Take a look at the following photo taken from our bike path. What do you think of the view?
View of Lake Constance cycling down to Stein am Rein
Amazing, isn’t it? Well, there is only one way you can have repeated views like this one and that’s to pedal up and down the hills, walking your bike up when it’s a 15% climb!
Having a break at Gaienhofen between two hilly bits
We debated whether to drive to somewhere else on the lake and explore an area we don’t know or to set out from the hotel directly on the bike path for Stein am Rhein which we visited two years ago. I voted for the second solution because it’s a lovely little town and the views on the way are truly magnificent. I’d forgotten just how many hills there were though.
Stein am Rein from the bridge over the Rhine
By the time we reached Stein, my knees were a little wobbly but I didn’t regret it for one minute. The views are certainly worth it.
Main quare at Stein am Rein
The last time we were in Stein, on a Sunday in August 2011, there were musicians in the main square with trestle tables and benches. Today, there were bikes and people and it was just as charming.
View of the bank opposite Stein from the bridge over the Rhine
We’d consulted our ferry schedule ahead of time and instead of going back along the same path, we went round the other side of the Untersee, staying in Switzerland, with the aim of catching the 4.11 pm ferry in Steckborn. I was secretely hoping there wouldn’t be as many hills on the other side.
Our view at lunch from our picnic bench
Well, there were fewer and at least they weren’t the same ones! After yesterday’s experience, we took a picnic lunch and ate it on a bench overlooking the lake. No restaurant could have afforded a better view.
Waterfront at Steckborn
We had to wait an hour or so for the ferry in Steckborn, but that was not a problem. It was so peaceful sitting on a bench in the shade watching the activity on the lake.
Steckborn from the ferry
We were home by 5 pm, which is quite a record, particularly since we cycled more than 50 kilometers.
Serviette and cutlery at Gasthaus Schiff – schiff means boat.
And then we had dinner at the gasthaus restaurant which has a menu in English and a waitress whom I can communicate with. An excellent meal and a last taste of Germany before we go back to France tomorrow, without the strain associated with not speaking more than a smattering of German, with no one else but myself to blame of course.
In one of our guidebooks, there was mention of an annual Renaissance festival in Neuburg,, west of Regensburg, but I could find no information in English or French about dates on the Internet so we thought we should go there on a Saturday or Sunday just in case it was on.
Neuburger Schlossfest
When we cycled into the town on Saturday afternoon, we initially saw no sign of any festivities but while having a cold drink at a gasthof near the river, I saw a young man leaning over the parapet of the bridge above me dressed in a floppy velvet hat so I knew something was going on. It turns out the festival, which is actually called the Neuburger Schlossfest, is held on the last weekend of June and first weekend of July.
The matching couple at the town gate
At the entrance to the walled town, you pay 4 euro and are given a badge. The thing that appealed to me most is that all the locals obviously join in every year and people of every age are dressed in Renaissance costumes, from the most sophisticated to the simplest and enjoying themselves immensely.
The elegant couple with full accessories
Some go all the way, with matching bodkins and tankards strapped to their waists.
Typical street scene
There are stalls selling all sorts of Renaissance produce and products and lots of food and drink stalls of course.
The three friends
No one is the slightest bit shy of having their photograph taken!
Merry go round
There is even a mediaeval merry-go-round that is popular with both the parents and children.
My favourite man’s costume
I just loved this man’s velvet costume. What detail! But I didn’t quite dare to dash round in front of him for the photo.
The gypsy dancers
Various performers were to be seen on the streets. These gypsy dancers had their own music.
The blue marchers
There were groups in similar costumes though we didn’t know their significance of course.
Yellow drumsFlag wavingThe giant tankard
From what I could gather, this tankard was passed around from one person to another!
The hat stall
There were also a lot of costume stalls. I’d love to have bought one!
