A dream come true.
A cycling trip along the shores of the Blue Danube River.
It was in my early years, that I had a desire to cycle.
On my thirtieth birthday I received a bike from John....
It was a lightweight racing bike...Peugeot!
This bike has travelled many a mile and has shared many a story with many friends.
For now, this bike resides in Vancouver.
Never did I realize that 30 years later we would be cycling in Europe.
(we rented bikes...it's much easier and more cost effective)
The tour accommodates about 75 cyclists.
If someone felt tired and preferred not to cycle,
one could always catch up in the evening on 'Theodore Korner'
(but neither one of us tired)
This company provided all the basics.
Breakfast buffet, lunch buckets, and full course dining in the evening.
Breakfast buffet, lunch buckets, and full course dining in the evening.
Maybe a bit tight for space, but it's a good marriage test.
We took turns getting organized in the morning, as our space was minimized.
We had a wonderful valet service.
He made the regular maintenance checks,
and at the end of a long tiring day...He was there.
Each day we had to cross the river using smaller ferries.
These were typical ferry boats which transferred us with or bikes.
Our tour took us along the Danube river, all our paths were off road.
The Danube flows from Passau the city of the three rivers through densely
wooded slopes of the narrow valley between Bavarian Forest and the Sauwald.
.
We were given a detailed map with all the information which highlighted each town's interests.
Generally we had about 8 hours to complete our tour.
Many times we stopped to check our route.
Imagine driving through the paths with pollen floating like snow from the popular trees.
It looked like a white carpet covering the vegetation.
Cycling through the farmers fields.
This farmer enjoyed the beauty of the farmland.
We chose the self led tour, rather than riding with a tour guide.
We preferred to stop at private beer gardens along the way owned by local farmers.
They presented and reflected their own style of hospitality.
Sometimes we cycled through the cobbled streets of the villages.
And sometimes someone liked to take a risk.
I think this time he ran into some trouble.
He took the narrow route, while I smiled with my camera.
Touring through some back allies of local vegetable farmers,
underneath the highway via ducts,
gliding along the Danube river with beautiful swans swimming side by side.
Another cornfield and another farm in the distance.
We arrived in Melk after four days of cycling between 35-50 km a day.
We had arrived at our final destination!
Passau ~ Obermuhl (50 km)
Oberhuhl ~ Linz (46 km)
Linz ~ Mauthausen (boat)
Mauthasen ~ Grein (36 km)
Grein ~ Melk (46 km )
Melk ~ Wien (transferred into Vienna)
In the evenings we enjoyed a most delightful meal, a choice of three menus.
The evening lights along the Danube gave for a spectacular authentic view.
We often sat outside on the top deck enjoying the evening breezes.
We then rested in Vienna and attended a few waltz and operetta concerts.
Consider seeing Europe with a different view.
Break away and start pedaling.