Ich bin so auuuummm

The title of this blog is an expression that was often used by an Austrian colleague with whom I once worked. This is how it sounded in Austrian dialect. I use this title because today I pass into Austria, the third country on my tour. Late Sunday morning I arrived in Passau and took a walk around. The most interesting was the first sight of the large Danube river cruise liners at the quay. There was about a half dozen of them moored end to end. They are enormous beasts, probably 150 metres long, low – about two floors – so that they can pass under the bridges and narrow, so that two ships can pass each other even in the narrower portions of the river. The row of them seemed to stretch a kilometer. I checked out the roster of the boats visiting Passau that day and saw that they come from all over Europe – from Russia, Ukraine, Switzerland, Holland, Germany, Hungary, etc. Many of them look extremely luxurious with expansive decks, outdoor dining and cabins that have small balconies over the water. The exteriors are largely made of windows so that the passengers can view the scenery directly from their rooms.

The rest of Passau was quiet and I strolled through the streets. My initial idea was to stay there the afternoon, watch the Formula 1 in a bar and then hook up with the Hungarians at a cyclists camping area on the river Ilz. It was however too early to retire for the day and I decided to push on into Austria, which was another 20 kms or so down the path. In Austria the river enters a valley and the atmosphere changes. In Germany the Danube has its source and since it takes some time for it to build up steam into a major river and much of it in Germany is just a small stream meandering through the countryside and one is riding through the countryside and the Danube happens to be there as well. By the time it reaches Passau though, it is a major waterway and means of navigation and commerce. It therefore takes on different significance. One is riding with the Danube and it is the focus of attention. In the valley the bike path runs alongside the river the entire way and all the business and commerce in the area seems targeted toward holiday cyclists.  It seems that in Austria a cyclist could eat, drink or sleep every 200 meters, there is that much gastronomy, lodging and services offered to cycle tourists. Indeed, this is a common stretch for weekenders or short holiday makers: Passau to Vienna and then return by train or boat.

In the late evening I stopped at location on the river that was a guesthouse/restaurant and ferry boat station. The friendly woman running the operation offered me to put my tent on their meadow about 40 meters down the road. An idyllic location: directly on the river with the ferry boat station and on the other side of the river a small collection of guest houses and restaurants. On the gas stove I heated the food that I had not eaten from the night before. Because I had been riding in this valley most of the afternoon and had been relatively closed in, I had not really observed the sky and the weather. Only when pausing for dinner did I see that the clouds had completely closed the sky and were hanging very low.

With my computer in hand I walked over to the restaurant, ordered some ice cream and sat down to write this blog. My computer mobility is limited because with this old laptop I am dependent on electricity. The battery does not work at all and the new battery I bought last time cost half as much as a new computer and lasted only about 6 months. I must plug away with this dinosaur until I can buy a new one. German cyclists from Thüringen soon turned up and we fell into conversation. They were on the first day of a two week tour to Budapest. I returned to the writing of my travel log and they to their beer and wine. Later they invited me over for a drink and we exchanged cycling stories. The weather in the meantime had gone from threatening, to sunny and then back to ugly. We heard the thunder rolling in long before the first raindrops arrived. Eckhart and Kerstin also had planned to tent their way to Budapest but due to the questionable weather had taken a room in the guesthouse. With the first raindrops we moved under a large terrace with long wooden tables and benches. It wasn’t long before the storm really hit and the rain was coming down in torrents. We were warm and dry, but I was concerned about my tent, bike and gear. The lightning started coming closer and then the lights went out in the entire settlement. Across the river the same happened. We were sitting in complete darkness, interrupted by the lighting flashes and hammered by rain. When the people from the guesthouse brought out candles it was indeed a lovely atmosphere. The staff went home, leaving the three of us with wine, beer and candles under the terrace. We were having a good time.

Our view upstream was blocked by the guesthouse and we were taken by surprise when a huge river liner suddenly appeared right before us. Moving downstream they make no noise as they glide with the current so we did not hear it approaching and it was suddenly there, lit up like a Christmas tree against the completely darkened valley. It could not have been more than 40 meters away from us. We could clearly see passengers in the aft bar under golden lights, and I imagined them sipping evening whiskey or rum, talking of the day’s events, before retiring to their staterooms to sleep soundly as the big cruiser slipped downriver in the night.

About midnight the storm had moved on and we went to investigate my campsite. The bike was lying on its side, bags and gear strewn about. I found my camera on the grass, completely soaked. Fortunately my computer was with me on the terrace, otherwise it would have surely been ruined as well. Despite being staked in, the tent had blown 20 metres away and one of the poles was broken. It probably would have gone further but for the mass of water inside of it anchoring it down. It was too late and too dark to do anything about the situation then so I decided it would be best to sleep under the terrace of the guesthouse. We gathered the cushions from some of the tables and laid them on a bench. Eckhart gave me his sleeping bag and brought me a pillow from their room. On that bench I managed to get a very good and solid 6 hours of sleep, gypsy style.

Gypsy campsite

Drying out the next morning

The next day was slow going. Late in the morning the sun came through and the temperature went from wet and cool to extremely warm. I took a long break and spread everything out to dry. Later I arrived in Linz, found a great café with internet connection directly on the main square and managed to write and communicate with the world. 

Left in the late afternoon and rode until 20.00 when I met a farmer in a small village and asked his permission to place my tent on his grounds. Was a beautiful farm and I was happy to be there. Cooked green beans and spinat-spätzle and slept like a stone.