Cycling the German Danube: St. Peter to Ulm

In St. Peter, in the Black Forest, about to begin the first day of our bike trip.
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Our ride started out well, with a morning of climbing through the beautiful Black Forest in Germany.  Our goal was to reach Donaueschingen, the source of the mighty Danube (Donau in German).  See the photos for a view of the Danube's rather comically inauspicious start in downtown Donaueschingen.   The river continues from there for 2845 kilometers to finally empty into the Black Sea in Romania, near the Ukrainian border.  We started thinking, hmmm, the Black Forest to the Black Sea could be a pretty cool way to go.

Tole in the Black Forest hills.
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The Danube Bike trail itself is definitely easy riding as far as cycle touring goes.  A good percentage, if not a majority, of the bike tourists are families, many with one parent pulling a trailer containing a toddler or baby happily ensconced with a wad of blankies and a few toys.  I guess the kids just pretty much chill in there all day long while their parents pedal on and on, but they seemed surprisingly happy in there!  The trail is great quality - mostly paved, carless, flat and well-signed, but it soon became a little, well, boring.  And while we enjoyed, for awhile, the onslaught of wieners and taters we'd experienced since first entering Austria a few weeks prior, our tastebuds had began to clamour for some changes in the cuisine.  So, upon reaching Ulm, we decided to cart the bikes onto a train and head for Passau, near the Austrian border and still on the Danube.  Austria would be similar, with perhaps nicer scenery and the famed Wachau wine and castle region, but we knew this move would hasten our progress in reaching Hungary.

hmmm, the Black Forest to the Black Sea could be a pretty cool way to go

This is the start of the Danube? So they say, and they call it the "Donau Quell."
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Germany was a great intro, though, and we managed to get in the first flat tire (Tole on his eBay-purchased (read "fake") Schwalbes), and the first fall (me, of course!) of the trip.  Apparently it's important, when bicycling, to watch out for curbs and other rock-solid obstacles.  Nothing like diving right in.