21 to Donauwörth

Route: 60 kilometers, cumulative: 1,742 kilometers | Elevation gain: 280 meters, cumulative elevation gain: 6,979 meters, distance from home: 264 kilometers (as the crow flies)**

I have never seen a railway crossing like this. The barrier was down, and there was no way through otherwise. A sign said to press a lever and someone would open it. I pressed the lever, first briefly, then for a long time. Then again, but nothing happened! A few minutes later, a train passed by and I thought it would open now. Still nothing, despite pressing the lever several times. So, I had to look for an alternative route. I found one quickly, but it was a detour. It would not be the last, nor the longest!

Well, I was on a journey that had to allow for surprises. After all, I was taking a break. Accordingly, the hotel where I eventually arrived, also via a detour, was named exactly that.

Today's route was lined with magnificent castles. After just a few kilometers, the first very large castle appeared before me after I had properly driven through a very long avenue.

Shortly after, another castle perched high above a town. Next to it were other splendid buildings and churches! In this town, I wanted to do some quick shopping, specifically for milk and something meaty for lunch.

From another angle, I took another photo of the town when a passing jogger asked if she should take a picture of me. Since I hardly have any pictures of myself, I gladly agreed. On this occasion, she told me that this place is called Neuburg an der Donau. I had only focused on the destination and did not really pay attention to where I was passing through. The same goes for the bodies of water; is this the Danube, a side channel, or a tributary?

The Danube has significantly lost its imposing width, and the bridges over it are also getting shorter.

Today there were detours and construction sites again. For instance, a closure before Donauwörth added a few extra kilometers to my journey. But even with that, it turned out to be a short ride overall today!

Yesterday, I surpassed the impressive figure of 24,000 on my odometer. This was primarily thanks to all the major trips I have been able to take over the last 4 years. In total, there were 5 big tours with countless beautiful and unforgettable moments. 😊

***

English

**Route: 60 kilometers, cumulative: 1,742 kilometers | Elevation gain: 280 m, cumulative elevation gain: 6,979 m, distance from home: 264 kilometers (as the crow flies)**

I have never seen a railway crossing like this. The barrier was down, and there was no other way through. A sign said to press a lever and someone would open it. I pressed the lever, first briefly, then for a long time. Then again, but nothing happened! A few minutes later a train passed by, and I thought it would open now. Still nothing, despite pressing the lever several times. So, I had to look for an alternative. I found one quickly, but it meant a detour. It wouldn't be the last, nor the longest!

Well, I was on a journey that had to have room for surprises. After all, I was taking a time-out. Accordingly, the hotel where I finally ended up—also via a detour—was named just that.

Today's route was lined with magnificent castles. After just a few kilometers, the first very large castle appeared before me after I had properly driven through a very long avenue.

Shortly after, another castle situated high above a town. Next to it, other splendid buildings and churches! I wanted to do some quick shopping in this town, specifically milk and something meaty for lunch.

I was taking another photo of the town from a different angle when a passing jogger asked if she should take a photo of me. Since there are hardly any of those, I gladly agreed. On this occasion, she told me that this place is called Neuburg an der Donau. I had only been focusing on the destination and didn't really care where exactly I was passing through. It's the same with the bodies of water; is this the Danube, a side branch, or a tributary?

The Danube has significantly lost its imposing width, and the bridges across it are also getting shorter.

There were detours and construction sites again today. For instance, a closure before Donauwörth added a few extra kilometers. But even with that, it turned out to be a short ride overall today!

Yesterday, I surpassed the impressive figure of 24,000 on my odometer. This was primarily thanks to all the major trips I have been able to take over the last 4 years. In total, there were 5 big tours with countless beautiful and unforgettable moments. 😊

***

Español

**Ruta: 60 kilómetros, acumulados: 1.742 kilómetros | Desnivel: 280 m, desnivel acumulado: 6.979 m, distancia desde casa: 264 kilómetros (en línea recta)**

Nunca había visto un paso a nivel así. La barrera estaba bajada y era imposible pasar de otro modo. En un cartel decía que había que pulsar una palanca y que alguien abriría. Pulsé la palanca, primero brevemente y luego un buen rato. ¡Después otra vez, pero no pasó nada! Unos minutos después pasó un tren y pensé que ahora se abriría. No ocurrió nada, a pesar de accionar la palanca varias veces. Así que tuve que buscar una alternativa. La encontré rápido, pero supuso un desvío. ¡No sería el último ni el más largo!

Bueno, estaba en un viaje que debía dejar espacio para las sorpresas. Al fin y al cabo, me estaba tomando un tiempo de descanso. El hotel en el que acabé finalmente —también dando un rodeo— se llamaba precisamente así.

La ruta de hoy estuvo flanqueada por magníficos castillos. Tras pocos kilómetros, apareció ante mí el primero, un castillo muy grande, después de haber recorrido, como es debido, una avenida muy larga.

Poco después, otro castillo situado en lo alto de una ciudad. ¡A su lado, otros edificios espléndidos e iglesias! En este lugar quise hacer unas compras rápidas, especialmente leche y algo de carne para el almuerzo.

Desde otro ángulo volví a hacer una foto de la ciudad cuando una mujer que pasaba corriendo me preguntó si quería que me hiciera una foto. Como casi no tengo fotos mías, acepté encantado. En esa ocasión me dijo que este lugar se llama Neuburg an der Donau. Yo solo me había concentrado en el destino y no me había fijado por dónde pasaba exactamente. Con los cursos de agua pasa lo mismo; ¿es esto el Danubio, un brazo secundario o un afluente?

El Danubio ha perdido mucho de su imponente anchura y los puentes que lo cruzan también son cada vez más cortos.

Hoy también hubo desvíos y obras. Por ejemplo, un cierre antes de Donauwörth que me sumó algunos kilómetros. ¡Aun así, en general fue un trayecto corto!

Ayer superé en mi cuentakilómetros la impresionante cifra de 24.000. A esto han contribuido principalmente todos los grandes viajes que he podido realizar desde hace 4 años. En total, han sido 5 grandes rutas con innumerables momentos hermosos e inolvidables. 😊