Day 22 - Vienna, Austria - Now We Pack

Tony's View

We woke up this morning to rain. The forecast said it would be done by noon, but we had to check out by 11:00 a.m. So, we loaded up and got ready to head out. I was actually planning to start the ride wearing my rain jacket. Once I got outside, though, I realized all I was going to do was sweat inside it. So I took it off and stuffed it away in my pannier.

Here is one of those puddles you just couldn't miss since you had to get to the other side.

We headed out, and the rain seemed to subside, at least where we were. My main objective, besides avoiding bumps and potholes, was to avoid as many puddles as possible. It felt like I was playing some kind of video game where you have to dodge everything coming at you. Somehow, we managed to miss the rain the entire way. So now I can finally say it: We completed our first adventure without having to ride in the rain! 🎉

Now for the bad news. Some of you may find this disturbing, so if you can't handle upsetting news, you might want to skip this part. We were about 10 miles into the ride, right after finishing our daily rosary, when I suddenly realized something. Sitting in that beautiful wine refrigerator back at the Airbnb was the bottle of wine we bought yesterday... the bottle that I completely forgot and left behind.

I warned you this was disturbing. You probably didn't take my advice and skip this part.

Let's just say I uttered a few words that people don't normally say immediately after praying a rosary. 😂🍷 After a brief period of mourning for the abandoned wine, we carried on toward Vienna.

Here are some swans and their young ones that were nestled in along the bike path.

We got to this point and had to make a detour because the path ahead was blocked for a festival. This gentleman told us we wouldn't be able to get through and was nice enough to show us a very efficient way around it.

Yet another example of the kind people we've met on this trip. 😊

Nice bridge!

One of our break stops along today's 55-mile journey. Since the wind was once again at our backs, we were able to cruise along at over 20 mph, so not many breaks were necessary. In fact, with that tailwind, it almost felt like someone had secretly attached an electric motor to the tandem. 😂 Oh yea, that helped too. A good tailwind is one of life's greatest gifts. 

We ran into quite a few rowing teams on the Danube today. One crew was rowing directly in front of a river cruise ship and didn't seem to have any intention of moving. We never found out what happened because we were flying along faster than both of them and didn't want to stick around for the outcome. 😂

As we rode away, we figured there were only two possible endings: the rowers eventually moved, or the captain had to add "avoiding a rowing team" to his list of daily navigational challenges. Either way, we decided it was best to keep pedaling and let someone else write that story. 😂

This picture shows where we had to walk around a construction detour, which you can see on the right. It was much easier to walk the bikes than to try to figure out a way to ride around it.

Sometimes the shortest route between two points is admitting defeat and walking. 😂 Rather than spending 20 minutes searching for a rideable way around, we took the much simpler approach: put our feet on the ground and keep moving. On the bright side, it gave us a chance to stretch our legs and remind ourselves that bicycles do occasionally work as walking companions too. 😂

This picture shows us searching for our Airbnb because, apparently, finding the place was proving more difficult than riding across Austria. 😂 While I was busy walking around trying to figure out where we were supposed to be, Joan grabbed my phone, dropped back a few steps, and snapped this picture. She has an amazing talent for that. The moment I get off the bike, look confused, or start wandering in circles, she's ready with a camera. 😡😂 Somehow, there are very few photos of her being lost, but plenty of me looking like I'm trying to solve a complex navigation problem with absolutely no clue where I'm going. 😂 In the end, we did find the Airbnb, but not before Joan added another photo to her growing collection of "Tony Looking Lost Around the World." 😆

Here I am taking the bicycle apart piece by piece outside our door. As I lay each piece on the ground, Joan is right behind me wiping off all the dirt and grime before we pack it. It seems we've developed a pretty efficient assembly line: I take it apart, and Joan makes it look like I actually take care of my bike. 😂 

Here are all the pieces that we somehow have to fit into suitcases tomorrow for our flight home on Monday. At this point, it looks less like a bicycle and more like we've disassembled a small aircraft. 😂 Fortunately, we've done this before, so with a little patience, a lot of Tetris-like packing skills, and perhaps a prayer or two, everything should fit.

