Tuesday: Danube Cruise / Bike Ride

Up early Tuesday. Strapped the bikes to the car and took off for Krems, a nice little town about an hour's drive outside Vienna, situated in the Wachau region of Austria, right there on that little ol' river known as the Danube.

We got there about thirty minutes before our ship sailed. The idea: take a cruise up the Danube about three hours, disembark, then ride the bikes back to Krems along the beautiful bike trail that runs through farmland, villages, and along the river. It's a trail known Europe-wide and maybe world-wide among cyclists. Our route would be about 35 kilometers.

The ship had a nice open deck on top with a lot of tables, so we sat there. Soon we were joined by an older retired couple from the States, Phil and Nancy. Very nice people. They come to Europe once a year and really seem to enjoy it.

After a three-hour cruise (cue Gilligan's Island theme song) we arrived in Melk. Schlepped our bikes off the ship, then rode about 3 kilometers back to a bridge that deposited us on the other side of the river for the long ride back to the car.

Do I have to mention it was a perfect, sunny day? About 80 F?

We stopped several times for a bite to eat or something to drink or to take photos. It was a leisurely trip and all in all we were on the trail about four hours. Then in the car and 45 minutes later we were back in Vienna, pretty damned tired but having enjoyed the hell out of a perfect day.

P.S.: US Wachovia Corporation derives its name from Wachau.

 Dürnstein, the main tourist attraction of the Wachau. England's Richard the Lionhearted spent a couple of years as prisoner of the Duke of Austria in the castle above the town, now a ruin. 

Every village had a church...

And some had castles.

Inner courtyard of Teisenhoferhof, gothic, converted in Renaissance, cultural center of Weißenkirchen.

Part of the bike path went through the fields;
corn, vineyards, apple trees, apricot trees are some of what we saw.

The bike path wasn't crowded, nor were the villages.
B and her dad did this route before and sometimes it was madness,
there were so many people. Today, nice and quiet!

We passed a commercial flower operation.

Another stretch through the countryside to the next village.

Prandtauerhof, a 700 year-old hotel / restaurant / winery.

B says usually these streets in Dürnstein are jammed with tourists...

This building in Weißenkirchen dates from the 14th Century.