How to: Perfect honeymoon for Michi & Fabian

How do you spend your honeymoon after such a wonderful wedding? There is only one way: On your own boat cruising the Bavarian Riviera.

Monday 01.08. But first, we really indulge. We drive to Rottach-Egern and have lunch at Christian Jurgen’s Restaurant at Hotel Überfahrt. Lunch is a small word for a 4h 7 course feast.

We stay at the Überfahrt. In the evening, we enjoy the shores of lake Tegernsee.

We stay at the Überfahrt. In the evening, we enjoy the shores of lake Tegernsee.

In the evening, my dad is fully inaugurated into the Kirsch Family. At my parents wedding, 50 years ago, Aunt Kerstin had taken two Picolo to her room, despite my dad’s strict orders. My parents told the story a few times because it was expensive for them at the time. We had given them a small surprise at our wedding: 2 small bottles of champagne in their room on Almbad Huberspitz. We stopped by my parents room this evening with 2 glasses of prosecco. Later, my dad took a bottle of champagne from the mini bar on my bill, as I paid the rooms. Nice story and perfect wedding memory for Aunt Kerstin.


Tuesday 02.08. We hitchhike the first part of the way with my parents and spend a wonderful evening in Regensburg. We explore the famous Steinerne Brücke and downtown. Then we have dinner at the Dicke Mann.

The day, we again hitchhike with my parents to Nürnberg where we say goodbye. Michi and I hop on the regional train to Papenheim, with a 20kg backpack on my back. It contains everything we need, tent, sleeping bags, cooking ware and our boat. We stock up supplies in the local EDEKA and head out on the Altmühl river. Under a downstream bridge we find a spot to prepare our boat. Then we are off towards Sollenhofen.

The Altmühl is a very gentle river. It is, actually, the slowest flowing river in Germany. This has advantages, because we can get used to our packraft. But it has also severe disadvantages, because we need to paddle the whole time. The current heat wave with temperatures in the mid 30s is upon us. The river offers little shade, but a constant supply of sunscreen saves us from burning.

We started late (ca. 14:30) and paddle into the evening, past Sollenhofen and all the way to Hammermühle. We see ducks and even a beaver swimming in the stream. After Sollenhofen, we float through the outskirts of the Frankenjura, past the 12 Apostles.

After 3:30h (4:15h total) and 12.3km, we reach the campsite at Hammermühle. We have a fun evening: We share our grill with an Austrian family and listen to the one song a party group is playing all night: “Ich geh an die Bar – und hol einen Vodka-O für dich”. We grill steaks and drink a winner Radler. The sunset bathes the clouds and fields in deep orange.

We sleep very well.


Wednesday 03.08.: I order Latte Macchiato, Orange juice and buns for breakfast – as a joke, as we are on a campsite. But I am pretty surprised when Michi returns with exactly that breakfast.

We pack our boat. It is awesome that everything fits in the tube pockets. Then we start our day of with an adventure: the boat slide at Hammermühle. We zip up our cover and hit the slide. Pretty easy.


It is a hot day, again. We paddle slowly and enjoy the river. We take the second boat slide at Hagenacker with ease. Around noon we reach Dollenstein where we take a break at the camp site.

From Dollenstein it’s only a small hop to our campsite for the night at Breitenfurt (3:15h (5:40h total) and 10.7km). The campsite is small and crowded but cozy. We relax in the yard, enjoy the cool river and grill steak, again. We spend the evening on a little patio by the river. We even see a Ringelnatter crossing the river directly ahead of us. The owners of the campsite have all sorts of animals; esp. the rabbits are a hit with the kids. But there are also almost domesticated crows and sparrows that eat from the hand. The starts are particularly bright and even the Milky Way is clearly visible. I should have brought my camera.

Thursday, 4.8.: We slept well and enjoy our breakfast by the river. We the pack for the last time and head out. We are the first ones on the river and all by ourselves. We decide to paddle to Obereichstätt (1.1h, 4.7km). We exit the river by the bridge and pack.

In search of a bus stop we ask an old man who tells us: “There was no bus in the old days. we walked. You walk past the street light, turn left and over the hill.” But we find the bus stop and catch the bus to Eichstätt. From there we take the train via Ingolstadt to Nürnberg. We spontaneously decide to spend two days in Iphofen to relax and recover. Before we go there, we need to buy some clothes. We get lucky in Nürnberg (in the hottest week if the year I buy the last pair of shorts at Tommy Hilfiger – season is over…).

We take the regional train to Iphofen. It is a beautiful wine country with rolling hills and … scorching heat. Our hotel is the Zehntkeller (recommended by a colleague). The hotel is beautiful with a vast garden. Our first trip leads us to Wirsching’s vinery for a bottle of Scheurebe Alte Reben. It takes a good 20min to explore the town: Town square, two churches, the famous Rödelseer Tor.

Dinner at Zehntkeller is nice but very heavy given the heat (cream soup, cow cheeks). We spend the evening relaxing in the garden and watch the stars until midnight.

Friday 05.08. Today, we relax. We sleep in, have a (semi-) late breakfast and walk around the town; which takes ca. 30min. We spend the rest of the day in the yard of Zehntkeller and buying wine at Wirsching (after a small lunch at Blumencafé). We spend the afternoon relaxing in the yard, only interrupted by the romantic menue.

Saturday 6.8. After a relaxing breakfast we pack and head to the check out. On the way, we decide that it is much nicer to stay another day. And that’s what we do. We spend the morning relaxing in the yard and watch the preparations for a wedding that will take place here in the afternoon. In the afternoon, we take a stroll through the wine mountains and hike up Julius-Echter-Berg, a famous wine area of the vineries Wirsching and Juliusspital.

We have a very late lunch downtown and take a nap before dinner. Since other guests are 70+, we fit right in. We enjoy a dinner and talks at Zehntkeller and go to bed

Sunday 7.8. Today it is time to go home. One more breakfast and one more coffee in the yard. Then we are on our way. It was a beautiful holiday.