Kategorie: Johanna’s Adventures

My alarm clock rang at 6 a.m. and at shortly before 7:30 a.m. I had packed everything up and ate an apple and one protein bar to start the day. At first I could enjoy the way down the hill I cycled up and rode along the „Weiße Traun“ until Traunstein where I ate my breakfast at the playground where nobody was on public holiday. I had to cycle hills up and down again but I could cycle them today and did „hike and bike“ only for some minutes. So this morning was misty and there was something magical, mysterious mood in the air that I absorbed crossing only small villages with hardly any people on the roades, just me and my bike. I stopped in Teisendorf for a short toilet stop in the tourist office and as I reached this part of the trail of Berchtesgaden (that is way more touristic) many people were on the road again and the sun has come out and there was a blue sky ☀
After some uphill and crossing by a beautiful lake and the monastery „Höglwörth“ on gravel roads and some forest parts I reached „Anger“. The mountain ranges of Berchtesgaden fully which were breathing!! ✨
I the next kilometers were so lovely because of the wonderful descent and the view, the weather, my bike tour songs I then knew by heart and sang them out loud to myself 🙂 🗻 After the village Piding the gravel road was along the river „Saalach“ and with the mountsin range was glorious! On a bridge I met a man who cycled exactly the same trail with his bike and we chatted for a bit. In Bad Reichenhall I enjoyed my lunch at the „Ortenaupark“ on a bench and I could truly understand why this is a health resort and why queens and kings built castles in this region. What waited in front of me was a long ascent, probably the most challenging one of the whole tour and I hiked and biked! Firstly there was such a strong wind that I looked again into the weather forecast if there was something mabye even dangerous – yet I was up to 800 meters above sea level and the real gale-force gusts were not forcast until 1500 meters above sea level and there were other people cycling too. So I was ready to climb the last ascent – at least one kilometer I pushed the bike but I made it without the wind blowing me away.
Cycling down in this scenery with this weather was marvelous and somehow felt like dream – I felt the end of this tour coming slowly. I listened to my favorite biking songs and was just present in this moment that felt like a gift. As I reached Berchtesgaden I saw grey clouds appear on the horizon, rigth were my destination was. I called my parents to look at the forecast again and they said there wasn’t rain until 6 p.m.. Cycling through Berchtesgaden was a bit strange because there were almost no cycling roads, very touristic and the locals looked stressed and annoyed, diffrent from my vibe and mood at this moment that was a great rollercoaster of emotions. The last kilometers I cycled along the „Königsseer Ache“, a beautiful river.
1000 meteres before the destination I met the man I had chatted with at the Saalach again who had already made it to the Königssee. We said farewell and mabye our life paths will somehow cross again.
I was so nervous, there were many tourists and I arrived.There I couldn’t believe to stand in this place directly on the Königssee, where the path ends, just to be there, to have made it there in 6 days. It was so emotional, I felt such proudness, all the wonderful memories of the trip replaying in my heart and also the deep sorrow that this trip was going to end. I stood there, I took pictures, ate some sweets and looked around this lovely place. I cried. I cried because I felt such a happiness fulfilling my heart, that I have not felt for a very long time✨✨❤️❤️

4 hours later I was back in Munich because I had decided to take the train back this day to be home for Easter. Such a hard decision. Reaching the destination, beeing back some hours later felt all more like a daydream than reality because today I had experienced so much. I ate dinner with my family again and told them stories of the trail and they updated me about their life.

Looking back, doing this tour was one of the best decisions I’ve made so far this year. I’ve wanted to do a multi-day tour like this by bike for more than 2 years and setting off right from my front door was a wonderful idea. I cycled along the foot of the mountains that I can see from my balcony, which I can see from the Olympiaberg. It was probably a bit naive to think that I could easily ride over 4000 meters in altitude with my bike and heavy luggage. I felt that too, especially in the first few days. Nevertheless, I made it, even though there were many points where I didn’t think I would make it to the Königssee. It’s also important for me to say that there were a lot of downs. This constant riding up the hill or even pushing up was hard, really fucking hard. But I listened to myself and my body and even skipped small parts of the route on the first two days. I am very proud of myself that I managed to know where my own endurance limit is and to make a decision that is positive for the tour in the long term. One of the best things I have learned is that after every low comes a high. My lows were mostly up mountains, but when you get to the top, there’s always a downhill. And riding back down each of those mountains, the high afterwards, was the greatest reward.
Seeing how beautiful the landscapes are on your own doorstep, driving along the foot of giants. Good weather all the time, if then only drizzle, no freezing cold nights, always bearable and comfortable with a hot water bottle, breathlessness and even breathing, lying in bed and knowing what you’ve done, experiencing as much in one day as you would at home in three. I met so many nice, open people, had so many wonderful conversations and, above all, the three days with Anna were such a unique, unforgettable time. The first two nights in my life alone in a tent, cycling alone for three days, was a challenge and at the same time I proved that I could do it. For myself. That I can cycle up and down mountains under my own steam. That I can motivate myself and cover such a long distance in such a short time under my own steam. And, above all, that I enjoy it, even alone, even as a couple and probably then almost certainly in a group.
I now know that I also want to do this for 50 days at a time, that this is a way of traveling that fulfills me, that I want to see the world with. I’m grateful for how well this tour went, how well my old favorite bike rode, which you wouldn’t actually ride on a tour like this, and what a wonderful time I had.

