Travel report: The Five Rivers Cycle Route

We had looked forward to the routes along the Main-Danube Canal, Altmühl, Naab, Vils and Pegnitz and the beautiful towns of Neumarkt, Berching, Riedenburg, Kelheim, Regensburg, Amberg, Hersbruck and Lauf. What we noticed on the way are, of course, snapshots that we do not want to generalize, because "all generalizations are false, including this one" (Alexander Chase, *1926, American journalist).

Day 1: Arrival in Nuremberg
The beautiful private hotel "Prinzregent" in a prime location directly at the Pegnitz River lacked a staffed reception desk, but by entering a code, the door opened. Our travel documents were on display. Unfortunately, we couldn´t park the car at the hotel parking lot for a week, so we had to park it about one km away in a parking lot at the Wöhrder Wiese on the banks of the Pegnitz. We were not entirely comfortable with this, because at night our car would perhaps be the only one there. For six whole nights.
There was still time for a sightseeing tour. The entrance from the parks of the Pegnitz through a gate of the city wall offered an unusually beautiful view of the old town, which we could of course admire only fragmentarily. On Mondays the Germanic National Museum is closed. And so there was no opportunity to visit it today, nor in a week. Back to the hotel we walked along the river Pegnitz to the subway station Wöhrder Wiese. We should have remembered that better, because we should start from there the next morning.
At the hotel, we looked at the very good maps, a foldable waterproof map, the ring binder with hotel directions, and a Leporello (a foldable booklet in the shape of a long strip folded accordion-style) with particularly detailed maps. Opera connoisseurs may think of the register of sins of Don Giovanni laid out in this way, performed by servant Leporello in the so-called Leporello aria.

During a short rest, the ever vigilant and clever Angi found out that we were not supposed to be in Lauf, but in Feucht. So we had gone in the wrong direction. The Leporello showed the tour in the opposite direction and first disappeared in the luggage bag so as not to confuse us again. Fortunately, the disaster alarm could be turned off. The problem could be solved. In the village of Henfenfeld we changed to the Pegnitz-Laaber-Weg, which leads almost directly to Neumarkt without significant extension of the daily kilometers and gave us a 6th river, the Laaber. Thus, out of program, we also saw Altdorf. And when fatigue was already threatening after a steep climb, we came across the 5 Rivers Trail at Gnadenberg, as if nothing had happened. We saw very well-kept houses and gardens even in the small villages on the way. Obviously, there is work around Nuremberg and people enjoy their own houses. All of Franconia looked for us to be well cared for, not poor by any means, but not ostentatiously rich either. The Hotel Lehmeier at the market of Neumarkt was good, should also have a good kitchen, but on Tuesday there is day off. Along the market street, which seemed to be deserted, we saw only two open restaurants with chairs and tables on the street, of which we found the Greek one a bit better. First, we desperately needed liquid replacement and were very happy about the beer. On the menu we discovered the indication: appetizer plate for one person, also for 2 people. We asked if the price would then double, which was somewhat grumpily denied and bravely ordered the double plate. While waiting, we continued to quench our thirst and had the opportunity to observe the audience, certainly regulars. The bearded and tattooed gentlemen seemed practiced in their daily thirst quenching. Perhaps they also drank as a preventive measure to avoid thirst in the first place. One of them passed around his young dog, which was exuberant about everyone and wanted to lick them. After some time the dog owner folded up the drinking bowl of his dog, hung it (the bowl) on his belt and said goodbye together with the dog in a friendly way. Occasionally walkers passed by. When we still hesitated to order a third pint, the appetizer plate finally arrived, a surprise, a huge tray with the most delicious things. We now ordered the recommended Greek red wine, which was indeed excellent, dark, full-bodied, velvety, dry. No Domestos, as the host assured us.

In the organic store we had a fresh giant roll with a giant slice of the best Leberkäse for only 2 €. In addition, we drank Bioradler from the bottle with a view of the large abbey courtyard and were well satiated with feast for the eyes and stomach. The world seemed to be in order here, not only because of the large portions, but particularly because of the information-joyful, good-humored Franconians around and because of the neatness of nature and localities. We needed a while of driving back and forth after the monastery, because we had not immediately discovered the cycle path sign hidden behind a corner of the monastery wall.
At Beilgries we now followed the Altmühl, which we had been looking forward to. Unfortunately, the bike path was closed, and we had to take country roads and detours. Only from Mühlbach we could follow the Altmühl again on the riverside path. But then heavy rain set in, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Our rain gear protected us only at the beginning. Because we were riding on freshly graveled path, the wheels and we showed a kind of guinea fowl effect. The Gasthof zur Post was by far the most modest accommodation on the trip. The elaborate core renovation, as stated in the description, might have been noticed by a building expert. We could not notice it. As if it was so intended by the travel planners, this third inn also had a day of rest, but that did not bother us here. Of the two inns that were open, the "Swan" proved to be excellent. We were curious about the pizza with figs and Greek cheese, which turned out to be a good choice.

