Day 1 - Drive from Zonhoven to Bad Berneck

We kicked off at 08:30 from Zonhoven. Well, almost 08:30 — my brother needed an extra 15 minutes because apparently getting ready on time is not in his DNA. Classic. But hey, we were eager to get going!

First order of business on the way into Germany: buying a vignette so we could actually enter cities without donating our savings to the German fine system. Mission accomplished.

Now, I was the designated sticker-applier. You’d think putting a vignette on a windshield is straightforward, right? Wrong. I got half of it stuck on perfectly, and then the other half decided it wanted to stay on the backing paper forever. Professional craftsmanship at its finest.

With the vignette eventually in place, we set off for what should be a 5-hour drive. Almost immediately we spotted a giant rubber chicken on top of a lorry. Naturally, we followed it for way too long — though to be fair, it happened to be going our way the whole time. You don’t just ignore a chicken on a truck. That’s a life rule.

Hunger started creeping in, but luckily mom had packed us milk sandwiches with chocolate. Absolute legend. After munching those down, we stopped for a coffee break, grabbed some candy, and switched drivers to keep things fresh.

Around noon we pulled over for a proper lunch, which was — once again — lovingly prepared by mom. This time it was pasta salad, just like old times. Instant nostalgia in a tupperware container. Thanks mom for fueling this operation! 🙏

Dad, however, decided the picnic table was a bit too chilly for his liking and retreated to the warmth of the car. Meanwhile, my brother and I sat there like two abandoned penguins, eating our pasta salad in the cold. Thanks for the solidarity, dad.

We continued east and promptly hit some good old German Stau. Along the way I counted more McDonald’s and Burger Kings than I could keep track of. Do Germans just… only eat burgers? Is that the secret to the Autobahn? After a while we stopped again for some colas and a stretch, then I moved to the back seat for maximum chill mode.

Last 100km to go! The excitement was building, and then we finally spotted the sign we’d been waiting for.

We were so close now. But of course, just like on a bike ride where there’s always one more hill before the finish, there was one last Stau to conquer. The universe has a sense of humor.

And then — we made it! Bad Berneck, baby! The trip took us about 8 hours total, but we took 4 stops and took our sweet time. No rush. The sun was actually shining here, which was a pleasant surprise. The view from our hotel room wasn’t half bad either.

This year we packed extra gear because the forecast is calling for rain and cold weather. So tomorrow will be the real test. But first: pizza and lasagna time! Except… while we were happily stuffing our faces, the sky decided to open up. Rain, thunder, the whole show. Oh man.

Well, let’s call it part of the adventure. We packed for this, we mentally prepared for this, and we’ll make the absolute most of it. Tomorrow the bikes come out and the real fun begins — rain or shine.

See you tomorrow! 🚵