20 July 2014
Vilsbiburg to Vilshofen, Germany (51 miles; Total = 94 miles)

I’m pretty sure that can’t possibly be what I think it is but then I slosh it gently around, tentatively touch it with my tongue, and confirm the unbelievable – those are actual ice cubes in my Coca Cola Light. This can’t be. There is no ice in Germany, let alone ice served in a soft drink. How these Germans can stand to drink warm soda and warm water and warm beer is beyond me. Especially given that for the past several days, the mercury’s been well above 90. How do they cool down their innards? I just don’t get it.

This is the phrase that Gina’s been mumbling pretty much the rest of the afternoon following our lunch-time Ice Cube Miracle. Our highly enjoyable bike route along the Vils River is being slightly tainted by the fact that it is beyond hot, it’s Sunday so every potential service in the itty bitty towns we’re riding through is closed, and we can’t even locate a garden hose with which to refill our water bottles. According to Gina we could die out here but I think she might be exaggerating a bit. I think it’s far more likely that only one of us will die out here seeing how I still have some water left in my bottle.

As it turns out, we survived, ending our day at the confluence of the Vils and Danube Rivers. This town of Vilshofen has a bit more to offer than last night’s stop, with a “Bett + Bike” right on the route and us the first to check in for the day, about an hour ahead of a rather brilliant and booming thunderstorm that moved through the region. I suppose if we’d gotten caught out in that, we could have no longer complained about a lack of cold water.