We’ve left the Danube and are now staying in Moos on Lake Constance, which is called the Bodensee in German. However, we’re still on the Eurovelo 6 route from the Atlantic to the Black Sea. Two years ago, on our way home from Croatia, we spent a few days cycling around Schaffhausen and Stein am Reim, where the famous Reinfall waterfalls are to be found.
The Eurovelo 6 route from the Atlantic Coast to the Black Sea
We arrived late afternoon yesterday and had time to cycle to Hornstaad for dinner and back. Our hotel, Gasthaus Schiff, is so close to the cycle path that we can see it from the terrace! It’s wonderful to be able to be able to set out directly on our bikes and not have to take the car. When we were staying in Niederleierndorf, it took us thirty to sixty minutes to get to the cycle path, depending on where we wanted to go. We now realise that we shouldn’t stay more than 3 nights in one place.
Our hotel from the Eurovelo 6 bike path – 1st floor on the right
Initially, we were supposed to stay in Moos five nights, but we were able to cancel the last two so we can go further along the bike path, this time in France, near Dole where our chambre d’hôte is also very close to the Eurovelo 6 route. We’re very happy with Gasthaus Schiff, which is spacious, has a desk, a sofa, a low table and a terrace. It also has excellent soundproofing and opaque curtains that keep the light out. In Niederleierndorf, we were woken by daylight at 4.30 am! It also has the best breakfast we’ve had yet.
Breakfast on the terrace of Gasthaus Schiff
The village of Moos is very quiet and peaceful and reminds me of Magnetic Island, even though they are nothing alike. To get to our restaurant last night, we rode through hay fields full of storks, with reeds and Lake Constance in the distance.
Hayfield full of storks with the lake in the distance
We rode back into a magnificent sunset.
Sunset over Lake Constance
Today we went to the town of Konstanz, which is nothing out of the ordinary, but our ride back along the Swiss side of the lake was very pretty.
The pretty village of Ermatingen
We took the ferry over to Reichenau Island after having a very expensive lunch in Ermatingen because it was 2.30 pm by then and the normal, already pricey, menu of the only restaurant we could find was no longer available. We then discovered that the ferries only run every two hours, unlike the little ones on the Danube that cross when they see someone waiting on the other side.
Two little Swiss girls selling cherries in front of their house – with Mum sunbathing in the background!
So we continued on to Mannebach where there was a ferry at 4.40 pm, buying cherries on the way from two little Swiss girls with their own little stall. As soon as we reached the Island, I checked we’d have a ferry to take us back to Iznang, which is only a couple of kilometers from Moos. Reinenau is connected by a bridge to the mainland on the east so we wouldn’t have been stuck on the island but it would have meant a 40 km trip back home and we’d already clocked up over 50 by then.
Our corner of Lake Constance, with Moos on the left and Konstanz on the right. The main lake is to the east of Konstanz.
And it’s a good thing I did check because the last ferry left at 6.40 pm. The island was a little disappointing. It mainly seems to consist of market gardens and nondescript villages. I was looking forward to visiting a church with 1000 year-old wall paintings but it’s only open for a few hours a day for guided tours in German and we were obviously too late.
The Swiss side of Lake Constance from the ferry
We enjoyed the 30-minute ferry ride back across the lake even though and by the time we got back to Gasthaus Schiff, we had ridden a total of 968 kilometers since starting our holiday on 17th July so we will definitely be reaching the 1000 kilometer mark.
Today I nearly got run over by a train when on my bike. When I heard the blast just next to me, a searing pain shot through my head and my legs turned to jelly. I immediately backtracked and got out of its way. Then I burst into tears.
The dangerous level crossing
Now how could this happen, you may well ask. It’s because level crossings in Germany don’t always have boom gates and when they do, they don’t necessarily extend to bike and pedestrian paths. I was a little sluggish this morning when we set out on our bikes from Riebersdorf near Straubing and had trouble keeping up with Jean Michel.