We stood up at 6:30 a.m. (I saw the fabric behind the tent turning pink and red as the sun beautifully rose) and packed everything. The sweet farmer family said farewell to us and that we could camp at their farm again if we’re in the region and that one couple visits them once a year on their bike tours since four years. Our first meters we’re going up. We stopped at a public toilet, refiled our water bottels and some km after we had our breakfast with a gorgeous mountain view. After another tiny ascent we had the longest descent of the whole tour – over 10 km down! The weather was wonderful and all trees were blossoming and the many cherry trees with the view of the Alps, the wonderful breeze and the relaxed rolling down were breathtakingly beautiful. It reminded us both of one of our favorite books and movies: „Anne of Green Gables“. The orphan’s childhood and youth is spent on Prince Edward Island after her first hard years of life and the scenery and espacially the vibe of the situation was so detached from everything negative, so dreamlike.

After Bad Feilnbach we crossed the river „Inn“ and rode along the shore for a while. We reached Neubeuren and the medival castle at a small hill – which is nowadays a boarding school. For some minutes we wondered how magical it migth be to get your whole education and have your home at such a wunderful place. Until Frasdorf we had another descent however this time it was so gentle, so simple to master that I almost enjoyed a descent. We went shopping there and had our lunch at a place we were only standing and sitting two months ago – because we had spent one weekend with our church youth in Frasdorf and actually crossed the way we were walking there. This was pretty nice but today even better weather and we ate with a view of the „Kampenwand“, a mountain range. Another highligth was the belgian chocolate Mochi ice cream! Then we only had the last descent left together and enjoyed it sooo much, filmed some videos and laughed and everything was actually perfect!

We arrived at the lake „Chiemsee“, sat there, a little dissapointed that our tour together was ending. We shared another apple and looked at the lake, planned my two following days and when Anna would take the train back to Munich. I was very suprised as I looked at the weather forecast for the nigth of Friday and the morning and noon of Saterday which was with an awful bit of rain. So I decided with Anna that I would cycle as much as I possibly could to the next stop for the nigth and hopefully end my tour tomorrow (Thursday) so I wouldn’t get wet on the main track and could think about whether I’ll bike back home to Munich from there or not. I said goodbye to Anna and our ways seperated now for this vacation where she was going to Denmark to clean one big sail boat (Thor Hyerdahl) with a couple of other friends and strangers (the boat she crossed the Atlantic with last year).

I was on the road alone again, felt at first somehow solitary. However after the first few kilometeres and one wonderful road through one forest I got used to it again. The mountain views were again breathtaking and I bougth one packet full of Gummy bears and ate it fully (20 min of little stomach aching was the short term result but also a lot of new energy) because there was again a descent I had to master – but did it quite nice! I crossed some villages and shortly before my nigth camping spot I climbed again one hill up the „Adelholzner Quellen & Lager“ were one of the biggest German water companies bottle their water from the Adelholzner spring. So it was interesting seeing this huge warehouses and stacks of bottle crates while I drank so much water and lemonades from this company in my life. At the river Weiße Traun I almost thougth I made it because there was only two kilometers left until I reached the campsite. That’s easier said than done because only for my spot I cycled (almost the whole way) of 100 meters altitude – which is much for me!
However I arrived at the campsite and set up the tent, showered and cooked dinner (Pasta with pesto) ✨🍽⛺

Our breakfast today was cake from the „Cafe Schuler“ in Bad Tölz, one of the best bavarian cafés. We rode until Tegernsee and made our lunch break there. We then took on the Tegernseher Höhenweg and, as the name suggests, it was a good climb up the mountains, where it drizzled briefly. There was even a warning sign that many cyclists had to get off the bike in some places. But then it was back down again to Schliersee.
It was crazy to have cycled to this place, as we had often been on youth trips with the church or school to various houses that we had also cycled past. After an apple break, we even found a sticker that we had stuck on a lantern three quarters of a year ago.
As we still had energy left, we didn’t stop at the campsite at Schliersee, but drove on. At 5 p.m. we started looking for a place to sleep. First we asked two people in the village if they knew a place where we could pitch our tent. As that didn’t work out so well, we drove straight to a farm and asked them directly if we could pitch our tent. The farmer’s family with three children were very nice and we were allowed to pitch our tent in their runner duck garden. The two runner ducks are called Otto and Elfriede. For dinner, we cooked pasta with pesto on the camping stove by the Leitzach and soon we’ll to bed.

