DAY 8 (MAY 9-WED) LINZ TO GREIN, AUSTRIA

Best breakfast yet-scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit, rolls-make 2 sandwiches to share w/friends (swans & ducks).  Go back up to room to send emails to friends about blog & write post cards-leave after 9:00 to find PO.  Not easy-electric trains, cars, bikes, pedestrians & construction workers all come together w/no obvious lanes or rules.  Armand & Jean both say–BIKES RULE– (until you get run over)  Have not seen 1 accident yet.  Do not stop to visit anything in Linz–get on RI bike rt.  This turns into most unusual day-no sight seeing-get lost several times.  At 10 m stop to feed swans–about 20 come right up.  See Jean come out from side trail-she’s off to see oldest town in Austria.  We go on other trail-want to see concentration camp & memorial (est 123,000 people killed here)  Go into town following 4 German bikers–they stop to eat-we keep going & going.  Suddenly on busy rd w/traffic & NO bike lanes.  A keeps going-I’m yelling-THIS DOESN’T LOOK RIGHT TO ME!!  They wouldn’t put 70 yr old women doing the Danube tour on this rd.  Turn around & go back into town–German bikers are just getting on bikes–follow them-get on bike trail–LOOKS GOOD TO ME!  Suddenly turn on same busy rd we were on–go for several miles & see name of town.  Ask if it’s on our map-NO–ask man in yd–says we need to go back into town & turn rt.  2nd time lost we were on a gravel rd w/NO bikers around–doesn’t look rt.  Turns out as of May 1st Danube trail was repaired.  Today’s ride was not as beautiful–weather in low 70s.  Get to Grein-saw 2 swans ( 1 black & 1 white) w/family of ducks–shared my sandwich-at 5:00 bus will take you to hotel because it’s steep ride.  A thinks we can bike–I’m riding bus.  Turns out it was dangerous-lots of 2 way traffic-no bike lane.  Take shower go down to rd to wait for Jean–here she comes biking in.  She had bought a map & done extra things-biked in from another direction (up steep hills)  Ate dinner & compared stories.  Nice motel–have our own balcony.

DAY 7 (MAY 8-TUES)  NIEDERRANNA TO LINZ, AUSTRIA

Up at 7:30–look out window at Danube–going to be another beautiful day.  At breakfast see Jean leaving tells us about hike she is doing. Eat & make sandwich.  No words to describe beauty of ride–don’t see many bikers on trail.  Take ferry across Danube to get to hiking trail.  Sign says 30 min–start my watch–at 7:00 min meet Jean coming down–steep climb–need walking stick.  At top man reading book–takes our Christmas picture–one of best views on river–26 min to top-18 min down.  Only comments from Armand are the 2 dead mice he sees on trail.  Very relaxing day–perfect.  Going to get on another ferry to cross back-driver sees my TX shirt-El Paso? No-Austin–capital of TX he says– Like Bandera too.  He had gone to TX w/hunting friend.  Decide not to take his ferry when he tells us we would just have to cross back again.  Eat lunch on bench–joined by a family of ducks–they have 4 little babies–give them some bread–not afraid–come up to my shoes. Next stop in little town for ice cream cone & another stop for ice cream sandwich–where Jean pulls up.  Even though we are close to Linz–we still don’t bike together.  We decide to see 1 more church–bike up steep hill–can’t find it.  See cemetery–unbelievable–each grave has a little flower garden in front of it.–take pictures.  Another couple bike up looking for the church too–turns out what I thought was a church was someones private residence.  Couple was from Munich-spoke perfect English.  Said it was common throughout Germany & Austria to have cemeteries like this–families planted new things 3 times a yr.  Back on trail to Linz–are seeing more people in biking clothes & road bikes racing along trails.  Lots of traffic going into & out-of-town–still have our own trails.  Town is big-now on road w/rail trains–construction-bikes, cars, people all over place.  Finally get to Motel–very fancy outside but room is smaller than last night.  Jean comes in just has we are sitting down for dinner & joins us.  Another perfect day.