Right now, all the parts are laid out neatly. By tomorrow, our goal is for them to magically transform into airline luggage and arrive home as a functioning bicycle again. 😂

Here is a picture of St. Stephen's Cathedral. The last time we were here, in 2019, they were working on it. The tower and roof look wonderful now. We walked to the cathedral to attend the English Mass at 7:00 p.m. It was great to see how beautiful the restoration turned out after all these years.

Before we went into the church, there was a choir outside performing like street musicians. We stopped to watch because a large crowd had gathered around them. We later went inside for Mass, and to our surprise, they turned out to be the choir singing for the Mass. They were wonderful.

After Mass, the priest invited them to come to the front and perform a couple of additional songs for the congregation. They sang "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" and "Auld Lang Syne," the traditional New Year's song. Both were unique and beautiful renditions. They were from the Philippines and actually in Europe competing in the World Choir Games. They won the world championship in 2023 with these songs. What a great way to end the day!

One more reason to celebrate: this is my last blog post of the trip! 🎉🍷🚲

By now, you all know how much I love writing these updates. In fact, I enjoy writing them about as much as I enjoy riding into a headwind or discovering I've left a bottle of wine behind at an Airbnb. 😂

To properly commemorate this historic occasion, we stopped and bought another bottle of wine to replace the one I accidentally left chilling in the refrigerator at our last Airbnb. I'm sure the next guest appreciated my generous contribution to international relations. 🍷😆

So let's all celebrate: We managed to avoid riding in the rain. I only donated one bottle of wine to an Airbnb refrigerator. And best of all... this is my final blog post of the trip! 🎉😂

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to enjoy this replacement bottle of wine before I accidentally leave this one behind too! 🍷😂

Joan's Extras

Just a few extra points because I want you enjoy Tony's celebration above. 

We moved slowly and quickly past that family of swans on the bike path. I have heard many stories about the attacking black swans that used to be at ONU. Most were from Cara & Nick, but Marla had a memorable story from soccer camp there too, or maybe that was geese? 😏

To follow up on Tony's comments about picture taking, it's fairly simple. If you look back at our family pictures, you'll rarely find me in a picture because guess who was capturing all those precious memories? 😍

Day 21 - Furth bei Göttweig, Austria - The Donau Vineyards Ride

Joan's View

Deja vous. We've been here before! It was another beautiful ride along the mountains of grapevines tiered above the trail while we reminisced about the time we rode the same path in 2019. Refer to blog day 17 date Sept 4, 2019.

Warm Apple Strudel was waiting for us for breakfast, freshly baked at the cafe down the hill that Tony discovered last night on his wine searching outing. We chatted with the owner and another customer while enjoying our tasty breakfast since our ride is only 28 miles today.

 Exactly- "one for you, two for me." I got the second one to go.😁

Beginning our ride, we passed this roadside stand grilling this delicious looking fish, but we had just filled up on apple strudel.

Lots of cyclists today going both directions. Most seem to be from the Danube cruise ships because they have the familiar maps on their handlebars. We talked to one lady from Vancouver, Canada that said their group was on a bike and boat excursion. 

Our planned route was on the east side of the Danube, but the cafe owner said the west side is much prettier. We went with her suggestion even though we had no navigation on that side, and it turns out that is the same route that we took in 2019. That's why sights were so familiar! No pictures of the mountain slopes covered in grape vines this time. We probably could have taken some although to compare the quality of the vines given our vast knowledge of wine. 😂

We started reminiscing about how we stopped and bought some wine from a vineyard on one of our trips, but neither of us could remember where it was. Accordingly, we made a few attempts today to appease Tony's wine appetite. One place said that they had none but would have some after the harvest. Another try was this Karl Mayr Winery. The sign read wine to buy (in German) but the place was closed.

Another try was this vending machine outside of a church courtyard. That failed because you had to enter a European ID. 

In the meantime, we saw some small tractors hauling carts full of grapes, aka future Tony wine.

We made a stop at St. Michaels Church. Just looking at their holy water font tells you how old it is.

Centuries of usage

OK. We stopped there before

 but it's still pretty.

We also browsed the cemetery outside the church again. We might have found some of your relatives, Gary & Terrie Schwaiger!

