Day22, 1316km: Munich, Germany.

Leaving behind the great game of the Alps, we pursue Germany as Austria and the Alps dip beyond the horizon to the south. There are only rolling hills of corn and wheat now and grey clouds fill the sky. The people and culture are not too different here; people walk and talk the same as they share the German language. While riding on Saturday we remarked that we had each seen about five or six pieces of trash on the side of the road. Here, we find a beautiful advanced society. We ride from one village to another; oftentimes on a bike trail paralleling the main road. Each town is marked by it’s central square and chapel, which can be seen from a distance as we approach. The ‘zentrum’ is like a stone mirage in a dessert of green fields. To find a town square, follow the tallest spire in the horizon or listen for the distant sound of a bell tower. You are nearing when the narrow paved streets soon turn to stone. The central cathedral you will find is a symbol of the town’s stature and a reflection of their effort to commune with the highest order. We stop for a brake in such towns every 20-40kms for food, water, and information. Oftentimes, arcaded sidewalks offer cover from the recent rain storms we have been having. Below the arcades, restaurants spill into the streets under umbrellas with comfortable chairs that never quite sit level on the cobbled stones.