HobbesOnTour
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This is a kind of Travelogue of my first ever bike tour, taken along the Danube from Passau to Vienna in August of 2013.
It was organised through a company who gave me a book (Bikeline), supplementary notes, train tickets, hotel reservations, a bike and carried my bags from hotel to hotel.
(No laughing at the back!)
Up to then I cycled a few times a week for relaxation up to maybe an hour at a time. I had no real bike fitness, was very overweight and was genuinely worried that I would struggle with the daily distances - averaging 40-50 km per day! :-)
I’ve recently come across some old emails that I have brought together to compile this. Where I have added or edited the original text I have used italics.
Truthfully, this is not my first ever cycle tour. I actually set off with a friend when I was a young fella of 14 or 15 and cycled for about a week using youth hostels. Given that I was young, fearless and feckless for some reason I don’t see that as a “real” tour. It has something to do with not considering the consequences. With every subsequent tour, I attempt to get closer to that first one!
So what follows is my first adult tour. It was also the spark that lit a fire within me, or revived an old one, that led to many more adventures. I learned a lot from this and have put in a few lessons at the end.
TIMELINE
Aug 1 Passau - Schlogen
Aug2 Schlogen - Linz
Aug 3 Linz - Bad Kreuzen
Aug 4 Bad Kreuzen - Melk
Aug 5 Melk - Krems
Aug 6 Krems - Vienna
July 31, Arrival in Passau and getting organised.
21:42
Sitting in a beer garden in the centre of Passau....
At least a dozen old oak trees around, just had dinner of baked camembert with cranberries & schnitzel with boiled potatoes, washed down with a couple of local beers! :-)
Last night in Heidelberg was disappointing, because so many traditional places were serving Greek, Indian, Chinese food.... :-( There is something unGodly, unnatural and just downright wrong about a Brauhaus serving pasta or curry!
Drove down here today, about 400 kms, all motorway this time, cloudy & overcast. By the time I picked up Tristan (my Two wheeled Tourer!), the sun was beaming :-)
When I went to pick up my bike, the poor bikeman was very stressed out - dealing with all kinds of requests & some downright silly stuff. ( 4 Spanish people before me really were demanding).
When my turn came, he barked at me in German, to which I apologised in German & explained that I could understand him, but not answer him, but told him that I was on holidays & was in no rush.....Or at least that’s what I hope I said! Immediately he was like my new best buddy, advising me where to visit, how to get back to town, making sure I knew all the things to do if there was a problem with the bike and then he took my guide book and wrote down his personal mobile number in case I had any questions at all! He’s safe enough - My German won’t stretch that far!
Cycled around for a couple of hours, establishing a bond, & getting to know each other before our big adventure starts tomorrow!
Three rivers meet in Passau (a couple of months ago, they all flooded causing havoc!) and it really is a lovely blend of the modern & the old.
Lots of tourists around, but I chose to have dinner in a typical German kind of place- lots of locals.
My waiter knows I'm foreign, but he's not bending over backwards to be helpful... The way I like it! :-)
I'm embarrassed at how little I can speak! My understanding is ok, but when I go to speak, only gurgling noises come out!
This is Bavaria, and the accent is very up & down, very melodic!
It was organised through a company who gave me a book (Bikeline), supplementary notes, train tickets, hotel reservations, a bike and carried my bags from hotel to hotel.
(No laughing at the back!)
Up to then I cycled a few times a week for relaxation up to maybe an hour at a time. I had no real bike fitness, was very overweight and was genuinely worried that I would struggle with the daily distances - averaging 40-50 km per day! :-)
I’ve recently come across some old emails that I have brought together to compile this. Where I have added or edited the original text I have used italics.
Truthfully, this is not my first ever cycle tour. I actually set off with a friend when I was a young fella of 14 or 15 and cycled for about a week using youth hostels. Given that I was young, fearless and feckless for some reason I don’t see that as a “real” tour. It has something to do with not considering the consequences. With every subsequent tour, I attempt to get closer to that first one!
So what follows is my first adult tour. It was also the spark that lit a fire within me, or revived an old one, that led to many more adventures. I learned a lot from this and have put in a few lessons at the end.
TIMELINE
Aug 1 Passau - Schlogen
Aug2 Schlogen - Linz
Aug 3 Linz - Bad Kreuzen
Aug 4 Bad Kreuzen - Melk
Aug 5 Melk - Krems
Aug 6 Krems - Vienna
July 31, Arrival in Passau and getting organised.
21:42
Sitting in a beer garden in the centre of Passau....
At least a dozen old oak trees around, just had dinner of baked camembert with cranberries & schnitzel with boiled potatoes, washed down with a couple of local beers! :-)
Last night in Heidelberg was disappointing, because so many traditional places were serving Greek, Indian, Chinese food.... :-( There is something unGodly, unnatural and just downright wrong about a Brauhaus serving pasta or curry!
Drove down here today, about 400 kms, all motorway this time, cloudy & overcast. By the time I picked up Tristan (my Two wheeled Tourer!), the sun was beaming :-)
When I went to pick up my bike, the poor bikeman was very stressed out - dealing with all kinds of requests & some downright silly stuff. ( 4 Spanish people before me really were demanding).
When my turn came, he barked at me in German, to which I apologised in German & explained that I could understand him, but not answer him, but told him that I was on holidays & was in no rush.....Or at least that’s what I hope I said! Immediately he was like my new best buddy, advising me where to visit, how to get back to town, making sure I knew all the things to do if there was a problem with the bike and then he took my guide book and wrote down his personal mobile number in case I had any questions at all! He’s safe enough - My German won’t stretch that far!
Cycled around for a couple of hours, establishing a bond, & getting to know each other before our big adventure starts tomorrow!
Three rivers meet in Passau (a couple of months ago, they all flooded causing havoc!) and it really is a lovely blend of the modern & the old.
Lots of tourists around, but I chose to have dinner in a typical German kind of place- lots of locals.
My waiter knows I'm foreign, but he's not bending over backwards to be helpful... The way I like it! :-)
I'm embarrassed at how little I can speak! My understanding is ok, but when I go to speak, only gurgling noises come out!
This is Bavaria, and the accent is very up & down, very melodic!
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