Sunday June 1, 1997
We left from Rijswijk 8:00 am, with the bikes on the back of the car,
About 9:00 am we were already in Schärding (A).
Although we enjoyed every day of the neighbourhood, this was one the most
beautiful tours qua scenery.
In the Danube are many locks, we think that this is the reason we saw not
much navigation.
A few kilometres "in reverse", so that we could cross the bridge of
Grein.
Downhill was a lot of easier, although ... the handbrakes of the bicycle
of Mirjam kept it excellent, but the "backwards"-brakes of my bike was
getting produce a strange sound and an even stranger smell.
This trip it's only possible to cycle on the right bank.
On the birthday of Mirjam we cycled from Tulln along the lock of
Greifenstein and we came across a lot of day-trippers from Vienna.
In the morning we have hanged 65 metres above the city in the "Riesenrad"
(Giant Wheel) in the Prater-park.
After a very easy car-trip we were getting home at 5:00 pm.
leaving Holland via Rotterdam, Breda, Tilburg, Eindhoven and via Venlo
over the border.
In Germany we followed the "Links Rheinische Autobahn" (motorway left on
the river the Rhine), on the way there was a traffic-jam of 40 km ...
happy for us, the opposite direction, we could drive-on good.
When we drove 120 km/hour, sometimes we were overtaken, if we stood
stil.
What do these Germans drive hard with their BMW's and Mercedeses !
We have selected a "Gasthof" (bed and breakfast in a little hotel) from
the book "Links + Rechts der Autobahn" (Left + Right of the Motorway).
That was in South-Germany (Iggensbach), about 20 km before Passau.
Monday June 2, 1997 - Schärding - Kramesau ... 48 km
In this place we had to report ourselves by "Austria Radreisen", the
organizer of the cycling holiday.
Delivering the suitcases, getting a parking-place for the car and the
cycling-tour was going to begin.
Along the river the Inn (A) to Passau (D) and from there we followed
the right bank of the river Danube.
With the ferry-boat to Obernzell (D).
The last border-crossing was on the left side of the Danube after
Jochenstein.
In a hotel in Kramesau, directly situated along the Danube, we had our
night.
Tuesday June 3, 1997 - Kramesau - Linz ... 64 km
The bike-path was twisting along the close-growing hills, this is the
most narrow place of the Dabube.
Halfway the trip we crossed the Danube with a ferry-boat, so we followed
the right bank of the river.
We came through old little towns, as Inzell and Aschach with houses with
beautiful fronts.
At the end of the trip we had a "descend" to Linz.
One of the few times we had to cycle on the "Bundesstrasse" (roadway).
The rest of the "Donau-Radweg" (Danube-bike-path) was nearly always a
bike-path along the Danube.
Wednesday June 4, 1997 - Linz - Grein ... 69 km
In Austria they call the locks "Kraftwerk", with every lock there is an
power-station.
Via the ferry-boat Enns-Mauthausen (known of the concentration camp) we
cycled along the left bank via Mitterkirchen to Grein.
This last part of the trip diverged a little bit from the Danube and went
through an area of scenic beauty and through nice little villages.
Thursday June 5, 1997 - Grein - Maria Taferl ... 41 km
Cycling on the right bank of the river we enjoyed again the scenery, the
sun and all the beautiful things we passed.
By Ybbs we crossed again and arrived in Persenbeug-Gottsdorf.
In Marbach we had two possibilities for reaching our 433 m. higher
situated hotel in Maria Taferl:
- we could picked up by a little bus of the hotel or
- 3 km climbing up.
We did choose for the last one and ... it was not easy !
Cycling up was not possible (much to steep), so puffing and sweating we
have pushed our bikes to the top in an hour and a half.
Our reward consisted of a fantastic view over the Danube with his
neighbourhood.
Even our hotelroom had a balcony on the side of the Danube.
The village Maria Taferl is a place of pilgrimage, very orientated to
the tourism.
Friday June 6, 1997 - Mariataferl - Krems ... 58 km
So, we went for a walk again !
Via a ferry-boat to Pörchlarn and then further to Melk, known of the
Convent Benedictins, an imposing baroque building.
Via Schönbühel and Mautern this day was ending in Krems.
Saturday June 7, 1997 - Krems - Tulln ... 50 km
We had to pay attention for the well-known signs "Donau Radweg", because
in this surrounding we also saw the signs "Weinviertelradweg" and
"Waldviertelradweg.
Both are hilly cycling-tours, and our bikes and we were not built for
this kind of cycling-tours.
Also here a varied surrounding, for we cycled right cross the
vineyards.
Via Zwentendorf we finished in Tulln.
Sunday June 8, 1997 - Tulln - Vienna ... 40 km
Via the ferry-boat of Klosterneubung we crossed the Danube for the last
time.
The last kilometres (of the total of 370 km) to the hotel in Vienna were
very easy to cycle, because also in this city we could follow a long time
the Danube.
In the afternoon we had time to sight-seeing the beautiful old centre.
Monday June 9, 1997
At 1:30 pm we and our bikes were picked up by a bus of Austria Radreisen,
after which we got our last trip through Vienna, because the bus-driver
also had to pick up "Danube-cyclists" by two other hotels.
About 6:00 pm we were dropped by our Ford Escort in Schärding.
In South-Germany we slept in Velburg (between Regensburg en Nürnberg).
Tuesday June 10, 1997
We can look back to a very succesful and sunny cycling holiday.