The clock tower in Straubing
He got to the level crossing in Bogen before me and crossed the tracks, without noticing the flashing red light over to the left. When I rounded the corner of the bike path and saw him across the tracks, I didn’t even look to see if there was a train – there are a lot of disused train tracks in this part of Germany – and followed him. That was when I heard the blast.
I looked right and saw the train coming along the track VERY FAST. I have never been so frightened in my life. After a near accident that you have successfully avoided, the important thing is to remember that it didn’t happen and not imagine the consequences. We went to a pharmacy to get some aspirin to relieve my horrendous headache which gave me something practical to do.
The hotel in Straubing we may have stayed in 15 years ago
I don’t know what the girl in the pharmacy thought was wrong, but she discreetly gave me a packet of tissues which I thought was very sweet of her. The pharmacy also had a water distributor and paper cups which is very civilised.
Typical scenery between Straubing and Mariaposching
By then I had calmed down and could get on my bike again but it was not our most successful day. There are usually gasthofs all along the Danube, but the few we found were all closed on Monday, including the radler freundlisch one which I didn’t think was very cyclist-friendly at all! What’s more, we hardly ever saw the Danube, just fields of crops.
Crossing on the ferry – the couple is not us
We hoped that Mariaposching, the village from which the ferry was to take us across the Danube might have something open, but all I saw were a couple of radler zimmer signs (rooms for cyclists) which weren’t much use. However, we got to the ferry just in time so at least we didn’t have to wait around in the boiling sun. It was the most rudimentary ferry we’ve seen so far – and the cheapest at 3 euros for us and our bikes.
The ferry from the banks of the Danube
Stephans-posching on the other side was much bigger but nothing was open there either so since it was 3 pm by then, we sat on a shady bench with a harvesting machine droning opposite and ate all our emergency biscuits.
Biscuit break at Stephans-posching
An hour later, having ridden along a very busy road and over a very long bridge whose bike/pedestrian section was closed for some unknown reason, we were back in Bogen where all we could find to eat was a cheese and tomato sandwich and an ice-cream sunday. At least the ice-cream was good and the chairs had padded seats because 50 kilometers of flat paths without a proper lunch break take their toll.
The bridge over the Danube with its pedestrian/cycle lane closed
Now it’s 8 pm and we’re waiting for our Rheingraf feinherb riesling 2009 bought in Straubing this morning to be cold enough to drink.
The only thing Jean Michel remembers about Regensburg when we went there about 15 years ago is eating sausages and sauerkraut in the oldest roast sausage restaurant in Germany on the banks of the Danube! He wants to go there again. I vaguely remember the restaurant episode but have no other images in my head.
The Walhalla overlooking the Danube
On the way, we drive past the Walhalla, which we both remember, because we passed it several times on our previous trip. Built at the instigation of King Ludwig I of Bavaria between 1830 and 1847 overlooking the Danube, it is a hall of fame for distinguished people in German history.
Bismarckplatz market in Regensburg
We arrive in Regensburg late morning and park in Bismarckplatz where there is a fresh food market. We buy cherries, raspberries (himbeeren) and cheese and leave them in the car. Unfortunately no one is selling wine.
Haidplatz in Regensburg
Following the Michelin Guide’s itinerary, we visit the town, as we no doubt did the first time. Neither of us remembers a single thing! What, you may wonder, is the point of travelling if you have forgotten it all fifteen years later. Yet we loved that trip and remember other parts of it, thank goodness so maybe not all is wasted …
The outside eating area of the Wurstkurchl
Our visit culminates in the famous restaurant, Historische Wurstkuchl, built in the 12th century to feed the local dockers and builders. Despite the fact that it’s 1.30 pm, the outside tables are crowded so Jean Michel suggests we eat inside.
Inside the Wurstkuchl with its enormous pillars*
The menu is in German so with the help of my less than usefu dictionary on my l iPhone, we decide we’ll have the basic dish of six little sausages with sauerkraut and another dish which appears to include salad. The waiter, who speaks only very basic English, is rather dubious about our choice, but he checks we want everything at the same time and off he goes.
