April 10, 2013 
Düsseldorf to Donaueschingen☁
500 kilometers on 3 trains in 6 hours (€271 for four, including bicycles reservations and 1st class seats)
Gastfof Jaegerhaus - Quad room with breakfast, €98 per night


I had received a notice of 20 minute train delay. Hey, aren't German trains famed for running on time? That delay could be problems for our transfer in Kahrlsruhe, our only scheduled transfer. 

 
After we met Junko and Hiro at their hotel, we rode our loaded bikes the 300 meters to the train station. We had bought our tickets conveniently through DB website (www.bahn.de ). There is an app for that! We had printed tickets and tags we needed to put on our bikes at Wim's house.

We easily found our platform and decided to take the escalator despite the horror story we had read on a blog where a lady had fallen when she could not hold her bike. Dave helped everyone get up without incident. On the platform, a yellow board showed the location of bike car on train. I had read that no luggage was allowed to be left on bikes so I told everyone to remove luggage thinking that it would save time. The train arrived and we made a mad scramble to get everything in the train. Luckily a conductor was there to push the green button to keep the door open (and train stopped) until we made it on board. Turns out we were at the wrong end of the carriage and the conductor was not happy. He ordered us to take our bikes off the train and return them to the train through the proper doors, at the next stop. Then he softened a bit and let Junko and Hiro walk their bikes through to the other end of the carriage to store their bikes in proper clamps, hanging on end by one whee). And on EC (Euro-City) trains, there is room for only two bikes in each car designated to hold bikes. The conductor told us to go to carriage #259 and secure our bikes there, the spot we had reserved. So Dave and I made mad dash off and on the train in Köln to hang our bikes in their proper place. After that, we relaxed in our comfortable first class compartment with Junko and Hiro and enjoyed the countryside we passed.


A different conductor came by and told us to stay on until Baden Baden and change there. Because of the delay, we missed the transfer in Karlsruhe. She told us the platform number we needed to go to. And she said we'd catch the same train we had missed and that would get us all the way to Donaueschingen. That was a RE (Regional Express) and, even though we paid for a bike reservation, those do not have reserved spaces for specific customers. You just find any carriage with a symbol of a bike on it and hope there is room to throw your bike on.

We enjoyed a small lunch in the first class dining car. It was nice but extremely expensive. Next time, we'll just get something of the snack cart they roll through the train from time to time.
 
In Baden Baden, we all managed to roll our bikes (using brakes) down small ramp on the stairs and up same way to next platform. It required some strength and balance but it was totally doable. Surprisingly, the next train on the schedule was not, as conductor had insisted, the same train we had missed.

...We didn't dare wait to see if our original train would show up later and took the next train to Offenburg where we would need to transfer again to another train to Donaueschingen. That third transfer turned out to be a no brainer since the train arrived at adjoining platform and we just rolled across with our luggage still secured to the bikes. That Donaueschingen train has half of a carriage, the one with the driver, dedicated to bikes. Our four were the only four and we had plenty of room. 
  
 
We purposely routed via Offenberg so we could take the scenic route to Donaueschingen. Most of the morning was drizzley and gray. Now, the sun appeared for that most scenic stretch climbing through the Black Forest.
   
In Donaueschingen we took advantage of small one person/one bike lift that dropped us one by one at street level. We cycled two kilometers up river to Gasthof Jaegerhaus where we had a room reservation.

We stayed in the spacious family room with 4 beds and attached bathroom, €98, included a great breakfast.

It started to rain soon after we arrived. The owner is a non-smiling stern German woman. There is nothing guesthousey about this Gasthof and the name translates to English as Hunter’s House Inn. The place is a very nice lodge, with everything squeaky clean, great food and fluffy feather-beds. The husband seems peasant enough but stays in the background. And he is a hell of a chef! We can't complain.
 


April 11, 2013 Donaueschingen☁

We planned an extra jet-lag recovery day in Donaueschingen before starting our epic cycle trip. We woke to a steady drizzle of rain with no sign that it would lift. It was a good day to hunker down in our cozy Gasthof.

The rain temporarily stopped in the afternoon and we took the opening to ride to the source of the Donau. It is said to "..begin its life as a spring bubbling to the surface in the little German town of Donaueschingen."

We had to cross the decent size Brigach River to get near the Donauquelle (spring). The River's name changes from Brigach to Donau at this spot. Construction barriers surround the site because of a failing hillside. The sign said the reconstruction project would be finished in 2016. We couldn't wait and snapped an obligatory photo from the distance and made our way to a coffee shop for pastry and coffee. Germans know a thing or two about pastries. Somehow, it did not dawn on us to have Black Forest cake here in the Black Forest.

The clouds opened again and we returned to the Gasthof like wet puppies. We need to work on our rain gear strategy. This route is known for almost daily rain. 

References:

....1) The Danube Cycle Way; Donaueschingen to Budapest by John Higginson
... 2) Bikeline Maps & Guides; Donau-Radweg 1, (5 books in the series)

Our plan in a nutshell; 2900 total kilometers at 50 km per day - 2 days riding for 1 day off for a total of 58 riding days & 90 total days - April to July, 2013 :)