Inn to the Danube

As the mountains receded, covered by clouds,

we headed for Wasserburg, cycling along the Inn River. Our lunch break was in a park where outdoor sculptures lined the river, and a fun exhibit of streetlights attracted the kids. 

The rain we were hoping to outrun caught up with us just a few km away from our destination, pouring down on us as we meandered through farmer's fields on a dirt farm road we had mistakenly taken, only realizing our error when it was too late to turn back. We regularly encounter problems just short of our destination - it's like the Murphy's Law of cycle touring. We all feel excited that we are a mere half an hour away from the end of our route and that's when we get lost, rained upon, or beset by some lengthy traffic detour due to construction.

We finally arrived in Wasserburg at Mike and Hajar's house, our warmshowers hosts, and couldn't have received a warmer welcome. Hajar, delighted to meet the kids, greeted us with hugs and kisses. They showed us their incredible garden where our bikes would be stored, 

then helped us settle into our own room with enough beds for all of us (it later turned out they had given us their room and they were sleeping in the caravan in the driveway).

In the kitchen was Yusuke, another warmshowers guest who was cycling with his violin from Slovenia to Lyons to play in a folk music festival. He prepared Japanese pancakes for us all, 

while Hajar had made amazing stews and rice so our dinner table was groaning. 

Breakfast, served in the garden house, 

was a similarly abundant affair, complemented by freshly picked black raspberries.

We felt like we were leaving old friends when we set off the next morning, so grateful for yet another amazingly hospitable host.

We were aiming for Passau, a German town at the confluence of the Danube and Inn Rivers. The route along the Inn was quieter than the Rhine had been, with far less development along the shores and virtually no boat traffic. After Wasserburg it was easy cycling and our campsite the following night in  Marktl was idyllic. Across the road was a small tranquil lake with lush green banks. We swam out to the high diving board on a raft and took turns doing flips (Jacob) and dives (the rest of us).

Our last day on the Inn River was hot, and we had already cycled 50 km when we rolled into a pastel coloured town square filled with buildings that looked like gingerbread houses. 

We wanted to buy supplies for lunch, only to discover all the bakeries shuttered - it was Saturday at 12:10 and the shops closed down at noon for the rest of the week-end. We ate on a restaurant patio instead, and spotted a touring cycling family, one of the first we've seen, sitting in a shady spot nearby eating their picnic (they were better prepared than us). I went over and met Peter, Ulrike and their three daughters and discovered we were all headed to Passau for a couple of nights. 

Passau was yet another gorgeous town - somehow I keep being surprised by the beauty of the places we come to. Crossing the bridge into the centre we stopped to admire the view, 

and then came across an open air concert in the town square. We decided to sit with a glass of white wine and enjoy the sounds of a chamber orchestra as well as performances by two harpists, a guitar duo, and a violin soloist. 

Cycling away from the concert I just wanted to eat the buildings - the whole square looked like a giant frosted wedding cake.

The Passau campsite was right on the river and packed with friendly touring cyclists. We had beer and dinner with Ulrike's family and the kids took off to play soccer in the field until well after dark. 

Sightseeing around Passau we visited a cathedral with the world's largest organ and walked up a steep hill to the castle until we gave up fighting the heat and headed to the pool to join Ulrike and Peter. Of course that was the kids' favourite part of the day. 

Jacob made us vicariously nervous with his dive off the highest board, then played pingpong with Ully 

while Kyra, Tom, Meerit, Pia and Ana raced excitedly from waterslide to waterslide.

We rode in a long line along the river 

and over the bridge to our campsite. 

The next morning after one last soccer game we said good-bye to our new friends, 

and set off along our fourth major European river. 

The Danube (or Donau as it is called in Austria) is a major cycle (and boat) touring destination, with a lovely combination of green forests beside its well paved paths

and historic towns along its banks. First was the Austrian town of Linz, where we wanted to stay and explore but the town's campsite, marked on the map but nowhere to be found, meant we had to camp 10 km out of town instead. We caught a short glimpse of the architecture on the way through the centre

and were at least able to get a flavour for Linz by eating the Linzertorte Paul brought us from a bakery when he later cycled back into town to get a part for his bike.

