Day 13 and I rode 85 kms to the only hotel in Hirschau - the Schlosshotel. A Monday, and there were 4 or us travellers, of some sort, alone at dinner. Disconnected in a way from the locals. There were 8 of them - middle aged men who had probably been coming here all their drinking life. For the usual beer fuelled inane conversation. And the barmaid of similar age who could not speak any Englisch, but somehow I got a bier and a delectable main course and an Apfelstrudel like no other - as in it did not appear like any I had eaten before.
The 8 drinking men and the waitress had some undetected rapport as the bier was provided when needed with each of the drinkers clearly having their own specific needs, as well as several rounds of the local firewater that required more bier chasers. All whilst I quietly without common language had dinner and departed a little weary after the day having appreciated the inanity as I could not understand a word.
The day had started cold and overcast and stayed that way all day. My first day on the PPP for which I reminded myself - no expectations. The path in parts was first class with wide, perhaps 3 to 4 m, sealed and smooth pavement and lots of signs so only a few minor deviations. In other parts not quite a Pan European path. Some sections were rough gravel or single file dirt tracks and circuitous. This path is in high-status red on the adfc map.
Sulzbach-Rosenberg a larger town during the day and was on a distinct berg. Otherwise I became increasingly surrounded by them. It is now hilly Bavaria, the small towns well kept but virtually life-less as I passed through.
When I first looked for routes to Prague the most recognised seemed to be from Vienna or Regensburg; both I thought too far south and more circuitous than I wanted. The premier German cycling body the "adfc" had shown a route from Bamberg via Bayreuth but the connecting route in the Czech Republic did not look well defined. And so the Paneuropa Paris Prague ( or Paneuropa Radweg, or PAN) was chosen at it had the apparent credentials and seemingly a defined path. It is now clear the PPP is a work in progress. (photo). Like the London Cartographers of old who laid out national boundaries and town streets without touching foot in the places, so the route today seemed to have the same genesis. As the day unfolded and the average speed low with time ticking away, I left the recognised route and selected my own direct one along minor roads, or so I thought. But there it was within a few hundred metres, not a PPP but just another local bike path beside my chosen road directly to this hotel. So rather than meandering around the place at 15 or 20 km on unsealed tracks I was rocking along down this new path at 30 to 40 km/hr. Someone should tell them.
Arriving about 3.40 just as the sun briefly broke through the clouds - it had been struggling all day to do this and warm me up a bit. All in all, not a bad ride. And not for the first time I had noticed that on glass doors and windows that people might accidently crash into (whilst walking), the Germans place stickers of blackbirds rather than the more familiar to me non-descript graphic. They do lift the tone
The hotel manager gave some clues to the route and hotels ahead. The next few days could be the most exploratory of the entire trip and with an unfamiliar language as well. It should come as no surprise that the bicycle touring crowd I have seeing constantly until now are now gone. I was virtually the only touring rider all day except for a few small groups coming the other way in the afternoon.
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