After showering and changing, we immediately went sightseeing. It rained a little, but with the hotel's green umbrellas, it hardly bothered us. The medieval skyscrapers and the modern stores on the first floor offered a lot of sightseeing and history. Regensburg must have once been very rich and important and it is still important, rich at least in historic buildings, many of which are being restored. We were, of course, impressed by St. Peter's Cathedral.

In terms of punning business names and slogans, we noticed:
"Have a N Ice day" in front of an ice cream parlor, "Ace & tate" like ace head or "Enchan Tee" like enchanté (French) "Pleased to meet you" for a tea bar.

For dinner, Spaghetteria AQVINO in sacred rooms with pointed arches seemed appropriate. We ordered the appetizer plate for two and a pasta dish for the main course, but were warned by the friendly waitress that the portions were not small. Since we had already learned that in Franconia they only know large plates and glasses, we settled for a portion of tagliatelle with frutti di mare, which was still too much, albeit very good.

We already knew Kallmünz from an earlier visit. At that time we had climbed the mountain with the castle ruins and enjoyed the wide view. On the descent we saw at that time in front of a house, how the inhabitants grilled eel. We had been kindly invited to taste. We also fondly remembered the tiny inn "Zum Bürstenbinder" on the meadow. Now we were glad that our way crossed again the whole old town, also at the studio of the wood artist and at the café with the guest garden directly at the rock wall. Amberg greeted us with a wide green belt where thousands of young people played all kinds of sports. Amberg seemed to us like a youth city, which could be explained by the location of the university. The exact name of the university is Ostbayrische Technische Hochschule Amberg-Weiden (OTH). Years ago, I had given a lecture there at the invitation of Prof. Versch, a pioneer of Internet research. Our current hotel, the "Vienna House Easy Amberg" did not exist at that time. It is modern and open, has nice large rooms and is located in the middle of a park next to the Kurfürstenbad and yet close to the old town on the Vils. We walked for a long time in the interesting and cozy old town. The numerous squares were seated and occupied like beer gardens.

Well fortified, we cycled on to Henfenfeld, where we came full circle. From here we had cycled to Neumarkt. Now we only needed to find our hotel in Reichenschwand. That should have been easy, but it wasn't for us because we had overlooked bike path signs or there were none. On the whole tour it became apparent that it is better to ride at least in pairs so that no signposts are overlooked. By the way, this day's stage was the least beautiful on the whole tour. The Dormero Schloßhotel is an imposing castle with a large park, perfect, stylishly modernized with the latest design, with large rooms, spacious bathroom and a huge TV. The restaurant was closed. There was a notice in the room that however the bar was open when the reception was busy. However, the receptionist did not want to serve drinks, although she was serving food and drink to the participants of a seminar in front of our eyes. So we went to the place, which seemed to be deserted, but did not find any restaurant. Now it turned out to be advantageous that we had eaten so sumptuously for lunch. On the TV we saw another Donna Leon movie and wanted to turn it off, but we did not succeed. We called the front desk, who sent a technician, who also didn't know any advice. Then the receptionist came, reached behind the big screen and pulled out a cable.

First we drove on to our hotel, where the luggage transport had already delivered our suitcase. We showered and made our way to downtown Nuremberg. It was not too late for lunch, and we found it at Haus Krakau, a former watchtower of the city wall. This restaurant with a beer garden consists of the guest rooms on the second floor of the tower, a wooden bridge with more guest rooms, and a beer garden on the level of the upper street. To our surprise, the house was under Polish management and offered Polish dishes and Polish beer in addition to Franconian. We opted for two types of pierogi, which were very good. Since the beer garden was not suitable for a midday nap, we immediately moved on to sightseeing. Here is not the place to describe how many interesting and beautiful things we saw. We ended the evening in the courtyard of the Julius Hospital to have a glass of wine.

The next morning we loaded our car and drove home, very satisfied with what we had experienced and with our driving performance.