DAY 6 (MAY 7-MON)  PASSAU TO NIEDERRANNA, AUSTRIA     9:00 AM-6:30

Breakfast is included in tour price-don’t ever eat bkfast-will start now.  Eat w/Jean–make ham/cheese sandwich to take for lunch.  Food is biggest expense.  Drop luggage & try to follow Jean who is already gone–both end up at St. Steven’s Cathedral (have world’s largest organ). Again amazed at how magnificent art works & church is. Leave church & listen to guide speaking English-ask lady in group if church was bombed in WWII–no only women & children in town-Germans took all boys age 15+.  Where are you from?  Austin, TX–can’t believe it–she lives a few m from me–what a small world!!!  She is w/TX group taking cruise down Danube.  Jean(who always has maps& an agenda) is gone never to be seen again–but I have Armand (who just wants to bike around town)  Were given a tourist map w/15 pts of interest–want to go to sites.  St. S was #10–want to go to #1 VESTE OBERHOUS MUSEUM.  Beware of what you ask for–it’s at top of huge gigantic cobblestone hill w/22% grade.  Put your bike in low gear & go–watch him start up–not sure I want to go–must follow leader.  Not long before I’m walking-pushing bike–leaning on handle bars-panting–long hike–steepest hill ever done.  Get to top–fantastic view-can see #15 site high on top mt on other side of Danube.  Spend 2 hrs in Museum–history of Pissau 28.000 yrs BC to present–have place to ourselves–no one crazy enough to come up here.  Armand finds another way down–thank goodness.  Next #15-Pilgrimage church “MARIAHILF”–1ST bike up wrong steep  hill–then find lady from NJ who is looking for steps leading up to church.  success–at least 400 steps to top–some people are praying on each step–leave mementos.  Church was built by king who prayed to GOD for help to defeat Turks–he won.  Leave town at 3:30 to bike to next town.  Weather is perfect–bike paths (next to Danube) are perfect (smooth–NO potholes)–scenery is perfect (everything is green).  Stop at 1 more church in Engelszell (has 6 women corpses  encased in glass.  Get to Motel–very clean/nice..  Have dinner w/Jean & compare adventure-agree it was a wonderful day.  (Jean did not do Museum after looking at hill or #15.  

DAY 5 (MAY 6-SUN) MUNICH TO PASSAU, GERMANY

Jean going to Mass at 8:30 at St. Peters–weren’t quite ready–Jean waits for no one.  Lots of huge Catholic Churches–went to St. Michael’s–asked a policeman–For some reason lots of policemen out.  Find St. Peters–one of highlights on trip.  Cardinal is saying mass in Latin–choir is like listening to an opera.  Church was destroyed in WWII & rebuilt like it was–unbelievable w/all art work & statues.  After Mass climbed 306 steep stairs to one of tallest pts in city–tourism is an athletic event here.  Jean took her pictures & left to go buy our train tickets–she has her own time schedule & agenda.  We are on this tour because of Jean but like she says–I’m very independent–it’s a good thing I have Armand to follow around.  He now thinks we are in Japan–He’s always in the lead & way out in front of me.  Get to the train station –2 hr ride to Passau.  Take cab to hotel & ride bus to pick up our bikes.  Jean did not want to ride a women’s bike–we took unisex bikes & the guy put on our clips.  Rode bikes to Happy WoK while Jean spent another 30 min making sure her bike was right.  Hotel Achat–very clean & nice.  Armand is already asleep preparing for our 1st day.  Weather has been rainy & cold.

DAY 4 (MAY 5-SAT)  MUNICH, GERMANY   MONACO MOTEL

Wake up call 7:30–start castle tour 8:15-double decker bus.  2 hr ride into Bavarian Alps (snow on mts) to get to Castle Linderhof-King Ludwigs II summer home–beautiful.  Stopped in another town for shopping-then on to King Ludwigs Castle NEUSCHWANSTEIN (also called Cinderella’s Castle).  Ludwig was thought to be crazy-loved music, the arts & men (not good in a very Catholic country)–slept during the day, awake at night reading–food was put on a table & entire table popped up in his room.  Construction of fairy tale  castle took 17 yr–bedroom took 4 yrs–he lived there 6 months before at age 40 he was declared crazy & found dead w/his psychiatrist in a lake.  This castle was built into a mt & took 30 min of steep climbing to get to it.  After the tour I wanted to go to the bridge–almost there & afraid we would miss bus–gravel trail said 30 min to bottom–no one on it–started running-Armand complaining–made it in 6 min.  Back at 6:30–ate dinner w/Jean at Vegetarian rest–It’s her birthday–last b-day bike tour w/Jean I crashed the next day in KY.  Another night listening to street noises.

DAY 3 (MAY 4-FRI)  MUNICH, GERMANY

Sleep to 10:30-go to train station to take free walking tour–no one there (turns out Armand looked at wrong time).  Take bus tour–can get on & off at any of the stops & sight see.  Visit beautiful church & Residence of kings museum-audio tour-very impressive–beautiful day.  Observations:  lot of smokers (NO smoking inside any facility)–lots of bike riders (NO one wears a helmet or biking clothes-jeans, suits, dresses)-clean city in spite of very few trash cans (lots of cigarette butts)–NO places to sit in train station or at food stands–did not see any obese people or really very many overweight people–too busy walking or riding bikes.  Eat dinner w/Jean–Mexican food–get caught up.  She did castle tour that we are doing tomorrow–we did bus tour that she did yesterday–she is doing bike tour tomorrow–RAIN is in the forecast.  Hard to sleep–windows open to all the night noises & there are plenty.

DAY 1 (MAY 2-WED)  AUSTIN TO NEW YORK

Up at 6:00 to finish packing & cleaning.  Jenn picked us up at 7:00 & took us to air-port–forgot to turn off air conditioner.  She sends Nathan over to check on house–also forgot to take keys out of back gate.  Fight to NY-watch Iron Lady & get 2 drinks (OJ)-no food offered.  In Kennedy airport eat at McD–I never eat there but on vacation it’s ok.  Leave for London at 7:30 PM.  British Air is the biggest plane I’ve ever been on–300-350 passengers.  We are in coach-3 seats on each side w/5 in the middle.

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