Double rations!
When four plates arrive, two with little sausages and two with two large sausages and a large amount of potato salad with a couple of leaves of lamb’s lettuce on top, I understand his reticence! We laugh and eat them anyway. We’ll just have vegetables and fruit for dinner.
The Altmuhle between Essing and Kelheim
It’s 2.30 by the time we leave to cycle along a tributary of the Danube, the Altmuhle. I doze in the car after the 25 cl glass of reisling and all that food. Between Kelheim, where it meets the Danube, and Dietfurt, the bed of the Altmuhle was straightened and incorporated into a canal connecting the Main and the Danube.
The wooden bridge at Essing
It’s a favourite with local Germans and tourists, so we aren’t the only ones on the bike path. We stop off at the pretty little village of Essing to see the wooden bridge and have a coffee at Gasthof Schneider, which is famous for its local beer.
Riedenburg on the Altmuhle
We then push on to Riedenburg, which offers a plunging view of the Danube, after unnecessarily riding up a long hill due to poor signage again. Finding our way back is much easier.
Prunn overlooking the Altmuhle
We stop at least six times before Jean Michel takes what he considers is the definitive photo of Prunn castle we can see high up on a hill.
The little church at Essing reflected in the water
The path takes us past the bridge on the opposite side of the village of Essing and the six o’clock light gives a perfect reflection of the little church in the water. Once again, we marvel at how many different experiences our cycling trip along the Danube has to offer.
Every time we move onto a different section of the Danube, we tell ourselves that it can’t be better than the last one, yet we are never disappointed. After leaving the Austrian S-bend yesterday, we moved to a little village near Kelheim in Bavaria with the unpronounceable name of Niederleierndorf where we are renting an appartment for 5 days.
The little village of Niederleierndorf
It’s not as conveniently located as our other accommodation has been, but it is quiet and comfortable (if you exclude the impossible down pillows and creaky floor) and at least I’ve been able to do my washing again!
One of the gate towers in Kelheim
We’ve been to Bavaria and Kelheim before – we can’t remember exactly when but we think it was in 1998 or 1999. In any case it was before we started our travel journal or had a digital camera which means that we don’t remember a lot of the places we have already been.
A wayside crucifix on the bike path
After unpacking the car and doing some shopping, we drove a half an hour to the Danube and cycled 15 kilometers upstream Kelheim, having a few problems finding our way as we got closer to the town. We’ve discovered that the Eurovelo 6 bike route isn’t nearly as well indicated here as it is in Austria and at the source of the Danube. We made a wrong turn and I misinterpreted what Jean Michel said and we both went off in opposite directions. Good thing we had our mobile phones.
50 cl coke in Kelheim
I had absolutely no recognition of Kelheim and its four town gates. Otherwise there isn’t much to see. We had a giant diet coke at a riverside gasthof (all drinks are served in large quantities here: 50 cl for beer and coke, 20 cl for wine) and cycled back to the car.
Kloster Weltenburg
Today, we drove to another town on the Danube, Neustadt an der Donau, to begin our cycling itinerary, this time downstream to the famous Weltenburg Abbey, founded by Irish or Scottish monks in about 620, and held to be the oldest monastery in Bavaria but nowadays more famous for its beer. We took the cycle path along the Danube which was mostly gravel and not very comfortable.
Beer garden at Weltenburg
We did remember the Abbey from last time even though we’re not beer drinkers. It’s a very festive place with a big biergarten and much activity on the river. Last time we saw a sort of floating party boat with everyone singing and drinking beer.
The organ at Weltenburg Abbey Church
We visited the abbey church with its many angels and cherubs and its ever-present gold, marble and stucco.