Continuing on the WCT, we stopped at Weißenkirchen in der Wachau. You have to be dedicated to go to mass here because there were at least 50 steps to get to the entrance. The steps continue to the left and right after you get to the top of this flight. I guess it puts your heart in the right place after all that heavy breathing.

Since we take turns watching the bike, I started to explore some more to the left of the church stairs while Tony was checking out the church. There was a hallway that takes you to this 600 year old theater. It even has priority seating on the left and right. I would definitely go with you to that theatre, Tisha, even if it was a musical!😉 

I stopped to talk to the ticket booth attendant and the encounter made my day. I used my Theresa DeLand intuition and asked her if she was Catholic. It's a tradition of mine to give the Medjugorje rosary that we use to pray each day to someone on our trips. This attendant said yes and told me that her cousin had just gotten back from Medjugorge last week, but did not bring her anything. She seemed honored and excited to tell her cousin.

Farther down the bike path, we passed these people bottling wine. Tony stopped immediately. "Ask them if they sell wine" he says. In my choppy German, I find out they do! Tony picked 2 bottles, a sauvignon blanc and a riesling from Lehenstiner. Remarkably, our Airbnb even has a wine cooler!

Some serious wine contemplation going on

We hear how Sidney is having cancellations due to the extreme heat. Today has been our hottest day yet, 85 degrees. We had to go to the nearest grocery store for dinner tonight since we are in a small town and the restaurants are farther away. The grocery store was about a 1.5 mile walk and the engine was leaking lots of fluid due to the heat. Amazingly, we have air conditioning tonight, the one time on this entire trip and Tony never even planned that!

We have a great Airbnb tonight. They have these cool knives with the handle perpendicular to the knife. Wonder what the OT, Marla, thinks of these???

Tony's Extras

One thing to note: At one winery where we stopped, they said they didn't have any wine ready yet because they were in the middle of harvesting. However, the winery we saw bottling wine along the bike path was willing to sell us their fresh wine. That got me thinking about the times I would buy kegs from Lisa and Nate at Yellow Springs Brewery. They are supposedly my friends, yet they would only sell me the older beer instead of the fresh beer! 😂

To be fair, they do make some of the highest-quality, true-to-style beer around. It really is outstanding. Still, it's amazing that people on the other side of the world were willing to sell me fresher wine than my friends Lisa and Nate would sell me fresh beer! 😂🍷🍺

Tomorrow is our last riding day as we head into Vienna. Right now, rain is in the forecast for the morning, but we'll wake up and see what it actually looks like. I'm hoping to get there as early as possible so we can take the tandem apart and get everything packed for our flight home on Monday.

Day 20 - St. Georgen, Austria - Riding along the beautiful Danube Again

Tony's View

What a beautiful ride along the Danube today. It was a relaxing and scenic 62 miles. There were a few very steep climbs, but overall it was a wonderful day. To be fair, those climbs were the result of my navigation errors, not the route's fault.

For the first time on this trip, the wind was actually at our backs, and it felt absolutely glorious. After days of fighting headwinds, it almost felt like the cycling gods had finally decided to cut us a break.

But before I get too far into today's ride, I have to talk about the descent into Linz. Those 18% downhill grades were no joke. The steep drop, combined with tight switchbacks and occasionally rough roads, made for a very exciting ride, and by exciting, I mean slightly terrifying. I was squeezing the disc brakes so hard they were squealing loudly enough for people to hear us coming long before they saw us. Every pedestrian who turned their head probably thought a freight train was coming down the mountain. There were definitely a few moments when I was more than a little nervous.

And then there was Joan. Imagine being seated in front with no control over the bike and relying entirely on the person behind you to keep things under control. That's a situation nobody volunteers for, yet there she was trusting me not to send us both into the next county.

Another thing that comes to mind is Isaiah from Choice One. He talks about doing days with huge climbs and big mileage for fun on a Saturday morning. He's probably reading this blog right now and thinking, "What a couple of wimps."

