Day 10 - Passau
I had cycled for four straight days and was ready for a rest day. Passau is a lovely old city and a good place to spend a rest day. I needed to do laundry so that is how I occupied my morning. It took a little longer than I expected and made me miss the playing of the organ in the cathedral at noon. But I was tired and weary and did not mind the time spent just sitting in the laundromat.It was a grey day and a bit cool, and I regretted not having taken more photographs the previous afternoon. Nevertheless I walked around town, took some photos from the other side of the river, and did some window shopping and sightseeing. It was delighted to find some antique road maps in an antiquarian bookstore. Twice I went to an internet café where there was no charge for the internet so long as you bought a drink or coffee. They had very good coffee. Cycled 0 km.
Day 11 Aschach
I left Passau at 9:30 a.m. in a light drizzle. The path along the north side of the river was excellent and I was cycling a consistent 23 kilometres an hour. I actually enjoyed the ride for the most part, despite the rain, and the temperature was warmer than I had anticipated. I cycled 50 km before I stopped to have my lunch on a bench, which was not very pleasant in the increasingly heavier rain. I really should have gone to a restaurant instead. When I resumed cycling I was feeling very cold and could not wait to get to my destination, only about 15 km further. I arrived at Aschach, found a pension, and a hot shower never felt so good. I had cycled one of the prettiest sections of the Danube and was not able to fully appreciate it because of the weather. Cycled 68 km.Day 12 - Mauthausen
It had rained throughout the night but was forecast to end during the morning. I delayed my departure until 10:00 a.m. when the rain appeared to be over, then light drizzle started after I had gone only a kilometre or two. I put on my rain gear, then the rain stopped a short while later and stayed away for the rest of the day.
As I approached Linz I came upon an English couple that were heading in the same direction. We had
a short chat, then headed off at our own pace. Little did I know that I was going to see them many
more times over the next few days.
I crossed the bridge over to Linz and ate my lunch on bench in the town square. Three
German-speaking cyclists gestured for me to take their picture in front of a monument. I asked them to
do the same for me, and while we were occupied with photos some sparrows helped themselves to the
edge of my sandwich. We all had good laugh.
I cycled to Mauthausen and went into town to find accommodation, going a few kilometres past the
road to the concentration camp. I again had some difficulty and went into the police station to ask them
where the hotels were located. They told me there were three or four down by the river, and I
discovered that I had ridden right by them a bit earlier. Only one was open at this time of the year, so I
stayed there. The price of 35 Euros was more than I had paid anywhere else except Passau, but I had
no choice and the hotel was quite nice. I unloaded my panniers, showered and changed my clothes,
then headed back to the concentration camp, which was atop a steep hill. It was because of this hill
that I had decided not to go there with loaded panniers, and I took a round-about route suggested in
the book to lessen the grade, but ended up lost and crossing farm fields. Some school kids had a good
laugh.
My guidebook indicated that the camp was open until 6:00, with last admission at 5:00, but it turned out that they closed two hours earlier in the off-season and I had arrived just before 4:00 p.m.. I could not get in so I spent about an hour looking around the grounds and taking photos. I'm not sure if it was some kind of omen but the clouds cleared and I had brilliant sunshine during most of this hour. Cycled 74 km, of which 58 were along the radweg.
Day 13 - Melk
It was not supposed to rain this day but I had to contend with occasional showers. Each time they started or stopped it took some time to get into the panniers, pull out and put on the rain gear, then resume my ride. The rain was not hard this day, but it made the overcast and cool weather become unpleasant. I ran into the British couple again and we stopped together to have coffee at a restaurant. I then made good progress, despite the occasional stops for rain gear, and by the time I reached Melk had cycled 89 kilometres, my longest ride in quite a few years.On the outskirts of town, as I approached, I had met an Irish cyclist repairing a bicycle, and I offered
by assistance. Jarrett was leading a tour group of students from Dublin and he typically gave his bike to
a kid whenever one had a mechanical problem, which he then repaired. Then he would have to catch
up to them. They were also staying in Melk so Jarrett suggested that maybe we could meet up for
dinner, but a was never able to find him that evening.
The tourist office in Melk told me that this was the last week for the youth hostile to be open, but when
I arrived there they had a sign saying they had closed on the weekend. I found a gasthaus that turned
out to be my worst accommodation of the trip, for 30 Euros. Melk is a pleasant old town with a
gigantic Benedictine monastery. Because I had cycled a long distance that day, I did not arrive in Melk
until about 5:00 p.m., so the monastery would have to wait until next morning.
Day 14 - Krems
I checked out of the gasthaus and rode up the hill to the Abbey. They were well prepared for cyclists with ample bike racks accompanied by lockers where you can store your panniers for one Euro. The Abbey was well worth visiting and I ran into Jarrett as I was leaving. "Maybe we will see you in Krems", he said.
Cycling today was along the stretch of the river called the Wachau. This is the wine growing region of
Austria and it is very picturesque. Too bad it was overcast. I had lunch in the town of Spitz, then it
started to rain. I again put on all my rain gear and the rain lasted for about 45 minutes, raining harder
than the drizzle of the previous day. This was the fourth rainy day in a row, and although the rain was
generally light and sporadic on all but the first day, it was starting to get to me. I arrived in the town of
Durnstein, which I had been looking forward to visiting, and stopped only long enough to remove my
rain gear, and to take a couple of photos. I had passed the English couple a few kilometres back and
knew they would be arriving just behind me, so I waited long enough to take their picture as they
climbed the hill into town. They gave me their e-mail address and I sent them the photos after I
returned to Canada.
