In Bamberg

Bamberg was for us a very pleasent surprise.
We didnt knew a place like that existed at all.
After visting all those millioncitizen cities it was nothing but a great relief to arrive in this wonderfull little oasis of a town, where it was possible to breathe and relax surrounded by very old buildings and where the traffic mostly seemed to be those healthy germans, who drived on bicycles or was running on the trails around the rivers and the many canals that flow through Bamberg.

And people recognized us here!
On the arriving day we asked a guy in the streets about the way to a youth hostel - well not only did he show us the way, but he even decided to turn around and walk with us some of the way through the streetlabyrinth of old Bamberg to make sure, that we would end in the right direction.
The next evening while searching for a good place to sit down and enjoy some of the many local brews, the same man saw us from one of the bars and told us to come in and join the company.
Which we did of course.
Suddenly we were sitting together with - what seemed as - all the local mature alternative people, hippies whatever. Very nice company to get drunk while listening to Gratefull Dead and jazz from the 30´s/40´s.

We stayed one night at the youthhostel where we shared the room with two brothers who were also travelling with bikes in the same area as we did.
We were very impressed by their discipline. Go to bed at 10 o clock to be as fresh as possible for the next days ride.... we could never be like that, though we´ve been trying to copy them ever since.... with less fortune because we always ended up with beers and lots of talkings ( some certain things will never change!)

One night with the kids at the youthhostels and then further to a " old peoples home" for the next 4 nights...yeah well, at that place Frau Müller (the manager) also rent out rooms to travellers. So from spending time among the noisy kids, we were suddenly " the kids" at the new place. They treated us very kind though and seemed pretty entertained by Bernards tattoo of a cat on his leg, but what was most important: for the first time on the trip we were able to cook for ourselve, which was needed.
When you are so much on the roads, like we´ve been during the last 1 and (almost) half month, you come to this point when you feel this eternal hunger.
the food you get in the restaurants are just never enough, and that is such a downer, when you´ve expected to finally get set. Just interesting how much the right food actually means for the body..... we made a portion that usually would be enough to feed 6-7 ordinary hungry people, but the wild bestiary pilgrims needed it all!

Despite its relative small size Bamberg has a huge amount of wonders to offer. There seem to be old churches on every corner and hilltop - and on the other side of those corners there will usually be a local brewery, and with all those wellprotected old houses and small streets in the citycore just make such a supercool atmosphere, and the conditions for bicycleriders are nothing but perfect with so many trails and signs to lead you on the right way.....
its very hard not to sound like some commercial now, but we were simply amazed by this fabulous town, and we will return again one day.
Thats for sure!