The Old and the Restless

After two days in Vienna, we began the second trip. This one is called, "The Hungarian Rhapsody". As we cycled along the Danube on the outskirts of Vienna, I was surprised to see what I thought was a saggy topless woman by the path. Looking closer, I realized it was a paunchy bottomless man. There were several along the way, making it rather dangerous for my cycling. Roy wondered why the naked men all seemed to be over 60. The rest of the route was along a dike. The wind was against us. It was hot and boring on this route which was the north side of the Danube. The other Canadains had a different route on the south side. Apparently it wasn't well marked and was longer than they expected. As we crossed a very windy bridge, this castle was visible in the distance. The baths here were built by the Romans around 156 B.C. There is a very good Roman museum here but we were too tired to see it. The next day I stopped by, but since it was a $15.00 entrance fee and we had a lon...

...you must go to the Hotel Sacher for Sacher Torte.

At the suggestion of Gary and Heather who are from Edmonton, we bought a day pass on the subway and followed them to Schönbrunn palace, the 1500 room summer residence of the Habsburg monarchs. Since there was a big line-up to tour the rooms, we toured the outside...which was free. Behind me is the French garden and in the distance is the Sun Fountain and the Gloriette, a monument that was supposed to glorify the Habsburg power and the "Just War". A "Just War" is "that which leads to peace". Hmmm. A student band from Japan was quite entertaining. I talked to one proud parent and had to tell him how my daughter sang in St. Paul's and Windsor Castle. The sun fountain and Gloriette.

"Thousands attend funeral for Otto Von Habsburg." (Headline from Toronto Sun) Did you see us in the crowd? The last emperor of Austria died in Germany on July 4 at the age of 98. Today a grand funeral was held in Vienna. The procession took over an hour.

We took a half hour train ride to Tulln with a group of Canadians from Kamloops and Edmonton who are traveling on to Budapest as well. Here, Carole and Roy are taking their bikes out of the train station. The group, ready to begin. We passed by the others at their morning coffee stop. We should have stayed with them because they arrived at the Vienna hotel at 2:30 pm while we followed a different route and arrived at 5:00 pm. It helped when I asked a nice older couple where we were on the map rather than where the street we needed was. We found out that we were much further south, in the centre of the city, rather than in the north in the "burbs" where our hotel is located. We will try to stick together for the next part of the trip.

This is the prettiest and the busiest area for cycling. A group of young Americans who were doing a bus tour, had a day on bicycles for a wine tour. Some seemed quite inexperienced riding and most were all over the path. As we tried to pass them, I told them to ride single file because there were cyclists coming the other way (and we needed to get safely by). We think that after that, their guide got them organized because when we saw them again they were in single file. This region is known for apricots and wine...Grüner Veltliner and Reisling. Apparently Reisling was originally from this region and was transplanted to the Rhine. The vineyard are in terraces up the hills. Picturesque Durstein from a distance. Resting after the climb up to Durnstein. Arriving in Krems... When Paul and I were in Krems on 10/10/10 we had lunch here while watching several couples get married on this auspicious date. This pedestrian shopping area is in the old part of Krems. Paul and I did not ...

A last look at Grein. Even though it was to be the hottest day at 33 degrees, I covered up. Too much sun! Boats waiting to go through the locks. We rode on both sides of the river, crossing over the dams. That's easier than climbing a bridge. We made it to our hotel in Emmersdorf, across the river from Melk, by 1:00 pm, but having a beer with our lunch, made us sleepy. Unfortunately, a bee attacked Roy today. They are dangerous. Carole's arm still has a swelling. Mine is itchy. After a rest at our hotel, Carole and I rode up and over the high bridge across the Danube to Melk. Paul and I were going to have our 45th anniversary dinner in Melk. Roy, who has a very painful knee did not go. We hope he can ride tomorrow.