I felt a sense of achievement waking up to my peaceful lagoon view.
No denying I was hungry, but it was only a short 20KM to Straubing. In comparison to the recent stunning Bavarian towns, the place was unspectacular and the only thing of note was a decorated clock tower.
There was a market on and I stupidly got ripped off spending 2€ on two apples at the market stall. Completely my fault, but I just wasn't thinking.
Next stop Deggendorf, an uneventful ride with nothing of interest, as indeed was the town. Got chatting to a nice guy cycling to a wedding in Budapest outside the Marina's International liebensmittel shop, and sent a message back home to Marina. Pushed on to Passau and after the drabness of the earlier cycle, the route into town from Windorf was nothing short of magical.
The light was amazing and the Danube flowing freely and I just kept bursting into song as I flew along.
Passau lies at the confluence of three rivers and the road layout was very confusing and it took me ages to get to the Ilzstadt Camping Ground. I had covered a decent distance, buoyed up by the fantastic final part of the cycle and went up to the campsite restaurant where I bumped into Bram again.
We sank a few beers and I left all my huge battery charging overnight. I woke up in the middle of the night to go pick it up and someone had stolen it. I was absolutely furious, not least as there is an unwritten expectation that you can leave your gadgets safely. Very unsettling to think that some of the regular camping community would be a thief, but upon reflection, I am pretty sure it was an opportunistic thief from outside that had been visiting the pizzeria. I definitely spotted a couple of dodgy looking types earlier in the evening.
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