Pfifferlings, knodels und kalb
We had lunch in the beer garden, sharing a long table with a group of Bavarians, and selected two dishes from the menu, all in German, hoping for the best. Mine, which I had identified as having chanterelle mushrooms (Pfifferling), veal (kalb) and potato noodles (knodels), was excellent, but Jean Michel’s suckling pig turned out to be vol-au-vent and not nearly as good (I have a German dictionary app on my iPhone but it doesn’t run to such complicated vocabulary). We shared, which was a good thing because we had pratically finished my dish before his even arrived!
Weltenburg Narrows also called the Danube Gorge
We then took a 20-minute boat ride down the river to Kelheim, through the narrowest and deepest part of the Danube. River traffic is regulated and the engine makes very little noise. You feel as though you are gliding along the river.
Gasthof Berzl in Kelheim
After coffee at our riverside gasthhof in Kelheim we tried to find a wooden boat to take us back to the Abbey as the cycle path is not able to follow the river so you have to ride up a lot of steep, uninteresting hills on a busy road.
Boat with its silent engine on the Danube
No wooden boats were in sight however so we gave up and took the same boat back (well, a larger, more luxurious one). This time it took 40 minutes – we were going against the current – and we had more time to appreciate our surroundings. Jean Michel spied some cyclists on a path along the river bank and was starting to get upset that we might have missed out on something, but the path which in fact was an old tow path, petered out when it got to a large rock at the beginning of the gorge.
A smaller monastery on the banks of the Danube with a troglodyte church
Before engines were invented, horses on the tow paths used to pull the boats upstream. A rope bundled up in hay so it would float was attached to horses waiting on the other side of the rock, thrown into the river and floated downstream to the boats so they could be pulled around the rock. Now isn’t that clever?
A field of hops
To avoid the gravel road again, we chose another bike route back to the car but due to the deficient signposting and despite two different cycling maps we took a few wrong turnings through the never-ending hop fields. We got back to the car just in time to buy some more speisequark at the supermarket. Now I bet you don’t know what that is!
Due to our change of plans because of bad weather near Linz a couple of weeks ago and our accommodation problems in Budapest, we have an extra two days after Wachau without any planned accommodation. The weather is looking much more promising and we’re planning to cycle around the S-bend or loop in the Danube between Passau and Linz.
The S-bend from the Donaublick
We’ve narrowed down the possibilities to a couple of villages. I rule out the large hotel/camping complex in Schlogen and the first gasthaus in Wesenufer is closed no doubt as a result of the flooding. The next gasthof can only accommodate us for one night due to a seminar. So we cross the river to Niederranna where we come across Gasthof Dexler which advertises itself as a radler (cyclists) stop.
Gasthof Draxler from the Danube side
The young woman who seems to be looking after the restaurant as well says there’s a room vacant for 32 euro per person and I ask to see it. It’s spacious and has two armchairs and a low table. We later discover it has a terrace. We take it and ask if we can have lunch. As it’s already 2.30 pm, she says there is a small menu only. That’s fine by us.
The Aussie cyclists
As we walk out onto the terrace along the Danube, a man with an Aussie accent who’s with a group of 8 other cyclists asks me if I speak English. I say that I do. He explains that he has won his bet as the others were remarking on the absence of English speakers in this neck of the woods. “Not only do I speak English, but I’m also an Aussie”, I reply which is greeted with a round of surprised laughter.
River traffic from the restaurant terrace at Gasthof Draxler
I explain that Jean Michel is French and that we live in Paris and that I have been living in France for 37 years. It turns out they all belong to a cycling club near Geelong and are either retired or semi-retired. They’ve just spent two weeks cycling in the Cotswolds in England and have started their Danube trip at Passau that morning. They’re going to Vienna.
The S-bend is on the left of the map
They’ve organised their trip with an agency that does the hotel bookings, transports their luggage from one stop to the next and plans their route. After lunch, they’re off to visit the Donaublick (lookout over the Danube) which, unfortunately, they don’t find.
Freewheelling from the Atlantic to the Black Sea
Next day, we learn that though they are all Aussies, one comes from the Netherlands, another from Greece and another from the UK. Jean Michel shows them our Eurovelo 6 book so they can see where we’ve been and where we’re going. We highly recommended the Wachau Heritage site we’ve just left.
