To Straubing, Germany

I headed out this morning with Tammy and Mick, a couple from Australia. Today’s ride was very short at only 32 miles.

7.5 miles into our ride, we arrived at Walhalla near Donaustauf. Designed to resemble the Parthenon, it opened in 1842. It is a national memorial honoring distinguished people from the German speaking world.

The view looking at the Danube River at Walhalla was fabulous.

Inside was a giant hall full of busts. While I did not recognize most of the people, there were certainly many I did including Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Einstein, Max Plank, Katherine the Great, Martin Luther, etc.

Here is a photo of Tammy and Mick at Walhalla. Tammy and Mick were both in the Australian Navy for many years. Back in 2012, they left the Navy and signed up for a 2 year stint volunteering with Mercy Ships. Mercy Ships is a non-profit that provides free surgical care on hospital ships in sub-Saharan Africa. Their 2 year ended up extending to 7 years giving their 3 sons quite a unique set of childhood and adolescence experiences.

Mick still works remotely part time for Mercy Ships. He is a ship’s engineer by training, and now he helps troubleshoot issues and plan the extensive annual maintenance the hospital ships require. Tammy has returned to the Australian Navy where she is a Chaplain.

Since the ride was so short, we stopped at a house Tammy noticed that sold coffee and refreshments to bicyclists and hikers. Mick and I enjoyed lattes while Tammy had a tea.

Of course, we rode through beautiful small towns.

The weather today was fabulous for riding with temperatures around 70 degrees.

After a very leisurely lunch, we rolled into our destination town around 1:30. Full of ambition after a shower, I took a nap. Tomorrow, we continue another 60 miles down the Danube making our way to Vienna Austria where we will spend the weekend.