Bluesky Tour - Episode 3 - South Germany

Continued from Episode 2

A long and partially troubled riding day as you can read in the previous episode finishes with me being welcomed at Leutkirch im Allgäu, Germany, by 2 sweethearts owners of the studio I've rented there. Claudia heard my bike at their more quiet than quiet neighbourhood so I see her blond smiley face as soon as I take the last corner to their house. After she shows me the first necessary bits she doesn't hesitate to invite me for dinner at their garden as the studio is a part cut from their spacious house.

I always carry stuff to cook or eat with me on my road trips as they can easily be far from predictable but a dinner invitation after a long ride is beyond welcome. I take the few steps to enter the garden and oh my... what a sweet corner on earth this is!

Spoiler: sorry but I have no Instagram moments to offer. Not that I wouldn't like to share but privacy is priority to me and I didn't even ask my kind guests if I could picture their place. Sounds oldschool? Call it whatever you want but remember that next time you go hysterical on platforms or OSs that track you.

Picture the greenest corner on earth, which despite the fact that it's cornered by 2 streets it's still as peaceful as it gets. In this heaven I'm surrounded by Claudia, her husband Otmar and all the goodies she prepared for us. I'm already impressed by such a hospitality but even more by how my hosts start opening up to me sharing intense family stories from the whole spectrum, both very good and current dramas. We only know each other for minuted and they keep telling me I feel like an old friend to them.

This is one of the reasons I still AirBnb my trips. It is much more expensive than it used to be, much less VFM, often frustrating (while I type this I still wait for hours for 2 potential hosts to reply) but for a solo biker like me it still provides me places better than a hotel. By that I mean I prefer my privacy, a space where I can fix minor bits on my bike if needed and a general feel that I stay in a house not a commercial thing. The icing on the cake is that, not so rare, I am also treated like a king as in this occasion.

Beer is over so Otmar proposes me to continue with red wine and (surprise, surprise) I don't say no. When we're done filling our system with goodies Otmar brings out his well tuned 12 string guitar and plays/sings a few tunes. And pretty good actually! Consider that I spent 2 days over the sea, then rode all the way from Venice to here and now that the sun just went down I'm in South Germany listening "Les Champs-Élysées" played live right at my left. I've lived a pretty diverse life so far :)

Needless to say that after all this I fell like a brick on my bed of course only after I super thanked my beyond hospitable hosts. Feels like I plugged out and then plugged in again now next morning. My hosts propose me to visit the local lake but the weather is expected to rain anytime soon so I pass. They even offer me swimwear in case I don't have mine. How sweet :) On a cloudy /rainy/cold day like this my plans are much more humble: A visit to the nearby supermarket for some necessary bits. To give you an idea about the peaceful sweetness of the neighbourhood, here's the way to the supermarket:

If only it was like this at my birthplace. But would I like or play the same music then? Who knows, I guess you win some lose some... Here they decided to lose this tree on the left:

Chainsaw "art":

This short lovely walk goes on,

and leads me to the yard of this kindergarten:

 Oddly enough next to it is the perfect opposite, a demolition site:

I often hear people bitching about the new low speed limits in cities. How about this?

One of the numerous lovely houses around here has its own greenhouse:

Here's my iron horse parked waiting for the rain to fall:

And it soon does. See the line of water middle left dripping from the roof:

This means time to sort my files on my laptop, organise my next steps etc. I later realise that Claudia has sent me a message on AirBnB, asking me if she can call me. I reply "sure", asking her what is is about. She then says "see your bike". I think to myself "don't tell me my bike survived so many dodgy places but not this ultra safe one!". I go out and what do I see? She left on my bike a bag with a meal. This one:

Can it get any better? I guess the limits are unknown with hosts like these. And tasty it is!

With a full stomach and a full heart next cloudy morning I have to say goodbye to my lovely hosts and continue riding North. Claudia floods me with compliments and asks me to not say anything about the food offered in my review on AirBnB because they did it all only for me and they don't want others to take this for granted. Of course I wouldn't anyway but reassured her I won't. Couldn't have had a more awesome stay and can't thank them enough.

Time to ride now, see you Episode 4!