Riedlingen-Sigmaringen-Germany-8-18-14

There are two routes between Riedlingen and Mengen. One route follows the lower Valley of the Danube. It is flatter but there are gravel sections. The other route climbs up into the hillsides above the Danube and offers very nice views.

We had another huge headwind this morning perhaps 17 mph when we started out. So we decided rather than climbing up into the hills to get the views, we would stay lower down on the Danube and hope to get some protection from forest or corn fields. Still, it was a very tiring ride. We did not even take the short side trip to Neufra Palace because of the wind. All the cyclists coming from the west had big smiles on their faces. We just kept our heads down and pedaled hard. At one point, we actually discussed getting a train to France and riding back the other way! This was our third day of really strong winds and we were wearing down physically and mentally.

Mengen seems to be going through a reconstruction. Many of the stores are closed on a weekday and the streets are closed for renovation. There are some nice houses of timber frame in the village. But it is nothing compared to Riedlingen or other villages that we have emphasized visiting in the past.

Sigmaringen has a magnificent castle on the top of a cliff. It’s utterly amazing how they could build huge stone walls right in line with the cliff edge.