Wobbling Winos: Day 49. Kressbron to Dingelsdorf.

Day 49. Gohren near Kressbron to Dingelsdorf. 43km, 3h05.

After a bit of a hunt we managed to find the new cycling route for today. It was a short cycle to Fredrickshafen where we caught the Catamaran to Konstanz. Konstanz lies on the border of Germany and Switzerland where the Rhine exits the Bodensee. The old town is charming and is on the Swiss side of the Rhine. It is quite confusing as you are never quite sure if you are in Germany or Switzerland here and all along the Bodensee.

We wanted to visit Mainau garden which is on an island west of Konstanz. After visiting the TI where we heard that the tickets to visit the garden are half price from 17:00, we decided to look for accommodation close to Mainau and visit the garden later. This proved to be a bit of a mission as most places were fully booked. We eventually found a place at Gasthaus Anker in Dingelsdorf, 5 km from Mainau. Phew!

Mainau gardens were developed in the 1800's by Duke Bernadotte of Denmark whose fascination with plants inspired him to create this beautiful garden with an extraordinary botanical collection. The trees are particularly beautiful with some ancient specimens from around the world. For example the Victoria Lime was planted in 1862 by the grand duke to mark the birth of his daughter. The oldest Chinese Redwood in Europe reaches up to the sky graciously. The duchess planted an avenue of Mulberry trees to feed the silkworms that made the silk for their daughter's wedding gown. Only one of these beautiful trees remains today. In addition there are many mighty oaks and proud cedars that provide the backdrop to this beautiful garden.

The Italian rose garden was laid out in 1870. It has more than 9000 rose bushes and nearly 400 different varieties. It was in full bloom, and absolutely beautiful to walk through. There were beautiful climbers scrambling up the trees, tall arches covered in blooms and floribundas spilling over the pathways. Quite breathtaking.

The Italian style garden and water cascade were magnificent and we have never seen such beautiful fuchsias. The late afternoon light showed the flowers off beautifully. It was bliss wandering through these magnificent gardens in the late afternoon and as a bonus there were also fewer people. What a pleasure!