Jean Michel on the scenic ferry down the loop
They are off to Linz via the S-bend and tell us about a ferry that their agency has recommended, that offers a very scenic ride through one part of the bend. We decide to include it on our way back.
Perfect weather for cycling around the S-bend
The weather is perfect – about 22 or 23°C with bright sun. So much better than the first time we were here. I think of the Aussie cyclists. That is the only problem with a pre-arranged trip – what do you do if it’s cold and rainy?
We nearly missed out on one of the highlights of our trip. If our home exchange in Budapest hadn’t fallen through, we would have passed over Washau altogether. It was Jean Michel’s fault, of course (he organised the itinerary and read the guide books!) but he he hadn’t realised it’s a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Melk Abbey
Melk and its famous abbey were on our list when we were in Aschach but in fact they were further than we thought – 125 K by bike – so after leaving Aschach early due to bad weather, I suggested we stop off at Melk on the way back from Budapest.
Vineyards on the hills in the Wachau
After consulting the Routard and checking the website, I phoned Weingasthof Donnauwirt at Weissenkirchen to see if they had a room for 2 nights. Bingo! As we neared our destination, we became more and more delighted. Quaint little villages, lovely scenery dotted with vineyards, panoramic views of the Danube. Exactly like the photos in our book and such a relief after the river banks around Budapest.
Our sunny terrace with a corner view of the Danube
Our room in the gastfhof is beautifullly decorated and has a table and chairs in one corner which is much better than the last one where I had to use the laptop sitting up in bed and we had to have dinner perched on one side making sure we didn’t get the sheets dirty, but best of all, it has its own terrace.
The village of Weissenkirchen from the ferry
Weissenkirchen is perfectly located. Just opposite the hotel is the ferry that takes you across the Danube. There are bike paths on either side which meant we could cycle along one bank and back along the other.
Crossing the Danube on the ferry
Since we arrived at the gasthof around 2 pm, we had time to book in, get changed, go across on the ferry and ride to Krems which is on the eastern tip of the Wachau.
Steiner Tor, the main entrance to Krems
The entrance to Krems is via the Steiner Tor, built in the late 15th century, the only one of the four town gates still standing. There are various other buildings of interest including two churches and a mediaeval quarter worth visiting.
The rathaus (town hall) in Durstein
On the way back, we visited Durnstein, one of the most popular villages in the area. By then we had completely fallen in love with the area.
On the banks of the Danube in the Wachau
Next day, we crossed on the ferry again and rode 26 kilometers west this time, to Melk. We were definitely on the right side of the river because the prettiest villages are across the other side.
Inner courtyard of Melk Abbey
At Melk, we rode up to the Baroque Benedictine abbey built in the early 18th century which overlooks the entire valley and left our bikes in a bike shelter that even had lockers to leave our paniers. The Austrians are very organised.
The entrance was expensive at 9.50 euro each and we weren’t that taken with all the religious exhibitions.
However, the library with its numerous mediaeval manuscripts, including 750 incunables (books printed before 1501) was very impressive, though not nearly as extravagant as the one in Wiblingen Abbey in Germany.
Modern painting on a side altar in Melk abbey church
The baroque church, whose renovation was completed about thirty years ago, is absolutely dripping with gold. There was even a lady polishing up the main altar to make it even brighter. There are also some unfortunate modern paintings on the side altars.
Wall paintings in the pavillion of Melk Abbey
We had a cold drink in the summer house with its beautiful frescoes and admired the view from the garden behind. The Benedictines certainly picked a wonderful spot.
Another typical view of the Danube
The trip back along the other side of the Danube was not nearly as exciting. Most of it wound through vineyards and apricot and cherry orchards. We even bought some fruit from a sulky wayside vendor. While we were there, a man pulled up in his truck and got out, wearing ledenhosen! They were even better from the front but I couldn’t take a discreet photo.
