Bikes & Trains to Regensburg

Another sad day, 'I left my bell in Passau' after my bicycle bell donger broke off. At least the bike is getting lighter. Stewart had some back problems in Passau but seems to be getting over it now.
An interesting day, started of fine & sunny, but by the time we left was cold, windy, & heavily overcast threatening rain. Total bike ride was 78 klm & the rain went around us. Original plan was an overnight stay in Deggendorf but due to problems finding accommodation we took the local regional train to Regensburg from Deggendorf. This is the slow train & cruises at only 157klm/hr between every station. The ICE trains that run every hour or so travel at 300 klm/hr but we can't wheel our bikes onto the ICE trains. The weather was sunny & warm when we got off the train & walking to dinner was a pleasant stroll. Great accommodation right on the canal in Regensburg, no traffic noise only passing barges & cruise ships about 20  metres away, through our lovely big picture window. Dinner tonight was Italian & Yvonne once again knocked back a mega beer. We have 3 nights here as there is quite a lot to see & do.

 

Another hydro dam on theDanube.

 

The Danube was our guide, making for a fairly easy ride.

 

 

Rest stop at a ferry crossing.

 

 

A nice bitumen air strip beside the river.

 

 

No prizes for guessing where smoko was.

 

 

A pretty pond with acouple of swans.

 

Lunch stop Deggendorf.

 

 

A serious ivy infestation.

 

Another shop selling the popular traditional clothes.

 

The stone bridge in Regensberg from the 1100s is under repair.

 

Walking home after dinner.

Exploring Passau ...

Today was a very relaxing day spent in Passau. Yvonne & I 

had time out from the group & explored this medieval city on our own, starting off with a sleep in & a late breakfast. Passua is located where 3 rivers all meet. The Danube, Ilz & the Inn it is probably one of the nicest old cities we have been in. We walked around the city & across the Danube & climbed to the hilltop fort, built in the early 1500s. Lots of steps, but well worth it. The tour boats love this place & there were quite a few tied up today, including 3 ships from Viking cruises which we used to come to this port 2 years ago.

The day again started off windy, cold & raining heavily & after looking out the window we thought we would have a relaxing day indoors poking around the shops, but by the time we finished breakfast the rain had stopped & the sun was peeping out. We had a lovely morning walking the old cobble stoned city & river front, checking out the ships. Then a blood stirring climb up to the hilltop fort where we met all our fellow riders who did the same thing. Not all at once but scattered around the huge fortress. We have arranged to meet for drinks around 6 pm to discuss tomorrows departure.

By the time we got home this afternoon the fairies had been to make our beds & tidy our room & an afternoon nap continued the relaxation theme. Back to the real word of pedalling & travelling tomorrow, which now seems like the natural thing to do. I think it is going to feel a little strange when we get home & not have to get up & pedal to the next town. 

 

Street of cobbles disappearing through the bottom of a building. A pretty common sight throughout Germany.

 

A very steep street, these cobbles can be quite challenging on the bikes.

 

A picture of a poster showing the joining of the 3 rivers.

 

Yvonne is now a professional beer drinker.

 

Yep here's another one, you generally find one every couple of hundred metres, everything is freshly baked behind the counter. As stock is sold during the day, more is baked all day long. I amgoing to be very disappointed with Australian bakeries when we get home.

 

A tight fit for many vehicles.

 

A heavily loaded barge heading up the Danube.

 

Traditional clothing is quite popular, here are some childrens version.

 

A suspension bridge to walk across to the hilltop fort.

 

The Ilz comes out & meets the Danube just behind this building.

 

A view of the Danube & the town half way up to the fort.

 

A long climb, its further than it looks.

 

Entry to the fort, you can see where the draw bridge used to be.

 

An inner wall & stairs leading up to the residence.

 

Looking back over the town from the fortifications, with the Inn visible in the back ground.

 

Part of the secondary walls.

 

The local ABC housing the worlds biggest pipe organ with over 16000 pipes. 

 

Climbing the endless steps to the fort.

 

Finally approaching the fort.

 

 

Passau ... 70 klms

We have now cycled 1041 kilometres & I reckon anything over one thousand kilometres would have to be considered a long ride, so this is our first LONG ride. We have 2 weeks left & still quite a lot of ground to cover. So far it has been quite enjoyable, probably better than I expected, cycling makes you quite intimate with your surroundings, you experience all the sights, sounds & smells & you see a lot more than in a car as you travel quite slowly. Parking is never a problem & cycling with Greg means that red lights are meaningless, but the bloody Romans have a lot to answer for, planting their rough cobble stones all over Europe. I reckon they shorten the life of most bikes & their riders.

A very good cycling day with a tail wind all day & some interesting hills toward the finish. We woke up to look out the window & see black clouds & rain, not very promising looking but by the time we were ready for departure it had cleared & we spent most of the day cycling in sunshine. Near Passau it again clouded over & looked threatening, but we arrived without being rained on, unfortunately there were a few kilometres of dirt track through the forrest & it had rained there earlier, so the track was muddy & we all arrived sprayed with mud. Had to wait a half an hour for our room but when we got in the shower was great.

 

A view down from a roadside wooden tower.

 

 

Rural view from the same tower.

 

Methane collection tank next to cow house. This produces enough methane to drive a large gas turbine producing power. Many farms have these.

 

 

Once again travelling along the levy bank of the Inn.

 

 

On the wall of a hydro dam. Quite a few of these on the Inn.

 

 

Cycling past another field of barley. You might notice that when we arrived all the barley was green, but only 3 weeks later quite a lot is starting to turn golden.

 

 

Morning tea in a very quiet little village.

 

 

Cycle road passes under 8 lanes of traffic but very peaceful down here.

 

 

An all wood covered bridge, to keep the snow off.

 

 

The entry view of the same bridge.

 

Yvonne emerges from a hilly & muddy stretch of forrest track.

Our day in Austria...21 klm

June 21, an auspicious day, summer solstice, longest day of the year, 9pm sunset & a visit to my family roots. Cool overcast & pleasant. We visited my mothers workplace from 60 years ago (still the same & owned by the same family).
We visited the 2 houses my father built & a few other significant places. All outstanding business is now taken care of.....

 

A place we stayed in in 2013, with a very interesting lady running it, I spoke to her briefly again today.

 

Crossing the river Inn into Austria from Germany.

 

In front of Knollmayr konditerei where my mother worked 60 years ago. Things don't change much here. We will be stopping here for breakfast tomorrow morning.

 

Braunau Rathaus. Note the figure between the top left 2 windows, he was a mayor centuries ago who was killed when his 2 metre long beard tripped him while he was running to escape a fire & he perished.

 

Braunau town square.

 

 

The house in which Adolf Hitler was born.

 

Ranshofen pub where my parents used to have a drink or meal.

 

Lunch at the Ranshofen pub. Traditional German and Hungarian meals.

(very delicious )

 

The first house my father built in the lower part of Ranshofen.

 

The crystal clear clothes washing creek in Ranshofen .

 

Side view of the second house that my dad built on the hill at Ranshofen.

 

The lovely lady who now lives in the house on the hill, we left her a nice bottle of Australian red wine.

 

Inside view of the large church on the hill at Ranshofen, very ornate with beautiful frescos on the ceiling.

 

The skeleton of a dead saint in a glass box amongst the pews, maybe used to scare children.

 

Cycling through the convent gardens behind the church.

 

The road my mother rode her bicycle down to go to work in Braunau from Ranshofen.