A great many cycle tourists use Sigmaringen as a staging post at the end of the magnificent ride through the Alb Valley from Tüttlingen. The beautiful old town would be well worth a visit even without the stunning Hohenzollern castle that towers over it; therefore, I decided to spend the night here and started looking for a hotel or a bed and breakfast offering “Fremdenzimmer”, or “Rooms for outsiders”. I eventually found a bed at the “Traube” boarding house in the centre of the old town, right below the castle. The “Traube” boarding house dates back to the 18th century and the Ewald family, who took it over at the beginning of the 1980s, obviously take great pleasure in welcoming guests, with or without bicycles. Offering a covered shelter for bikes, a laundry area, wholesome dinners for starving cyclists and walkers, simple, good-value accommodation and enormous breakfasts, the Ewalds do everything possible to help tired travellers regain their strength. That evening at dinner, a group consisting of several families were able to savour the specialities of Bade-Würtemberg. This was followed by a pleasant evening filled with games and laughter. The warm welcome provided by Sigmaringen’s hoteliers prolongs the harmony of a day spent beside the fledgling river that will soon become the beautiful blue Danube.
