Our fifth day on King Ludwig’s Way was scheduled to be an 18 mile leg with great views of the alps. The destination was the Bavarian town of Füssen, downhill from the Neuschwanstein Palace. Eighteen miles is a bit of a challenge for us, but manageable. Then, we looked at the weather radar.
Ugly.
Instead, we had a leisurely breakfast at our Gasthof and then took a two mile walk to a town on the far side of a nearby lake—a town on the bus line. About the time we reached it the rain did start coming down. We enjoyed the countryside from the comfort of the bus. The cyclists we saw out in the rain looked miserable. When we planned for this trip we did agree the full rain gear would be left behind and we’d skip truly wet segments. Today we exercised that option.
But the weather for tomorrow looks good for our trip up the mountain to explore the castle of Mad King Ludwig.
We’ve encountered an interesting German custom here on our trek: The Stammtisch. In most establishments a table is set aside for regulars to meet up with friends for a drink or card game. It is usually marked with a sign and sometimes has a distinctive table cloth or other decoration. Works well for the restaurants here as they are focused on being a place to hang out, not on turning tables.
As you’ll see from Laurie’s Relive video, we covered a lot of territory—most of it in a warm, dry, bus.