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08:20: Up at 07:18. It’s a bright, warm day, so walking in my boxers to the shower block was no hardship. I’m washed and sock washed; now packing my sleeping bag prior to making breakfast. I was still a little too warm in the early part of the night but perfect after that. With earplugs in I slept well and the ground was more level than I thought.
08:52: Delicious chocolate and raisin porridge. Faithful standby. I’m about to start packing. Should be on the road by 09:30.
09:38: Almost ready to go. For the first time, I’m starting out in t-shirt and shorts and covered in sun block.
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09:52: Dropped in to reception to say goodbye to Sophie. She’s offered me a coffee so I’m sitting in the sun while she prepares it. I’m looking straight at the church on the prominence across the river at Breisach-am-Rhein. Despite the morning haze, it’s close enough to touch.
10:00: Coffee and a madelaine (my first and last) down the hatch. I hear church bells chiming. It’s a hot day with blue sky and no wind. Let’s get to Freiburg.
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10:24: Over the bridge. I’m in the province of Baden-Württemberg.
10:36: Left Breisach. Light industrial, booze and tobacco shops, fast food joints.
Oh, before I left the camping, I chucked my horrible H|H t-shirt. It’s been replaced by a lovely soft €5.00 t-shirt from DECATHLON that’s half the volume.
10:59: Hochstetten.
11:52: Gündlingen. Stop in the village bakery for elevenses — a mohnschnitte (a poppy-seed cake) and a tea.
12:04: The pastry was no great shakes — more bread than cake — but it was such a pleasure rapping with the lady behind the counter in German. At last, I no longer have to recall pre-packaged phrases and instead can assemble pretty much accurate sentences on the fly. And my comprehension is vastly better. I’m going to enjoy the next several weeks traversing Germany and Austria. Der Löffel.
12:18: Just spent ten minutes wandering around a small grocery shop that has everything I need. If small villages throughout Germany are like this, I’ll be able to buy food as I go, instead of having to stock up the day before. Lovely chat with the girl in the shop who says older people in the neighbourhood really appreciate being able to toddle down to the shops with their trolley, have a chat and buy some bits. This already feels like a vastly different experience to France.
12:28: Leaving Gündlingen.
13:05: I’ve walked past a wheat field for the first time. The wheat is up to my mid-thigh and entirely green.
13:14: Niederrimsingen.
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13:23: Looks like I took a wrong turn somewhere — Freiburg has disappeared from the direction signs for cyclists and I’m way too far South. Should have followed my nose. Now I have to pick my way over a vineyard-festooned hill to Opfingen from where it’s due East to Freiburg. Just when I was starting to trust the signs for cyclists!
13:28: Found the signs for Freiburg again. 16km with a 9% slope.
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13:32: Stopping at a café for an egg salad sandwich. The choices for food in small villages here are vastly better than in France.
13:47: …and I’m following it up with a hot chocolate and a piece of Apfelstrudel. €7.65 for the lot. Now to climb over the hill. Still 15km to go!
14:07: Leaving Niederrimsingen.
14:26: Freiburg 16km says a sign.
14:42: Munzingen.
14:44: Freiburg 14km.
14:51: Freiburg 13km.
14:55: Freiburg 13km.
14:59: Leaving Munzingen.
15:13: Freiburg 12km.
15:28: Freiburg 10km.
16:54: Outskirts of South Freiburg.
17:07: At Paulay’s place. His sister Luiza will let me in. I’m actually an hour early. Happy to wait in the shade. We’re also communicating on WhatsApp.1
17:40: Nicely ensconced in the AirBnB! It seems fine. Luiza is from Brazil! Stuff in town will still be open so I’m going to go and check it out.
18:08 Heading into town.
18:44: A bit of fuckery with the tram. I thought it brought me to town, but it didn’t. Still figuring it out.
19:18: There’s something strangely claustrophobic and dead about the square dominated by the pink stone Gothic Münster and backed on one side by a steep, forested hill. It’s surrounded by grand town houses whose ground floors are now restaurants with terraces, buzzing with people, but the evening sun seems to cast deep shadows, making the cathedral feel entirely out of proportion to the square. Maybe I’ll feel different in other light. Anyway, I’m sitting down to a dinner of lentils and sausage. If I get served. Maybe I’ll try the other place that was doing a sweet potato bake. In fact… I’m staying for the beans.
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23:00: I got home at half nine or so. Spent the evening reviewing places I’ve been on Google Maps.
This AirBnB is in a flat complex in an outer suburb of Freiburg, among breaker’s yards and out-of-town shopping complexes.↩
