I took the train from the airport to the Sudbahnhof (south railway station), then had great difficulty
finding the U1 subway line which would take me to the Westbahnhof. It turned out to be a couple
blocks away but I eventually found it after asking directions from quite a few people. I also mistakenly
went up and down a couple of flights stairs, which is not easy with a loaded bike. Fortunately the U
Bahn generally has elevators so I arrived at Westbahnhof without having to take any more stairs. I had
just missed train to Salzburg but they run every hour so I was able to catch one that got me to Salzburg
by 5:45 p.m.. I had just enough daylight left to cycle along the radweg (cycle path) to the hostel.
Fortunately I had reserved the hostel and researched the route to get there. Cycled 7 km.
I arrived at Zell mid-afternoon. Zell is a lovely resort town and I took a few photos. I found a bike shop, bought a bell to replace the one that was broken in transit, and got the mechanic to inflate my tires to the proper pressure, something I had been unable to do sufficiently with the portable pump on my bike. I then cycled to the hostel, which was about two kilometres out-of-town, and checked in. I went back downtown for supper before returning to the hostel at dusk. Cycled 33 km.
The rain stopped and the train arrived at the station, four kilometres short of the Krimml waterfall. I had
known this in advance, and that it would be a tough climb (165 m) to the start of the radweg. I had
been concerned about exhausting myself on the hills at the expense of being able to ride all the way to
Zell, but I wanted to get to the very start and to see the waterfall. I pushed my bike up the steeper
sections and arrived at the waterfall. After a short visit and a few photos I turned around and started
on my trip back to Vienna.
I was fortunate that it had not been raining and I was hoping I would miss it completely. It was not to
be and a light drizzle started about two hours after I had departed from the train. I got cold after a
while and put on my than rain pants, and then I was sufficiently comfortable for the rest of the day.
Much of the radweg was a dedicated cycle path following the river, where there was steady downhill
which was easy cycling, but there were frequent detours away from the river and through the towns.
Where the radweg followed roads they were mostly traffic-free and not much wider than the cycle
path. Sometimes the hills were very difficult, but generally short. Neukirchen was a very attractive
town. I bought some buns and milk in the town of Mittersil, and ate my lunch under a canopy at the
hospital entrance.
Towards the end of the ride I felt myself getting stronger and quite comfortable in the saddle, even
though I had not cycled such a long distance in many years. As I approached Zell some mountain
bikers caught up to me, young guys who had been on my train and I had last seen at Krimml. We
exchanged pleasantries and cycled into Zell, arriving about 4 p.m.. I showered and changed at the
hostel, then headed downtown so I could get dinner before dark. I ate a pizza at an excellent
restaurant, then found an Internet café where I wrote home. It was pitch black by the time I got back
on my bike for the trip to the hostel, and was still drizzling. I made it back despite the lack of a light and
felt very satisfied with my day. Cycled 80 km, of which 68 was forward progress along the radweg.
After about 15 kilometres I came to a very steep hill and I had to push my bike to the top. I rested
there and took some photos of a barn and that was decorated with window boxes with beautiful
flowers. It was also warming up so I took off my jeans and cycled the rest of the day in my cycling
shorts. Just before I was ready to leave an elderly couple cycled to the top of the hill and stopped to
chat. The gentleman looked to be in his early '60s and was from Holland while his lady companion
was probably in her '50s and from Germany. They impressed me with their fitness because they had
just cycled up the hill that I had pushed my bike up.
Perhaps another 10 kilometres further along I decided to take a shortcut, with disastrous results. I had
thought I could save myself from having to climb out of the valley but after cycling three or four
kilometres I realized that I was following the main highway. I turned around, then re-traced my steps
and followed the proper route, which was very scenic. I stopped in the town of Lend to eat my lunch,
then headed toward the toughest hill of the trip. I had a choice here of either staying along the highway,
which I feared might be busy, or going up this steep hill and rejoining in the town of Schwarzach. Of
course I pushed my bike up the hill, which was very arduous, but I was rewarded by some nice photo
opportunities at the top. The descent was at about 45 kilometres an hour with the brakes lightly
applied.
I should point out that drivers are very bike-conscious in Austria and give good room when
overtaking you. I am used to the North American experience where they slow for nothing and
squeeze by when oncoming traffic prevents them from giving a reasonable space. When the
radweg follows roads, on both the Tauern and Danube radwegs, they are usually back roads
with little traffic, and sometimes busier roads but with a bike lane designated by a painted line.
The guides generally indicate whether the radweg is on path or road, but they do not usually say
whether there is a bike lane or how busy the road may be.
