The dwindling Danube

No bells, no disco, no early morning hoovering, so a quiet night. We leave Riedlingen at more or less our usual time and follow the ever dwindling Danube. It is now a shadow of its former majestic self; where once mighty cargo ships and cruise liners ploughed up and down it, it is now narrow and shallow, in fact you could wade across it quite easily in places if so inclined. The route twists and turns and there are many hills, with multiple chevrons marked on the map, a bit like a day's cycling in Devon along the upper reaches of the Dart perhaps. There are steep sided slabs of limestone on either side of the route with lots of castles perched precariously on top. We reach Tuttlingen quite late and note that we have now clocked up 1,500 miles and are strangely relieved to find that it is not another quaint mediaeval town, but just an ordinary unprepossessing sort of place. No heavy Bavarian or Swabian food tonight, but Greek, which is, well, typically Greek! Seems odd sipping ouzo and retsina in Swabia. We must find our own way down to Lake Constance tomorrow as there is a gap in the map series for the EV route. Fortunately I have come across a series of maps where we are staying that sets out multiple routes through Germany, including a "Spargel Route" near Heidelberg! We will try and pick up the Hohenzollern-radweg and see where we end up. (Riedlingen to Tuttlingen - 57 miles)