Digging in deep to drive to Deggendorf

Pedaling Deggendorf 

By day 5 of cycling this tour along the Donau the body was starting to say "that'll do". Not to say that this cycling trip was a grind, or a wrong decision. No it's just that I was shattered, and no matter what I did, ate, or drank after the daily ride would matter. I was tired. The rides now were fairly relaxed compared to earlier in the week. There was a definite increase in the amount of bitumen as I approached Passau nearing Austria. And reality was the distances between towns was mostly getting shorter.

Metten side step

I was also getting much more relaxed about the weather by this stage. It's a much easier decision to just allow the time to take a diversion, or a iced chocolate break when you're not concerned it's going to rain.

 

On this day I remember the constant though of just taking the side trip to a side town just beyond the main path. However that little side trip was a few kilometres each time. And seemed to always look like it would involve a small climb. So I stuck to the main drag until I got close to Deggendorf and justified a stopover in a town called Metten. Oh except for that obligatory Germany bakery stop. In the later afternoon when I arrived into Deggendorf I found a walk along the riverfront complete with Italian restaurant. Here I diverted away from the standard German fare for a nice pasta. I don't think it touched the sides. This was one time carb-loading was definitely allowed.

Seeing the signs on the Donau Radweg

 
And just in case you're wondering just what sort of signage was I following throughout the trip. Take a look at this sign. Most often you've got this white and green street directional sign occurring where ever the bicycle path would lead. Nice and clear and includes the distance also indicated. However this didn't always meant his was the path I needed. Take a closer look a the 2 squares attached to the bottom. The one on the left was for the Donau. The other is for another path.