July 20, 2013

Distance: 31.8 miles                        Climbing: 1453.4 ft

Everyone woke up surprisingly early, considering the fun we had the night before. Ulrich went on a run while Chandler and I sunned ourselves. When Ulrich returned, he had another amazing feast planned for us. He prepared Chandler white sausage, which is only eaten for breakfast, and got him some delicious non alcoholic beer, for the nutrients. For me, there was yogurt and lots of fresh fruit. Everything was very tasty.

Breakfast feast

After breakfast, I took a nap in the sun while Ulrich and Chandler drove to the store to figure out getting us a cell phone. Ulrich had an old Nokia lying around that he offered us so we could access the internet at the McDonald’s. Ulrich has a 40^th anniversary edition 911 Porsche and was not in the driver’s seat when the guys returned. Apparently, on the way to the store, Ulrich insisted that Chandler take the car for a spin. Chandler told me later that one of his lifelong dreams had been fulfilled.

Chan, Ulrich and the Porsche

Porsche

We were very reluctant to leave Ulrich’s company, especially since he encouraged us to stay longer, but made the decision late in the afternoon. I had made tentative plans with a friend near Stuttgart and we needed to continue on our way. We took a few pictures and exchanged email addresses before saying goodbye to Ulrich. He frequently visits New York and we hope to someday repay his generosity in the States. We left his house inspired by meeting another person who was so completely kind and generous without asking for anything but our friendship in return. Ulrich truly made of time in Germany unforgettable.

Us

We wanted to put in some miles, but didn’t really feel like putting in the work, so slowly we went. We found ourselves on a bike path which followed the highway. The scenery was boring until we heard a horrible cover of a Journey song and wondered what was going on. Then we approached a hill that had giant Lego pieces at the top and knew we were in a magical place: Legoland!  The price of admission was a little (WAAAY) out of our price range, but discussed it anyways. If we had gone, all of Chandler’s dreams circa 1998 would have come true in one day. Driving a Porsche, kissing a girl and going to Legoland, two out of three ain’t bad.

Legoland!!!

On our way to find a campsite

Somewhere along the way, we stopped at a grocery store and bought everything for eggplant parmesan again. After the first attempt was so successful, we figured it could become a staple in our diet. Back on the road, we began to look for a free campsite. So far, the pickings were very slim. There are lots of houses or open farm fields. Germany is quite expensive, so we were hoping to save some money by avoiding the campgrounds. Finally, we passed a small wooded area, not quite big enough to be called a forest, but enough trees to keep us concealed. The spot was perfect, except for the hundreds and hundreds of mosquitoes and ticks everywhere. I made dinner as quickly as possible while Chandler set up the tent, sleeping mats and sleeping bags. We ate fast and escaped into the safety of the tent as soon as we were done.