Published: Saturday, 25th April, 2009 11:25am

A well-earned rest

Prior to leaving the shores of 'Great' Britain I spent a number of weeks working with a good friend to complete a musical that we had been commissioned to write. We were particularly fond of composing elaborate passages of prose for the libretto, intended for the director, that set the scene.

Two days of hot sunshine and many, many miles cycling alongside the meandering Danube have passed since our lonely traveller, the protagonist of this tale, slept in the shadow of Ulm's towering minster. He sits content after a hearty plate of "dicker mann's" weiner schnitzel and dumpling, happily in the knowledge that he has reached the city in which he will spend a week resting before his final dash through Austria to the Hungarian capital, Budapest. The evening sun has long since dropped from the clear skies below the horizon, thus the only illumination is that of the dim electric lighting in his chosen beer cellar.

A second large glass of 'Kuchlbauer - der weissbier-spezialist' sits half-drunk casting a long shadow across the table infront of him as he makes yet another long entry in his journal...

It has always been my intention to spend a good number of days resting my now sore knees under the roof of my Aunt and Uncle, whose house is conveniently situated on the banks of the Danube in the Bavarian city of Regensburg. Combined with the fine weather, it was the knowledge of welcoming and familiar faces that drove me on to arrive well ahead of schedule in the home-town of Pope Benedict XVI.

Henry neglected to mention this leg of the journey, from Ulm to Regensburg that is, apart from saying that he did not believe the Danube to be as dramatic or impressive a river as the Rhine. Indeed I must agree at this stage - the 180 miles of rolling countryside, although very pleasant, saw little by way of noteworthy interest.

Having made that generalisation I will immediately contradict myself - I did enjoy passing through the historic towns of Donauworth, Neuburg, in which I spent the night, and Ingolstadt.

I was also granted a little break from my cruising speed of 13.5 mph when I came across a flock of 200 or so sheep who stood defiantly in my way across the cycle track. I quickly decided that ten minutes of my time dedicated to the shepherd herding them would provide a welcome break from my repetitive toil!

I look forward to a few days of resting in which I am determined to avoid all two-wheeled methods of transport!