Of course, to put things into perspective, Isaiah rides a super-lightweight Canyon road bike with no luggage attached. He's also lightweight, in great shape, and probably flies uphill faster than I ride on flat ground with a tailwind. Meanwhile, Joan and I are hauling ourselves, our gear, and enough supplies to survive a small expedition. Under those circumstances, I think we're allowed a little drama over an 18% descent!

As we were riding along the bike path, I spotted some wild hops growing nearby. Being a beer lover, I had no choice but to stop and investigate.

I picked a few cones and took a moment to enjoy their wonderful aroma. The sweet, familiar smell instantly reminded me of a brew day back home. For a brief moment, I considered carrying them with me for the rest of the trip just so I could enjoy that wonderful hop aroma along the way. In the end, practicality won out. As much as I loved the smell, I decided not to haul a handful of wild hops across Austria. They were returned to nature, and I continued down the trail smelling slightly less like a brewery than I had hoped. 🍺

Here are a few of the first beautiful views from our ride today. As always, the pictures don't do us justice... or the scenery, for that matter. We saw a lot of people fishing today. This must be a great fishing spot, Bud!

I talked Joan into stopping at the Mauthausen Memorial again, the one we visited the last time we rode this route. Since I hadn't added it to our Komoot route, I pulled it up on Google Maps when we got close. I handed the phone to Joan and confidently said, "Let's just follow the phone." Well, that brilliant plan led us up a steep hill... and then the navigation stopped making sense. While I was standing there trying to catch my breath, I looked at the phone and realized my mistake. I had forgotten to type in "Memorial."

Dang it. Wrong destination, one unnecessary mountain-climbing expedition, and a serious blow to my reputation as the navigation expert. After that little debacle, I decided the Memorial would have to wait for another day. My lungs had already visited enough historical sites for one afternoon. 😄

 While we were sitting at the top of the hill wondering where to go now, an older gentleman came out to help us. The only problem was that he only spoke German. Joan immediately switched into German mode and started chatting away with him. He listened to our story, then said, "Wait," disappeared for a minute, and came back with a map so he could show us exactly how to get to the Memorial. I told him we were going to skip it since we'd already managed to miss it and accidentally added a bonus mountain climb to our ride. Joan explained that we'd been there before anyway, and he seemed perfectly satisfied with that explanation. Yet another example of how friendly and helpful people are around here. The man didn't know us from Adam, but he was ready to become our personal tour guide.

We then started heading back down the steep hill, carefully enjoying our hard-earned gravity assist, only to have to stop halfway down to wait for a delivery guy. After all that effort climbing, it seemed only fair that something would prevent us from fully enjoying the ride back down! 😂

Here Joan is inside a fish, just like the one in the story below. So for today, she shall no longer be known as Joan. From this moment forward, she is Jonah.

After surviving wrong turns, unnecessary mountain climbs, and my award-winning navigation skills, it seems only fitting that she has now entered her prophet phase. Unlike the original Jonah, however, she didn't spend three days in the fish. She just posed for a photo and escaped before the fish started charging admission.

So today we ride with a famous prophet among us. Joan is temporarily retired, and Jonah the Cycling Prophet has taken her place. 😂

More beautiful Danube pictures that I'm sure you aren't nearly as impressed with as we are. But that's okay. You're getting them anyway. 😄

We came across this tower and Joan asked, "Do you want to climb it?" I immediately said, "Absolutely!" Not because I had any special interest in the tower, mind you. It was because there wasn't a payment kiosk at the bottom. Up I went, huffing and puffing my way to the top. Joan stayed below long enough to preserve her energy, then took a picture of me standing at the summit looking much more athletic than I actually felt.

Here's a picture of me looking down at Joan from the top of the tower. From up there, they had one of those really cool telescopes that identified all the mountains in the distance. You'd look through it, and instead of just guessing what you were seeing, it would show the mountain names right on the view.

Of course, the first thing I started looking for was ski areas. I would bet there are some great ski slopes out there, but I didn't recognize any of the mountain names. Then again, Dan and I will be skiing in the Swiss and French Alps this coming January, so those are the names I'm trying to memorize.

I had to take a picture of this because it was basically an advertisement for a contractor who could install one of these towers for you.

That's right. If you've ever looked out into your backyard and thought, "You know what this place needs? A giant observation tower,"apparently there's a guy for that. "See this tower? We can put one in your yard."