The next day's route took us by Mathausen, 

a massive concentration camp where thousands of Jews as well as other targets of the Nazis were detained and killed. There were memorials, exhibits and plaques from all the countries whose citizens were killed as political prisoners. 

The sculptured and landscaped grounds 

did not diminish the feelings of horror due to the atrocities, vividly brought to life by walking through the barracks and showers. Leaving afterwards we cycled through small neighbourhoods just outside the memorial. It seemed wrong that people were watering their gardens and going about their daily lives right next to a site where evil of such magnitude was perpetrated.

We were still in a daze from the visit when we went to get groceries for dinner, and were shocked to run into Andrei and Klarina, a Dutch couple we had stayed with way back at the beginning of our cycle trip in Dordrecht. They were doing a cycle tour along the Danube with their children too, and we were all so glad to find out we'd be cycling along the same path for the next few days. Over the next four days we travelled as a convoy, 

camping together in Au, visiting the grounds of the stunning Melk Monastery, 

a UNESCO world heritage site, and relaxing in Tulln, where the campground was next to a small swimming lake with a rock pool. 

We shared breakfasts, dinners,

 watermelon 

and of course ice cream 

along the way. Part of our route went through the stunning Wachau valley, terraced with vineyards 

and lined with trees filled with ripe apricots which we could pluck off low branches as we rode. Rows of ripening corn reminded us of how long we'd been cycling for 

- the stalks in the first cornfields we passed during this trip had been just emerging from the ground.

We said good-bye at a campground on the outskirts of Vienna, as they rode off to Romania while we stayed to explore the city. Cycling two great river paths with two wonderful families - a joy for us adults and such a treat for the kids to have friends their own age to play with for awhile. Ully and Peter, Andrei and Klarina, we hope we will ride with you some day in Canada!

High Times in Austria

Back in Toronto we planned our cycle route for this trip with two guiding principles: 1) safe paths for the kids and 2) flat or downhill terrain. With those in mind we abandoned the roads for 100 km and took a train from Bregenz up into Innsbruck, Austria. Other than having to get up at 6 am to pack up and leave our campsite in time for the 8 am departure, the experience was very easy - the train was waiting at the station for half an hour so we were able to load our bikes on without anxiety. Innsbruck was a major stop so we also had time to carefully unload before biking out of the station to greet the mountains.

The streets were fairly busy when we arrived

and women clad in traditional costumes advertised nearby restaurants.

We loved the colourful buildings, which are characteristic of many of Austria's villages and cities,

as is the ornate baroque ornamentation. 

In the centre of town there was a small salsa parade of about 30 people dancing and singing, which bizarrely had a three car and ten man police escort - we joked that they would be bringing in air support to make sure the unruly dancers didn't threaten the city. 

Our campground was perched on a hill a few kilometres from the centre in a stunning setting.

It was steaming 30 plus degrees so we took a break from the heat by hiding out in the stylish campground restaurant (not an oxymoron in Europe) for pizza and wine. We found a pool, locked up our bikes, paused to admire the view from the parking lot, then hopped in the water to swim away the hot afternoon. Clouds had threatened en route but the sun broke through 

and drove the clouds away so we could play at the pool without fear of rain. 

Innsbruck's airport is fairly close to the city, so the planes are never far from sight (or hearing) and our cycle route into the city was next to the flight path at times.

Our next night's accommodation was with Lorenzo and his family, our warmshowers host who lived right in the heart of Innsbruck. We went by that morning to drop off our bikes at their apartment and have coffee while the kids got acquainted. They showed us the route up to the mountains directly from their house. After leaving the town behind via a wooded copse we passed through an alpine valley with peacefully grazing cows. 

