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June 6, 1999 Derek and I took the train to Ybbs an
der Donau, about 90 minutes away, and rode our bicycles back to Vienna over the next
couple of days along the Donau Radweg, the bike path that goes along the Danube from
inside Germany all the way to Budapest, Hungary. It's probably the most famous
single bike path in Europe, as it is in great shape, mostly separate from roads, and is
quite pretty. In our case, we began at Ybbs, a 1000 year old city with walls and
turrets, and we rode through the Wachau valley, the famous Austrian wine growing
area. After that it was down the flat plains to Vienna; about 88 miles (120km)
altogether. We had a little rain, lots of sun and beautiful weather, and enjoyed
ourselves. Derek was a hit with the other riders as not too many young children make
the ride. Now we are ready for the really long rides... (links to Austrian riding information)
| Check out the dates on the highwater marks. Now, this is
history... We had one accident; Derek spilled on the first day. Some
blood and scratches, but he recovered very well. Other riders who saw the blood and
the gaps in Derek's teeth thought (and said) that it must have been a bad accident
(Unfall)... |
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| In Austria, you often find in the country milk machines, where the
local farmer sells unpasteurized, unhomogenized, unskimmed milk directly. You bring
a container and put a few pennies in, and it's absolutely great! |
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| Spitz, Joching, Weienkirchen, and Durnstein are all small
villages that make up the Wachau region. Wonderful, very old towns with nice people.
It reminds you a LOT of Sonoma country - the wine culture and ambience, tourists,
and usually very nice weather. |
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| Watching the barges and boats slowly make their way up the Donau is
always fun. Durnstein is much over 1000 years old, with a castle ruins on the
overlooking hill that held Richard the Lionhearted when he was held for ransom while
returning from the Crusades. |
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| The overall level of facilities, the number of Gasthauses and rest
stops for bicyclists, and the signs all made this a very pleasant bike ride. |
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