Munich Way of St. James: Stage 13 Kempten - Weitnau

On Wednesday, June 19th, 2024 I take the train to Kempten. On the way to my accommodation at the Hotel Fürstenhof, I get my first pilgrim stamp sticker in the St. Mang Church.
After a fairly short night due to the high temperatures, I eat a lavish breakfast and set off around 8:30 a.m.
The hotel is located directly on the town hall square, so I immediately catch a glimpse of the old town hall with the Habsburg double-headed eagle. I continue out of town to St. Lorenz Church, where I get the next stamp.
After a climb, the path leads over green meadows into the Rottach valley and on to Mariaberg.
There is a pilgrim stamp in the small church and the first non-alcoholic pilgrim wheat beer of the day in the nearby inn.
After trials and tribulations about the route - my apps show the route differently, I ask a passer-by who really "guides me".
I follow the route of the former Isny-Bähnle through the forest to Ermengerst. The old train station there was converted into a youth center.
In the Church of John the Baptist there is already the third pilgrim stamp of this day! Now I go along a cycle path to Buchenberg.
Once there, I have a lunch snack at the Gasthof Sommerau and meet a woman at the next table who walked from Barcelona to Santiago 30 years ago.
As I set off, shortly after leaving town I meet a VERY cuddly cat.
As I enter the Hirlinger Forest, it starts to rain. Thanks to my trekking umbrella, this affects me peripherally, but the path stretches quite a bit towards Rechtis. I get another pilgrim stamp in the church there and when I get lost in the forest because I took a wrong turn, I meet three fellow pilgrims for the first time on the Way of St. James who, like me, are going to Weitnau.
Now that the four of us have found the right route, the path is still quite long. We exchange our pilgrimage experiences over hill and dale, often over roots and through dense forest. My three new acquaintances are also staying overnight in Weitnau, but pretty much on the outskirts. When we finally arrive around 7:30 p.m., we arrange to have dinner together that evening.
My landlady at the Gasthof Krone advises me to go out to have dinner as quickly as possible. So I change quickly and go to a pub in my going-out sandals. My three pilgrim friends soon arrive and we spend a sociable evening.
The three ladies will also spend the night in the pilgrim hostel in Scheidegg in two days, so that we will meet again then.
Strengthened and very tired, we part again and I finally move into my room number 12 in the Gasthof Krone. Freshly showered, I fall into bed and sleep soundly until the next morning.
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