I have to admit, I was intrigued. Imagine the possibilities. Instead of asking the neighbors over for a barbecue, you could invite them up to your personal observation deck to survey the countryside.

We found a great Biergarten about halfway through today's ride. It was located right next to one of the many hydroelectric plants along the Danube, complete with the massive locks that help all those cruise boats make their way up and down the river. The real selling point wasn't the engineering marvel. It was the picnic tables in the shade.

After spending hours on bikes, shade instantly becomes one of life's greatest luxuries. Forget five-star hotels. Give cyclists a cold drink, a picnic table, and a tree blocking the sun, and we'll rave about the place for years. So there we sat, enjoying our refreshments.

This is the same place that we ate 6 years ago, so we had to stop. We were on the top deck and the bike was on the edge of the bicycle path. I am getting up so often to keep an eye on it.

Here is the beautiful view from our table

While we were eating, there was a cruise ship docked nearby. At some point it pulled away from the dock, headed upstream around the bend, and then apparently changed its mind. A little while later it turned around and started heading downstream. We finished our lunch and generously gave the boat a head start. That was very thoughtful of us. Unfortunately for the cruise ship, we had a strong tailwind today. Before long, we caught up to it and blew right past it like it was standing still.

There is something deeply satisfying about passing a vessel carrying hundreds of people while riding a bicycle. I can only imagine what the passengers were thinking:

"Look, Martha, we're being overtaken by cyclists."

"Not just cyclists... senior cyclists." 😆

For a brief moment, Joan and I felt like world-class racers. Never mind that our amazing speed may have been sponsored almost entirely by Mother Nature and a strong wind at our backs. We still counted it as a victory. The cruise ship had engines, a captain, and a crew. We had sandwiches, determination, and a tailwind. Advantage: senior cyclists. 😂

This truck was completely blocking the bike path. The driver was actually trying to get out of our way, but traffic was so heavy that nobody would let him pull out. So there we stood, waiting patiently while he waited patiently, and the cars kept rolling by as if none of us had places to be. Joan then pointed to the name on the top of the truck and said, "Get a picture of that!" The sign said Lucky Luke. Naturally, that caught Joan's attention. After all, her grandson Luke seems to be a pretty lucky guy, since he beats Grandma in games and cards 😂

After we got settled into the Airbnb, I decided there was one more important mission for the day: finding a good local Austrian wine. So I hopped back on the bike and headed into town in search of liquid refreshments and cultural enrichment.

Since I was up on the hillside road, I had a great view of Melk Abbey, and I managed to get this picture of it. We toured the Abbey the last time we were here, so it was nice to see it again from a different perspective. The Abbey is impressive enough when you're standing in it, but seeing it perched above the town from a distance really reminds you why it's one of the most recognizable landmarks along the Danube. Of course, while the Abbey was the official sightseeing objective, the wine search remained my primary mission.I'm happy to report that the expedition was a complete success. The bike survived the trip, I got a nice picture of Melk Abbey, and most importantly, I located a good local Austrian wine.

Some people end their cycling days with stretching and recovery exercises. I prefer to support the local economy. 😆

All in all, it was a very productive day. History, culture, exercise, and wine. That's what I call a well-rounded day. Cheers! 😂

Joan's Extras

Plenty of sights looked familiar today, but it is a different perspective from last time. We have so many more cycling experiences under our tires now that we can appreciate this area even more. 

We passed probably hundreds of roadside shrines the last few days. I sort of remember this one from last time, but we didn't stop. I got Tony to do a fast brake today so that I could climb up and check this one out.

Tonight our place is up this steep hill the small town of St. Georgen near Melk. We had to lean back to get down the hill for dinner at one of the only restaurants nearby, and then lean forward to get back up the steep hill. The houses are ancient and my thoughts go to the poor horses that had to pull wagons full of farm supplies up these hills. There had to be a valid reason for someone to build these houses up so high.

Our place tonight is very unusual comparing it to all the Airbnbs that we have used over the years. We have most of this really old house, with steps up or down to every room, and it's decorated to look like a castle. I'm grateful there is a St. Francis hanging on the wall. 💟