1 PASSAU, GERMANY
My venture began in Passau, located on the Austrian/Germany border. At 5:00 p.m., our group boarded “My Story,” which will be our home for the next week at 5:00 p.m. As I said earlier, Passau is the meeting point of the Danube, Inn and Ilz Rivers. Passau is the typical cobble-stoned town one would imagine in Europe. The Passau Cathedral houses the world’s largest Catholic Church organ. You could hear the bells of Passau’s Gothic Town Hall from the boat. At 6:30 we “set sail” for our next destination, Engelhartszell, Austria.
2 ENGELHARTSZELL, AUSTRIA
Our Danube cycling tour actually starts here in beautiful Engelhartszell, Austria. We awoke to a fog shrouded morning. I can’t remember the last time I saw fog. If you ever have the opportunity to do a bike tour of Europe, remember one thing: Layer, layer, layer! While it was overcast and foggy, the temperature was a comfortable 60ish degrees. I tried to be prepared but had to borrow a wind breaker from Karen Carmines. I reluctantly packed my London Fog raincoat, a $2.99 plastic rain poncho, and wind pants to go over my leggings should it become necessary.
Me, Kelly and Mary Jo McMillan started out about 9:00 a.m. on our 29-mile bike venture heading towards the “Great Loop,” Donauschlinge – one of the most beautiful portions of the Danube Bike Path. The scenery was spectacular. The path took us through small, quaint villages. There were plenty of cozy cider taverns to stop and have a little refreshment.
About three quarters of the way through the ride, we stopped to have some lunch and coffee. I could see through the trees and down the Danube that it was getting darker and darker. A storm was definitely coming our way. Soon everyone was running for shelter as the downpour hit. Soon, a bunch of bikers showed up, cold and very, very wet. In fact, they looked as if they had taken a dip in the Danube. Once the storm settled down to a steady rain, we decided to hit the road. Luckily, I had my weather pants, and a plastic poncho to help keep me dry and warm.