The sun was blazing 

so we welcomed the occasional stops for icy spring water to drink and dunk our heads in.

The path was steep

but our euphoria at the amazing sights blew away any physical cares.

Kyra declared she was meant to live in the mountains and vowed to make her home in Austria (or maybe Colorado since it was closer to Toronto). 

Surprisingly the path up the mountain had few people

(perhaps because most sane hikers stayed off the hills at 2 pm in the middle of a July heatwave) so we were able to experience the magnificence in a very intimate way.

The views were jaw dropping from the narrow ridge trail.

We completed the experience with beer and ice cream at the mountaintop cafe, then took the easy way home with a gondola and a funicular to the centre of town.

When we descended the shops were all shut except for the train station supermarket - Sundays in Europe are much different than Toronto, and though we mostly lose track of the days while on this trip we generally try to be aware of the end of the week so they we aren't stuck without food between Saturday at noon and Monday morning when the shops open. As we made our way back to Lorenzo's apartment with our groceries the streets were quiet

and mostly empty. I made dinner for our hosts, so glad to be able to cook in a kitchen with a pot that held more than four cups of water - it has been very challenging cooking dinner for a family of five on a tiny stove with a tiny pot. It's always so interesting to hear the stories of our warm showers host, and Lorenzo's experience as a climber fascinated Jacob in particular. 

We had an amazing sleep and regretfully declined Lorenzo's offer to stay longer - most places we go to beckon us to stay longer but the mountains of Innsbruck called us even more - only the promise of more mountain hiking in the Zillertal valley made it possible to move on. 

We headed to Fugen on the Ziller river, passing through lovely small towns like Hall in Tirol

and chatting with fellow touring cyclists who had come to cycle the beautiful route along the valley

through green pastures and corn fields,

surrounded by towering hills.

The map indicated a campground, perfectly situated in the heart of the mountains, but there were no signs when we got to the supposed location, just a group of vacation cottages. We inquired at the reception and were told there was exactly one tent site, which we were relieved to occupy after the hot day. It was right next to a giant waterslide complex, with a powerful current to swirling around one of the pools mildly reminiscent of our floats down the Rhine. We swam both evenings to cool off after the hot days - temperatures since Diessenhofen had seemed to hover around a high of 31-35. 

There was a little hut in the playground that Kyra and Tom turned into a clubhouse, finding an empty tiny liquor bottle and putting clover in it to make a beautiful centrepiece to adorn their breakfast table.

The forests in the Zillertal Valley were beautiful, but across the street from the campground was a logging operation, and we could see clearcuts on the side of the hill. 

We hoped it was just selective patches they were cutting, otherwise we would imagine that a few years from now the area could be denuded. More reason to remind the kids (and ourselves) not to waste paper!!

Our alpine hike wasn't as high as the one in Innsbruck, but the heights still impressed,

 and there were beautiful pink wildflowers covering the slopes.

A narrow path through the flowers

led us to the summit.

That night the humidity broke temporarily with a massive thunder and lightning storm, we were lucky because we could take refuge indoors - this time in a kind of waiting area outside the bathroom with couches that the kids slept on - us being the only campers meant we were also the only ones using the common area so we could sleep undisturbed while the rain and wind raged. 

Our tent survived the night but the poles were bent by the wind, which had almost completely flattened the tent at one point, so we were glad we hadn't had to spend the night in it.

The next day we cycled through the clouds in the morning,

on a smooth path surrounded by mountains,

but at our lunch break we were beset by rain, so had to eat under the slide in the playground (some of us weren't very happy).

The rain continued for the rest of our ride, and we were throughly soaked by the time we made it to Kufstein, so abandoned our camping plans and stayed at a lovely flower adorned pension on the edge of town, 

venturing in to listen to an evening organ concert at the old fort. The organ was in a room at the bottom but the pipes extended up into the top of the turret in the right hand corner of the photo.

Our time in the mountains was unforgettable and we were sorry to leave them behind!