In Italy, our trip turned into a sunny and relaxing (and, we felt, well-deserved) holiday. Instead of following down the Adige river, the original course of VCA, we made another detour to Lago di Garda, very conveniently located just a parallel valley away. We were not far from our final destination anymore, which shortened our daily cycling stages. We were thus able to really take our time moving along the lake – and across, by ferry – which allowed us to get a good idea of the lake’s very diverse shore areas: windsurfers’ and climbers’ paradise in the north, the world’s northernmost lemon plantations in the west, and Mediterranean-like family vacation destinations in the south.
It was only a three-hour bike ride form the lake to Verona, from where a bus will take us back home tonight. We arrived here two days ago and, first thing, met up with a group of scouts from our home district. They are spending their holidays at the lake and went on a day trip to Verona, where we explored the city together.
And, being so close to it, we took a train to Venice yesterday! They say that in Northern Italy, tourist numbers are still 30 or 40 percent lower than usual due to the pandemic. So we had the opportunity to visit this unique place when it was not as crowded as it generally is. What a treat!

The endeavour of crossing the Alps started in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. When cycling up from there to Ehrwald in Austria, Addy realised he would not be able to go on the next day without replacing a vital part of his bike. Luckily, a bike shop team in Ehrwald was up early and ready to help him out with a brand new cog set. Subsequently, we successfully climbed to the pass called Fernpass, which is well known by German skiers and other outdoor enthusiasts as one of the main gateways to the Austrian mountains. However, this was the first time we crossed it off the main road and were able to discover the beauty of the alpine landscape surrounding the place.On our way down to and along the Inn valley we made two new cycling friends, Noemi and Urs from Ulm. They had chosen the same route through Martina in Switzerland, up some gentle serpentines allowing us to climb 400 metres in about 6 kilometres, and across the next pass: Reschenpass on the Austrian-Italian border. We spent the night near the lake of the same name, which is known for the church tower – a relict from a village that was flooded during the creation of the lake.The weather was a lot warmer and sunnier in South Tyrol than it had been further north, which unfortunately meant that finding free pitches at campsites suddenly became a real challenge. Besides, most Italian campsites do not seem to expect travellers to arrive with just a tent instead of a caravan. On the bright side, there were two massive rewards waiting for us: First, a pleasant downhill ride of about 100 kilometres, past Merano and down to Bolzano. Second, a wonderful dinner with Addy’s colleague Ute and her husband, who live in the picturesque town of Kaltern.

Yes, we are cycle touring again! This time, however, the time frame is a narrow one. Technically, Eva’s summer holidays last six weeks, but Addy has only taken three weeks off from work and so we are now off on a cycling adventure that is limited to about 18 days. The route we have chosen is an ancient Roman path across the Alps called Via Claudia Augusta. It will take us from Southern Germany to Austria, Switzerland and Italy. And yes, it will involve some mountain pass crossings on the way – exciting!
The first stage started in our rural hometown and took us down to the Austrian border in four cycling days and one rest day. We passed through Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen and reached the starting point of Via Claudia Augusta in Donauwörth. We followed the route to Augsburg and stayed with Becca and Daniel’s lovely German-American family, who we had contacted through the Warmshowers network. Next we had to deviate from Via C. A. a little bit to visit Eva’s best friend Caro and her family in Munich. This alternative route most
conveniently took us to the places of Addy’s friends Benni and Aziza as well as Lisa and Daniel, so on the entire German stretch we had lots of fun staying with friends, playing with their children, seeing their new homes, sharing drinks and meals and making memories together.

We have just said ‘I do’, or as the German line goes, we have given our ‘yes’ words. After a journey of 13 years, we stopped for a moment to confirm that we want to cycle together for the rest of this tour, to express it in biking words.
Even when the current coronavirus restrictions only allowed for five people at the wedding ceremony and although we could not invite more than one other household to the party, we decided to do it anyway, despite these special times. On the bright side, all those limitations make us focus on the most important aspects only, and we are sure there will be other times and, one day, we will have a big church wedding with all our friends and family.
#scoutbound #wedding #schrozberg #adventure #rings

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