Another transfer day. We are getting good at packing up and moving on. Woke at 6:30 today, and we actually had plenty of time before heading to the river to catch our riverboat “Stadt Linz” down the dock.
When we got on board, however, it was a bit disconcerting to see some of the passengers quaffing beers at 9 AM. Leaving town afforded us one more view of the little town of Passau, and we went sailing down the Danube, a gradually widening river that is surrounded by steep, forbidding hills on either side. There were little tourist places on either side, as well as a well developed bikepath. I actually felt a little guilty that we were not riding all the way- using the riverboat seemed like cheating. 
It was a lovely trip. We traversed one of the locks that makes Danube navigation possible, and arrived in Engelhartszell, our drop off point for the day. We saddled up and began our ride.The trail was right along the Danube, on a paved, slightly curvy path that allowed low energy cycling with plenty of time to admire the scenery. The river Danube is not blue, except when the light catches it at a certain angle. It was mostly brown, with a touch of green, which makes sense given the amount of farm runoff that comes in there. Lots of people on the bike path on this glorious Sunday; families, couples, kids and elders.
We were riding on the south side of the river for much of the time, which put us in the shade. But it warm enough that Julie and I could comfortably ride in shorts and tee shirts. The air was crisp and invigorating, and the leaves on either side were just starting to change. That’s how perfect it was.After 25 km, we came to Scloegen, our lunch place. On the way, we saw a campground which seemed to cater to a fairly stable clientele- many had built elaborate additions to their trailers and had beautiful gardens that must have taken all summer to grow. We saw a few boats working their way up and down the Danube. We saw additional side rivers add to the river’s size and importance. I saw a RESTPLATZ with stone picnic tables. It was a pleasant, flat ride, through a special place.
Lunch was on our our own. Julie, Pam and I didn’t want to eat in a restaurant- too many big meals. We found a bakery open, that would put ham and cheese on bread for us, so we ate sandwiches by the river and spoke of cabbages and kings. The shops in the town of Scloegen were closed (it was Sunday), except for the restaurants. Most were on the main street that ran along side the bikepath, and they had little “biergartens” across the street on the river. I counted five different ice cream places. After a walk around the town, Julie and I got back on the bikes and headed south.
The high cliff topography that we had seen earlier in the ride gave way to an open plain with rolling hills for the remainder of the ride. The route continued to be level, but this stretch was more accessible, and therefore more crowded. Reminded me of the Cape on a not-too-crowded day. After another 6K, we came to a dam, which had a bridge in front of it. Locks, too, but no one was passing through them at that time. We went by a man-made lake that had been designed for crew races- skulling is apparently something beside a collegiate event in Europe. Finally, we came into Ottoschiem, a little town with a well lit town square and a biergarten that served ice cream as well. I had both (not at the same time) and then we boarded a bus to take us 200K downriver to the next ride- the valley of Wachau and the cathedral of Melk.
The Danube may have been the route through which civilization reached Europe; for us it was a reintroduction to the ways in which a civilization can play without a flat screen TV.
The bus got to Weissenkirchen at about 6, and we were again overwhelmed by the accommodations; a house built in 1573 that has grape vines growing all over it. They make wine in the Wachau Valley, you see. We had dinner in a basement antechamber, a fabulous feast of many parts, with locally grown wine. Tomorrow, we ride through vineyards to one of the greatest cathedrals in Europe. With perfect weather focast. I’ll tell you about it later.
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