Via claudia augusta - Page 7

Ferrara - Venice

Does not belong to the bike tour, but if you are already in the area, so Venice. We have both been here before, but about bikes in Venice we knew nothing. On the web we learned that it is forbidden to ride here. So I thought: push the bike to the hotel, done. I had booked a hotel 100 m from the station. Wrong thought, after 50 m stood 3 Carabinieri before us. They looked at us like extraterrestrials. Applying extreme kindness and remorse, we were allowed to turn back without penalty. Where now with the bicycles, in the station there was nothing for bikes. Who comes to Venice with a bike? After long talking, we were allowed to put them in the luggage storage 😅.

But now quickly to the hotel and then into the fray. The tourist mode for Venice was put in: St. Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace, Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge and some of the many small channels and narrow streets. I had afterwards the heated feet no 2 minutes in the water dangle, there came the next energetic reference of a guard: Hello, that is forbidden. Well, nevertheless always beautiful, this city. Let's see how long it still withstands the tourist stream and climate change. Until darkness we enjoyed the unique flair, in the evening no one seemed to be more interested in the fact that I dangling feet in the water drank my Moretti at the canal 🙂.

Venice - Chemnitz

A trip home is not really worth mentioning, but the one from Venice to Chemnitz with bicycles was special. A deterrent in Europe with the Bicycle on the road to be, there is logistically much air upwards. In Venice it was not possible to buy tickets for bikes at the DB. The Italian Rail employees had no access to DB data and in the DB app this option was not selectable. So we had tickets for the bikes first only to the Brenner. After releasing the bikes from the luggage storage, we first drove to Verona. Here there was a DB Bahn counter, but it could further help. In short, we spent 2 hours here because trains failed, the rest then because of overcrowding could not take bikes.

At some point we ended up in Bolzano after all, the train further to the Brenner went in short intervals, but not immediately the first took us with bicycles. Also to change tracks via stairs or elevators, with luggage bags on the wheel, does not contribute to the exhilaration. Departure tracks were often not correct or changed constantly. It was already getting dusky when we arrived at the Brenner, in half an hour the train to Munich came by, a glimmer of hope. That it was not an isolated case showed other cyclists here who had the same problems.

The train to Munich arrived, hurray, the bike compartment was empty, but the train attendant would not let us in. We should have booked in advance, pleading and Swearing helped nothing 🤢. So we had to take the Austrian train first to Kufstein, then to Rosenheim, with the DB then to Munich. There we briefly considered whether to stay overnight again, but we were tired of it and wanted to end the circus. So the last train ride led us to Donauwörth, where our car was parked. We had the rest in our own hands and landed relieved in the early morning at home.