Man in lederhosen buying fruit
In the evening we dined al fresco in the hotel restaurant. The meal was expensive and disappointing, except for the wine which was excellent, reinforcing our usual practice of eating in middle-of-the-range family-run restaurants that cater to the locals.
We’re driving along the motorway to Budapest pleased to have our Aschach and Bratislava accommodation experiences behind us.
The Hungarian border
This time, there should be no problems. We have organised a home exchange with an American couple who have a well-located apartment in the centre of Budapest which they let and exchange. They have kindly agreed to our arriving ahead of schedule because of the bad weather in Aschach. We can arrive on Wednesday around noon and L. will be there to give us the key.
We leave Aschach on Tuesday and stay overnight in Bratislava which is a two-hour drive from Budapest. We arrive about fifteen minutes ahead of time, park right in front of the appartment, get some florints out the bankomat, buy a couple of things for lunch and feed the surprisingly expensive parking meter.
The appartment we almost stayed in!
L. arrives on cue, very apologetic. There is no electricity. His father has been looking after the apartment for A. but is now in hospital after major brain surgery and the last electricity bill has not been paid. He takes us up to the apartment, which is spacious and has everything we need, in particular a washing machine which is starting to become a major preoccupation.
Jean Michel goes into panic mode, much worse than in Bratislava and is looking furious. Neither L. nor I has A’s phone number unfortunately but L has sent her an email. Apologising profusely, L. goes off to look after the electricity problem saying he’ll be back in an hour or so.
Our first view of Budapest
We decide to have lunch in the meantime. Jean Michel is very pessimistic but I try to stay calm and be as nice to L as I can be. It isn’t his fault, after all! He soon returns with bad news. Even if he pays the electricity bill in cash, the electricity company will not put the power back on unless the owner of the apartment is present. L’s father has an official proxy but he doesn’t and A. is in the US. We’re in Hungary, he says.
Jean Michel wants to get out of Budapest as soon as he can. He looks up the Routard and finds an appartment to rent in Esztergon, a small town on the Danube an hour’s drive away, where we will be able to do our washing*. I have a look but am not convinced. I suggest Szentendre which is closer to Budapest and seems more promising but no apartments are listed. Jean Michel is adament, particularly after he discovers he has left his photo-grey sunglasses behind in the appartment.
Primatial Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Esztergon
About a half an hour out of town, we enter a forest and the road starts winding up a small mountain. We finally come down the other side and into the very dismal little town of Esztergon. We pull up at the address in the Routard and I have another look at the description. I quote, “We don’t know why anyone would possibly want to stay in Esztergon, but if you do, here are a few addresses.” Jean Michel had not read that bit.
I start laughing and Jean Michel at last joins me. We park the car near Hungary’s biggest building, the Primatial Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so we can visit it before going to Szentendre. It is certainly huge but not particularly attractive.
The Danube from Visigrad
We drive along the Danube to Szentendre, stopping off on the way at Visigrad and driving up a hill behind it from which there is a breathtaking view of the Danube.
The main pedestrian street in Szentender
Szentendre turns out to be a pretty little town with a pedestrian area in the middle and no fewer than five churches. After calling in at the tourist office for local bike maps just before it closes, we go to Roz Panzio the first of two hotels listed in the Routard under the prix moyens et plus chics category. We are shown two rooms and choose the largest. Then I ask about washing. The lady takes us to the hotel laundry, then phones someone on her cell. “No, I’m sorry”, she says, “not possible”.
The terrace at Mathias Rex Panzio
We try the second address, Mathias Rex Panzio, which I actually prefer. Yes, there’s a double room for 50 euros including breakfast. Wifi? Yes. Parking? Yes. Washing? No. So I explain about the apartment falling through and our 10 days’ washing. “OK”, she says. “You can use our private washing machine.” I thank her profusely. The room isn’t very big, but it’s clean, it has a comfortable bed and a very interesting bathroom, that appears to be all moulded in one piece. We take it. Dinner? At Movies (actually Muvesz) down the road.