My right knee, for which I had been seeing a chiropractor all summer, bothered me a lot during my final
25 kilometres. I had to stop every once in a while and stretch it. I finally limped into Werfen at 3:15 in
the afternoon, and found myself a nice room at Pension Weisses. The cost was 26 euros per night,
including breakfast. Cycled 66 km.
My friends departed at noon and I went back to
my room for lunch. In the afternoon I went to the
fortress, which of course is on the top of a hill.
Within the fortress I walked up and down to the
many levels, including to the top of the bell tower.
There was an interesting display of falconry as
well. At the end of the afternoon I walked back
to my pension, having done an enormous amount
walking on this, my rest day. I nevertheless did
get a rest from cycling and my knee did not
seriously bother me anymore.
That evening I ate dinner at a funny little
restaurant that reminded me of a place we had
visited in East Berlin some 33 years earlier.
There was a group of men playing cards at the
next table and everyone was smoking, but the
omelet was the best I've ever had. Cycled 0 km.
I had my lunch on a bench along the trail, facing
the river. This section was remote from
development, it was very quiet, and there did not
even seem to be much wildlife in the area. I
continued northward and the trail left the river at
the town of Tittmoning, then following a lightly-
travelled highway. There was a steep ascent to
the town of St. Radegund, and a few kilometres
further along a nice long descent to the
community of Ach. I crossed the bridge to the
town of Burghausen, which is in Bavaria. There
are no longer border posts within the EU, and all
transactions are now in Euros, so changing
countries is a breeze. I arrived about 2 p.m. and
wanted to stay in Burghausen but was unable to
find suitable accommodation. The hostel did not
open until 5 p.m. and hostels in Bavaria do not
normally except guests over 26 years of age. I
went to one pension and was quoted a price of
50 Euros, and it was a dump. The good hotel
was 65 Euros, more than double what I was used
to paying. I had cycled about ten kilometres
around town looking for accommodation, which
made my total distance on the day about 70 km,
and it was another 25 km to the next town. This
was a further than I had cycled in one day in a
long time but I nevertheless got back on my bike,
climbed a very steep hill back on the Austrian
side of the river, then was fortunate to see a sign
that said private zimmer. This was a room in a
private house and the people quoted me 18
Euros, including breakfast. I of course jumped at
that.
The owners of the house were in elderly couple
who did not speak English, but we had a
delightful time. There was no restaurant nearby and there was no way I was about to go back down
the steep hill into Ach, so I bought some buns and beer at a grocery and went back to the house. The
lady invited me to drink my beer on their back deck, which was very pleasant in the late afternoon
sunshine. We managed a rudimentary conversation about the weather (Wetter morgen? Kalt. Regen?
Nine.). My room was spartan but clean, and I had to share a bathroom, but I was absolutely delighted
with my accommodation. They even served me a boiled egg for breakfast, my first of the trip. It is
fortunate that I found it because the next day a discovered that there was nothing more along the road
until the town of Braunau, and I would have been exhausted by the time I got there. Cycled 75 km, 63
of which were along the radweg.
I cycled to Braunau and there was one steep hill along
the way that was not shown in my guide. There was a
market in progress in Braunau and I bought groceries
for my lunch. I found an internet café and spent an
hour doing e-mail. I ate my lunch on a bench in the
town square before resuming my journey northwards.
The wind had picked up and I found the going tough.
The trail mostly followed a berm and it was a bit
rough in places due to the flooding. There was a
construction crew increasing the height of the berm. I
arrived in Obernberg midafternoon and for the second
straight day had trouble finding a place to stay. A lot
of places are closed during the off-season so the
choices can be limited or possibly even nil in smaller
towns. They do not usually bother to put out a
geschlossen (closed) sign so it can be frustrating when
you just get no response at the door. You can not tell
if they are out for an hour or closed. I finally found the
gasthaus that was open, though it was a bit below
even my standards. Obernberg is a very old market
town and I had been expecting something nice, but
was somewhat disappointed. Dinner was a beer and
pizza at Brandy's. Cycled 61 km, of which 56 were
along the radweg.
Many of the old Austrian towns are built around a large square called the hauptplatz. All the
surrounding buildings are attached to each other and there is a gate at both ends where the highway
passes through. You would not call it a fortified town, but they certainly had the ability to control who
could come and go. The markets were held in these town squares, and they still are to this day.
Scharding was no exception and there was a market in progress when I arrived. I took photos,
continued on my journey northward, and arrived in Passau early afternoon.
I went to the tourist information office and they gave me a brochure showing the various options for accommodation. I accepted in the first one I looked at, the Pension Roessner. The price of 35 Euros seemed quite reasonable for a small city, and my room had a wonderful view overlooking the Danube and the fortress on the other bank. Cycled 40 km.