Cycling, Germany, Mushrooms, Sightseeing

Cycling along the Danube – the Weltenburg Narrows

July 5, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 39 Comments

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 Niederleierendorf — 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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We visited the abbey church with its many angels and cherubs and its ever-present gold, marble and stucco.

Pfifferlings und kalb — 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.

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?

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!

Cycling along the Danube – the Aussie Cyclists

July 4, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 5 Comments

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

Art, Austria, Cycling, Restaurants, Sightseeing

Cycling along the Danube – Wachau in Austria, a World Heritage Site

July 3, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 6 Comments

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 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.

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.

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.

The main entrance to Krems — 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hungary, Sightseeing

Budapest, the City of Baths

July 1, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 2 Comments

Everyone who goes to Budapest tells you that you have to experience the baths. However, there are so many that it is difficult to choose. Also, many seem to have separate pools (and even separate days) for men and women. Neither of us can see any point in going there on our own.

So I ask the lady at our hotel to recommend one that is mixed. She suggests Gelert built in 1918, which introduced mixed bathing at the beginning of 2013 which explains the contradicting reviews on Trip Advisor! I check out the Gelert website and learn that we can have a locker or a private cubicle. We can also have a tub bath for two for 63 euro or a chocolate spa (???) for 40 euro.

We manage to find parking in the street behind the baths, which has parking meters. We have enough coins for two hours. A man walks past and explains in English that our car is parked in the wrong direction and we could get fined. In Paris, all that matters is having a ticket!

We opt for a private cubicle for two for a total of 10,200 forints (about 34 euro) which is already quite expensive. We’re given a plastic watch each and told to go to the second gate on the right. There our watches which contain an electronic chip are scanned and we go through a turnstile.

Outside pools facing towards Gelert hotel

We follow a very long and winding corridor up and down stairs until we find ourselves in an area with private changing cubicles. A lady takes my watch and holds it up in front of a cubicle identifier and tells me it’s number 134.

The cubicles are actually very small but I’m reassured to see there is wire-netting above and I can leave my valuables there without having to worry about theft. We have to leave by separate doors but join up again outside.

There is a large pool in the middle at 26°C and a smaller one on the far side at 36°C. The air temperature has dropped to about 21°C and the sky is now overcast. The pool is lovely and warm. A group of American teenage girls decide to try out the very cold tub next to us. Just watching them is dissuasive. The Hungarians remain stoic.

After a while, we get out and go to the larger pool. It’s feels very cold compared to the 36° and we have to swim to keep warm. We’ve soon had enough and think it’s time to go. I’m convinced the same pools must exist inside so we go searching.

And they do. A few more corridors take us to the main inside pool. This time, I wear goggles and cap so I can swim properly. I do the first length and start swimming back again. There is pratically no one in the pool. Someone grabs my arm. I eventually realise what the man is trying to tell me. You won’t believe this but the direction in which you are supposed to swim is AROUND the pool and not up and down!

There is a smaller 36° pool so we try that for a while then get out. We can’t find the showers so we go back to our cubicle and get dressed. We make it back to the car just in time.

Great big fat raindrops start falling and don’t stop for about another hour by which time we are back in our hotel, having stopped off on the way at Auchan (one of France’s most popular hypermarkets!) to buy some tokai wine, cheese, tomatoes and bread for dinner.

However, I have to say that I much preferred the wonderful spa experience we had, quite by accident, in Switzerland a couple of years ago near Lake Constance. There were ten or so baths at different temperatures with lots of whirlpools and even one with rapids. We felt really great when we finally got out.

Aussie in France

Monthly Archives: July 2013

Cycling along the Danube – the Weltenburg Narrows

OTHER POSTS ABOUT CYCLING IN GERMANY

Cycling along the Danube – the Aussie Cyclists

Cycling along the Danube – Wachau in Austria, a World Heritage Site

Budapest, the City of Baths

from the Tropics to the City of Light