedoms and lives that we are fortunate to have.

We spent our last night in a hotel outside of Weil der Statt that was not that nice, and unfortunately couldn't make it to Sigrid and Uve's house for a bbq as her son Lucas came down with the case of the chicken pox. Ryan was not sure if he had them before, opting to skip the possibility that he could get the adult version. Bummer. We all went to mass the next morning, a catholic mass that was actually a special holiday of some kind so the children put on a bunch of skits. It was pretty adorable. And the best part of that was the German catholics provide mimosas and white wine after their masses. Count us is! After a quick coffee and some German pastries, we unfortunately had to say to goodbye to dad, Gina, Sigrid and Deiter. Our days that followed were filled with conversations regarding how much fun we had. Thanks so much dad and Gina for making our trip even more memorable!