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Wednesday, August 14th - Regensburg to Sandbach, 8672 km
The morning air is cool and fresh, but not so cool that I need a long-sleeve shirt. It will be a pleasant ride, not too hot, but it is sunny and very promising. There is even a gentle tail wind from the west. I have just had a continental breakfast at the hotel and said goodbye to my host. I have no chores to do, having posted my letters and toured the town last night. I am on the road by 9:30, which is a good start on this near-perfect day.
I cross the river on the low, arching bridge that leads from the centre of town to the bike path along the north 
shore of the Danube. I stop to take a picture of the bridge and town from there. Signs of the flood are everywhere. There is mud coating the grass and silt covering the trunks and the lower leaves and branches of the trees near the river. There is still mud on the trail too, and a few puddles, and in some places the marks from the ploughs that scraped the mud off very recently. I would not be riding here if I had come two days ago.
I am making good time without having to make much effort. The path stays within a few metres of the bank, winding in S-curves with the bends of the river. The south shore is relatively flat while the north side has steep bluffs rising above me. I have not gone far before seeing a strange structure at the top of the bluff that looks like an Athenian temple with a massive series of stairs leading up to it. I check my guide book. It is called Walhalla, built by Crown Prince Ludwig 150 years ago to commemorate famous Germans throughout history. I wonder if Hitler has been added, but I am psyched up to keep rolling and don't want leave my bike and bags unattended while I climb the 100m to check it out.
The valley widens as I move eastward. By 11 am I have 30 km behind me. My morning snack is not enough to keep me going but there are no towns of any size so far. I stop at a bench beside the trail to raid the limited food stores in my bags and have a short rest.
It's another couple hours before I reach the town of Straubing. I cross the river to get to it. It is much like Regensburg is size and layout, but even prettier. I have a submarine sandwich and a juice here and stroll around the town for half an hour.
I have done some stretching and I still feel energetic. There are more riders on the trail after my break. I pass most of them easily as they poke along. The heat is rising but it doesn't drain me. I am sweating though. I am still not used to cycling with my glasses on, after losing my contacts on the train from Dresden to Berlin. They keep slipping down my nose. Fortunately, the hottest days of the summer are already behind me.
In the first hour after Straubing I reach Niederwinkling and in another hour Deggendorf. By 6pm I reach Vilshofen, another town facing me on the south side. There are hills beyond the valley floor on both sides of the river now, which makes for better scenery. I had set this as my goal for the day but the light is good and I still have energy so I push on a little further without crossing the river.
A little further means seven more kilometres to a sleeping hamlet called Sandbach. The next town is Passau at the Austrian border, which is over 20 km further. There is one hotel in Sandbach. It is reasonably priced and there are rooms available so I choose to stay.
There aren't more than a couple dozen buildings here, and no restaurants, but there is one on the main floor of the hotel so I eat there. There is no place to buy groceries for tomorrow but I will stop in Passau tomorrow instead.
There is nothing to do here, not even a decent place for a stroll. Anyway, the sun has just set and I have returned to my room shortly after eight. I write a couple letters. I am restless. I haven't spoken with anyone all day and feel the need to, but there is no one around outside or in the hotel lobby. It's dead. I enjoy the time I am cycling, watching the world of wonders unfold at each new, unexplored bend, but when I stop it's a different story. I find I am stretching my days out longer to shorten the time I spend in my hotel rooms. I will be glad when I can stay in youth hostels again, or when I find another cycling partner.
PHOTO 1: Regensburg
PHOTO 2: Regensburg Cathedral
PHOTO 3: leaving Regensburg
PHOTO 4: bike path on north shore of Donau (Danube) River
PHOTO 5: Walhalla
PHOTO 6: Straubing, main platz
PHOTO 7: Straubing
PHOTO 8: unmarked (not on my map) chateau
PHOTO 9: Vilshofen
PHOTO 10: Sandbach hotel
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