Some Notes on Things That Have Gone Wrong

So far, this trip had been mostly problem-free.  But I don't want you to think that it's not without it's challenges.  Here are some of the standout issues I faced, and how I bravely tackled them with grit and determination.

1) The Time When I Bought the Forearm-sized hunk of Off-brand Sausage - I went to a supermarket in Tuttlingen that specialized in selling their store brand next to the brand name competitor.  The store brand was called "Ja!", and they sold "Ja!" everything: shampoo, chocolate bars, rice crackers.  Me, being a cost-conscious bicycle tourist, bought the 1 Euro slab of sausage, figuring it's pretty much the same stuff, right?  Three days later, I threw the last 2/3rds of it away after the toxic aftertaste became too much.  My bicycle seat thanked me, too.

2) The Time When I Rode Through Mud for Three Days and Then Didn't Do Basic Maintenance -  It was about 3 days of rain with about a half of it on dirt roads.  Mud and clay sprayed up onto my rims, gears, brakes: it got everywhere.  On the fourth day, the higher gears started skipping, making it impossible to do any kind of climbing.  I put the Chump Steamroller in the humiliating "Emergency Road-side Repair" position, cleaned the bikes, lubed up all of the joints on the derailleur, the cable housings and the chain, and gave the rear gear cable about a 1-2 mm tightening.  Problem solved, though I probably wouldn't have had to do anything if I had just given the bike a wipe-down at the end of each day.

3) The Time When I Watched the Reality Show About the German Bodybuilder - I will never have that hour back.  And I didn't even understand a word of it.

4) The Time When I Opened My Mouth And a Swarm of Gnats Flew In - At least I got my protein for that day

5) The Time When I Thought I Didn't Need Sunscreen - I got actual blisters on my forearms from the sun!  I'd never seen that before!

6) The Time When I Thought that European Coffee Didn't Need Cream and Sugar - It does.  And shame on me for ever thinking different.

7) The Time When I Was Faced With a Choice Between a Regular Schnitzel and the House Special Extra Large Schnitzel - God help me, I got the extra large schnitzel.

That's about it for things that have gone wrong.  Hopefully future travellers will learn from my mistakes and avoid these pitfalls.