Aftermath of flooding of the Danube
We change, take the bikes off the back of the car and off we go. It’s amazing how quickly the annoyances of the day disappear. From the height of the water in the Danube, we are lucky to be cycling at all. The whole area was obviously badly flooded.
The Danube at sunset
Muvesz turns out to be an excellent address and for the equivalent of 30 euros for the two of us, we have two courses and a glass of red and white wine each. Tomorrow, we’ll visit Budapest.
*We have been unable to find a laundromat in either Germany or Austria despite a lot of time spent following up non-existent addresses.
Mathias Rex Panzio, Kossuth Lajos utca 16, Szentendre 2000, Hungary. www.mathiasrexhotel.hu info@mathiasrexhotel.hu
When we leave Andelfingen after six wonderful days of cycling along the Danube, the weather forecast for our next stop – Aschach in Austria – is not promising. As we’ve never been to Munich, we decide to stop for a couple of hours on the way.
Marienplatz in Munich during the Stadtlaufmüncher marathon
Unfortunately, there is a big annual sports event on – 10,000 people running a marathon or semi-marathon – and the main square, Marienplatz, is chock-a-block which somewhat detracts from the historical ambiance. We see the main sights beneath an overcast sky, have a picnic lunch on a bench (it’s a fast day) and continue on our way.
Passau
After leaving the motorway at Passau at the juncture between Austria and Germany, which we visited on another occasion, we drive along the Danube, much wider and navigable here, seeing the aftermath of the recent floods. The river looks muddy and there is silt on the edge of the pavements and piles of debris everywhere. Nothing like the bucolic scenery we have left behind in Germany.
The church in Aschach
At the turnoff to Aschach, large production installations loom on the right and I begin to worry about what we’ll find. From the internet photos, our hotel, Gastof zür Sonne, seemed to be right on the water but, in fact, it is across the road. A not-very-friendly young man gives us a key card and sends us up to room 4 on the second floor.
Gasthof zür Sonne in Aschach
As we walk into the room, I see the wash basin is in an open area on the left ; the shower and toilet are behind a frosted glass door on the right. The room is small with dark furniture including an open wardrobe and a view of the Danube. I go into complaint mode and Jean Michel says I have to make up my mind whether we are staying or going. By then it is 6 pm and looking for another place to stay seems a bit daunting. I go down to the desk and ask if there is another room that doesn’t have a wash basin in the entrance. It seems they are all the same.
An iron door inside the Gasthof zür Sonne
We bring up our luggage and bits and pieces and I empty our small case into the wardrobe so we can change into our cycling clothes, pointing out all the negative aspects of the room as I go. Jean Michel understandably starts to get annoyed so I stop complaining. It is then that I realise that an automatic light comes on over the wash basin/entrance each time you go past which means that when I get up in the night, the whole room will be flooded with light.
The Danube at Aschach in the evening
Even Jean Michel sees the impossibility of that! We go back down and I put on my best smile to ask how to stop the light coming on automatically. The young man comes up reluctantly to have a look. However, he immediately understands the problem and says that unfortunately all the new rooms are like that but we can have the “old” room next door. Not only is the washbasin inside the bathroom this time; the open wardrobe is hidden behind the door, the room is much bigger and we have a sofa from which we can comfortably see the Danube.
An enormous cruise ship on the Danube at Aschach
This time my smile is not forced. “Perfect”, I say. “And look, the washbasin is not in the entrance”. The young man then explains that he thought I was objecting to the bathroom being on the left, not about the washbasin being in the entrance (he didn’t know the word in English). We rapidly change into our cycling clothes and get in an hour’s cycling before dinner.
Swans on the Danube at Aschach am der Donau
That, however, proves to be the last time we cycle for several days. It rains all night and next morning, it’s 12°. Change of programme.
