Today we left the Danube, after following it for over a thousand kilometres, to head south towards the Bodensee.

It was a cool morning and our route took us through farm roads, with a few hills, between small villages. A change in landscape for us, having been alongside the river for so long. We passed Laupheim and stopped at Biberach to buy as snack (orange juice and a sandwich). The gradient between Bieberach and Bad Waldsee was gentle as it was mostly alongside the railway line.

      

      

We arrived in Bad Waldsee in the early afternoon (after a 75km ride) and found accommodation easily through the tourist information office. The room is above a pub in a house that is more than 700 years old (it has very uneven floors and some exposed beams upstairs). The woman who runs the pub is the fourth generation since her family has owned the house. Her great grandfather, a carpenter, bought it. Her grandfather had a tailor shop and grandmother sold milk from the house.

The pub is a family run business and we were offered a coffee by the mother when we arrived. We had an enjoyable chat with the mother and her son, who is about to start studying engineering.

After washing up, we went to buy food and explore the town. The town is small but very pretty. There are two small lakes, where you can swim (but it was too cold to be tempted that day). You can also promenade right around the lakes and there are nice cafes and parks along the shores. We had a picnic on a bench on the lake shore.

    

When we got back, we had some beer in the pub at our accommodation. The beer on tap is made by the boyfriend of the woman running the pub, so we got to meet the beer maker and his daughter too. We chatted a little with an elderly man who is also staying at the pub, while his wife is being treated for a hip complaint in the nearby hot pools.