So I left Durnstein without bothering to see the castle or any other sites, and sped my way to Krems in
case another shower should start. It didn't, and the sun then came out after I had arrived at Krems. I
had a bit of time to kill before the hostel opened at 5 p.m., so I found an internet café and checked the
mail from home. I had been sending a group email to about 20 people and, as usual, a few would write
and tell me how much they enjoyed reading about my trip.
The hostel had only five guests, including me, and they were planning to stay open only until the end of
October. Cycled 40 km.
Day 15 - Tulln
At breakfast I met a German couple who were about the same age as I and were also cycling toward Vienna. I had actually encountered them two days earlier as I approached Melk, and we said hello as I passed them. I saw them a couple more times during today's ride. One of the pleasures of cycling the Danube is the people you meet and the fact that we tended to bump into each other more than once.
The weather was foggy as I left Krems, but I dressed in my cycling shorts because it was mild and
there was little threat of rain. After about an hour the sun came out, and it stayed out until
mid-afternoon. The scenery for my last two segments to Vienna was pleasant but certainly not as
picturesque as for most of the trip.
I arrived in Tulln in early afternoon after a relatively short ride of 48 kilometres. Tulln is a pretty town
with lots of parks and gardens, and it certainly helped that I was experiencing sunshine. The hostel is
new and was a bit difficult to find because it is not on the tourist maps, but it was a wonderful facility. It
again had only three or four guests, which seems to be common in the smaller towns at this time of year.
After I checked in, showered and changed, I went to the Egon Schiele museum, then looked around
the centre of town. I again ran into the German guys I had first met at Linz, and we greeted each other
as long lost brothers. I also ran into Jarrett and the Dublin kids. Cycled 64 km, of which 48 was along
the radweg.
Day 16 - Vienna
As I left Tulln at 9 a.m., for the first time it was warm enough to wear my short-sleeved cycling jersey over a T-shirt, with my jacket open. It was partly sunny with a slight breeze at my back. I never had much wind during my ride along the Danube but, except for today, I had always been riding into it. The prevailing winds are from a northwest so I was riding in the recommended direction, it just didn't seen to ever help me.
As I approached Vienna I had to make a lot of references to the map because the trail followed roads
quite a bit and the route was not so obvious. The trail had also been switched to the north side of the
Danube Canal since my map had been published. The canal section took me right into the centre of
Vienna and it was a pleasant ride because it was entirely on dedicated path. I ate my lunch on a bench
across from Wien University, then headed off on roads to find Bike-Attack, a cycle shop that had been
recommended to me. The manager was very friendly and helpful and offered me a bike box, which I
accepted and picked up the following day. I bought a map from him of the Vienna bike lanes, which
was very helpful for finding my way to the Sudbahnhof. I had decided I would stay in this area because
I would probably be taking the train to the airport from this station. The Hotel Congress cost me 60
Euros per night, almost double what I had paid anywhere else, but I was in a big city and the
accommodation was comfortable.
After I checked in I changed my clothes and headed downtown on my bike. What a city! Every time I
turned a corner there was another beautiful old building that would be considered the major attraction in
any North American city. I walked my bike along the pedestrian zone, a very lively area with
wonderful shops. I headed back to the hotel as dusk was approaching, and a light shower
accompanied me. Cycled 60 km, of which 38 was along the radweg.
Day 17 - Vienna
It was a rainy day, but I didn't care any more. My cycling was finished. I bought a 24-hour subway pass for 5, and headed off to tour Schloss Schonbrunn, the palace of the Hapsburgs. Then I went to Bike-Attack to pick up the box, and returned to the hotel to package my bike. They let me use a back hallway and I must admit I made quite a mess, but I cleaned it up as best as I could. I cleaned 2½ weeks of dirt off the bike, and worked 2½ hours before I completed the disassembly and boxing of the bike.Once the job of preparing my bike was finished, I was free to take the subway downtown and enjoy
the rest of the afternoon. I again walked the pedestrian zone, which is about 10 blocks long.
Day 18 - Toronto
In Tulln I had obtained a mattress bag at a furniture store, thinking I could pack my bike in it once I reached the airport. Some cyclists advocate using a bag rather than a box, and I could have carried the bag on my bike with a shock cord. I am glad I had located a box and dropped the idea of bagging the bike at the airport; I would have been too rushed. I also decided against taking the train as it is almost impossible to transport a boxed bike, two panniers and my shoulder bag on public transit. The mini-bus to the airport (a VW Eurovan) cost 40. My reason for staying near the train station was wasted, but I definitely made the right decision. I had been thinking of reassembling my bike at Toronto airport and cycling home, but was quite happy to again spend the money for a minivan taxi. I had had enough adventure and just wanted to get home.Summary
I cycled a total of 810 km, of which 675 was along the Tauern and Donau radwegs. I had not expected to do so many kilometres that were not progress along the trails, but the bike was the best way to get around each of my destination towns, including Vienna. I had planned to ride 50 km per day, six days a week, and to take trains around a section or two of trail. I got stronger as I got into the second week and substantially exceeded my expectations. Most of the other cyclists I met were in their 50s and seemed to be riding similar distances, but I tended to ride faster than the others.I can not speak too strongly about the sense of accomplishment. I did it all by myself and it required a
lot of planning, but I know I got a lot more out of it than I would taking an escorted tour.
I highly recommend the route I followed. I would like to go back to Europe, and am thinking I might cycle the Danube west of Passau, and the Inn valley through Innsbruck. Another possibility is around Lake Constance, and I hear good things about the Mosel valley. But I doubt that anything will be as good as this.