We woke up at 7 a.m. and had a pretty funny descent for the first kilometers and rode into the Murnauer Moos and got a marvelous view over the Alps. In Murnau we made another break and had the rear brake cable replaced in the bike store. At the lake „Kochelsee“ we had a lunch break and Anna accidentally stepped into the mud with one shoe. I didn’t feel that well so I took an one hour nap and afterwards I felt refresehd and we cyceled through Benediktbeuern in the direction of Bad Tölz.
We went grocery shopping in Bad Heilbrunn and took a break near the church. A few kilometers before Bad Tölz we stopped at the Stallauer Weiher at a campsite and pitched up our tent directly next to the lake. Because the ride wasn’t that long today we had some time left and relaxed, showered and made Coffee in the espresso pot we brought with us and Summer rolls for dinner which were pretty delicious. We studied a bit of biology for Annas exam after the vacation and enjoyed a wonderful evening vibe with a gorgeous sunset and learned some crazy songs by heart (Der Affe by Funny Van Dannen).
Shortly after 9 p.m. we’ll now go to bed early after this exiting day.

This morning I was forced to pack up all things on my own for the first time (the tent, sleeping bag, bike bags) and I was extremly proud how good I did it. After a breakfast (Laugenecken + chocolate) I headed out and had again a 30 km mountain ascent which was pretty rough. I often had to push the bike instead of the steepness but with the rigth playlist and a lot of breaks I went on. The last meters of the ascent was harder than yesterday however I made it to the highest point of the whole trip at 995 Hm near to Oy-Mittelberg. This was a crazy achievement for me and the descent felt like a huge reward, plus the new view of the next part of the Alps. There were many E-bikers and some other „normal bikers“. I met one teacher from NRW (region of Germany) who was on the last day of the trip on this trail and rode with him for approximately half an hour. After lunch, again a lot of ascents and descents, a lot of emotional highs and lows I reached Füssen, the Forggensee and the river Lech where I made a break. Next landscape highligth were Schloss Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. It was almost evening and I had underestimated the ascents of the morning extremly so I had to call the mom of my best friend Anna that she picked me up 15 km before Bad Kohlgrub, the home of her grandparents were my destination of the day was.
I took the front wheel off at the petrol station at Trachgau, loaded the bike into the car and was in Bad Kohlgrub by 7am. There we had to replace the front brake cable, which was already very battered from the ride and was already a safety risk at this point (thanks to Anna’s dad & mom for the help).
After a delicious Brotzeit and some chatting with Anna we went to bed.

The highest point!!

Today I woke up at 4:10 and then said bye to mom and Laura. On the halfway to the central station I realised that I had forgotten my helmet which was one of the most important things for a bike tour. But with a little stress I made it and bougth a bike train ticket in the last second. Then (because it was so late) I got in the wrong part of the train which would have splitten split up soon. So I asked a friendly man if he could help carry my bags that I could take the bike and reach the other section of the train before it splitted. I reached it and finally could get a little bit of sleep back! 🙂

In Lindau the weather was wonderful and the moutains seemed like they’ve called me the whole time. The hardest part of the day began – 50 km uphill, often very hard parts, I did it! The weather, other people greeting me, chocolate & many more things made it a lot easier. I met an older woman who has been on „Walz“ and gave her some cheese bread. In the end of this 50 km it became easier and sometimes even downhill. At the highest spot of the day I reached a deep point of tiredness and I felt a little sick. So I decided to skip approximately 15-20 km of the day and take the train to have a break. It turned out to be the rigth decision and the last part along the river „Iller“ to the camping place was wonderful like the bikeride-sunny weather of the whole day. At the camping place I pitched up my tent, showered 🚿⛺ and went shopping in the supermarket „Aldi“ with the best view on the mountains of thr Allgäu. After dinner I called mom, Laura, dad and my aunt Eva which was very comforting. Afterwards I talked about an hour with another German from Hamburg (professional fire figther). That was the perfect end of the day and now I’m ready for bed ✨