Vienna and Bratislava

Yesterday a short 30 mile ride to Vienna which is an amazingly cycle friendly city with dedicated lanes on most roads and a circular route taking in the main sights. Stayed over for the night and did a walking tour......very impressive and beautiful buildings but needs a little more time than we have to spare. Like most capitals its a haven for the rich and beautiful (and I'm not rich!).
Today rode east from the city and across the Slovak border (we'd been expecting guards and guns following our guide description but only saw a car park with weeds!!).
Headed east from Bratislava for miles and miles on a smooth dyke top and spending the night at Cunovo.
The picture is close to the Austrian border and the first glimpse of Slovakia and Bratislava!

High Street Vending Machines

France.      Condoms

Germany.  Cigarettes

Austria.      Inner Tubes!!!

Ferry

Friday saw us catching the 0900 cruise ferry to Linz, and very nice it was too with most of the lower deck being an expensive looking restaurant. The views from the top deck were fantastic as the river wound its way through a range of steep sided wooded hills...hot though at about 36 but an easier alternative to cycling in that temperature. At just over £20 each for the 5 he trip it was great value too.

Linz has an attractive city centre and was worth a look before cycling a few k east to it's campsite. Like Germany the Austrian sites are reasonable but not a patch on France in frequency or quality.

SATURDAY

Big change in weather today...cloudy and cool with torrential rain, wind and thunderstorms in the evening. Stopped in a small town called Ybbs on the side of the Danube. Zimmer for £21 each including breakfast and glad not to be camping in all that rain. Cycle facilities, tracks, signs and motorists don't seem anything like as good as Germany.

Its to be seen if our plastic money is accepted in Austria....many places in Germany refuse anything with Visa or MasterCard on it even debit or pre topped up Euro cards....so a pocket full of cash is essential! France was easy and was happy to relieve us of our cash by any means possible :-)

Germany...Passau

The picture is of the main square in Kelheim where they host one of the largest beer festivals in Europe each August. Apparently upwards of 35000 people pack in to enjoy a few pints....imagine that in Chester!
Over 1400 miles done, 62 today has brought us to Passau a city on the Austrian border...the boat trips are not to be missed so we intend to cruise to Linz, a 5hr trip...is that cheating?
Impressions of Bavaria have been extremely positive...probably the friendliest people I've come across in Europe, good beer and good quality accommodation and food for about 85 euros for 2 people (with a couple of pints each).
The cycle network, signage and motorist awareness and respect are second to none so overall Cycling here has been an enjoyable experience (I suspect their politicians and planners must have visited Chester Cycling Demonstration Town for inspiration!!!)

Austria next......

Regensburg and soy sauce!

Two nights and a rest day on a poor and mosquito infested campsite meant we were keen to move on! The previous night was at a Zimmer b & b type room in a small village...spotless and excellent breakfast for €24 each. Good food, beer and friendly locals at the village beer garden.
So...when your only German words are two large beers how do you explain 'no its nothing nasty on the sheets its soy sauce' (try that for a Christmas party charade!). ....somehow the bottle leaked in Carols pannier.....honest!!!
Today was extra hot at about 34 so Carol and my approach radically differs....C 'don't go as far and rest when possible' A ' go faster and get it over with' ....so we compromised and as with most compromises made everyone suffer :-)
But what could energize more than the sight of acres of hops and the promise of cold beer to come ;-)
Kelheim 40k back is the navigable start point for commercial boats....and Regensburg is our Danube most northerly point.

HOW FAR???

<p>Apparently the Danube is the only river with distance markers from source to sea...in this area at 0.1k intervals!.....drive you nuts seeing the distance going down so slowly!<br>
But what's really annoying is that the sign says 2535k from the source....thats 1580 miles....plus the 1200m we've done makes the tour about 2800m rather than the 2300 we had planned on!!!
I know the pound is weak against the Euro.....but the mile against the kilometer? Seems like the mile has reached parity!

Oops

Although the predictive text on my phone may be rather astute we are are actually heading for Ulm not pulmanary...I hope!

Hundersingen and an undignified accident!

48 lovely miles of Danube...and no the folklore isn't true...like all rivers its a muddy green colour with not a trace of blue! Anyway it was all traffic free trails through a gorge with cliff top forts at intervals...fantastic and as usual great on a bike.

We know we are heading for Pulmonary and then Passau but as we haven't found any German maps yet we feel a little vague on where we are in relation to the rest of Europe!

Close to the end of the day I was stopped at a junction one foot down waiting for Carol (not unusual) when I was suddenly hit from behind and pinned to the ground by an ample (in all the wrong places or I mightn't have cared) 20 stone German woman. I still astride my bike and totally unable to move and her and her bike on top of me....The lady being angled down from the pavement couldn't move either but fortunately several of her friends risked hernia and serious back trauma and pulled her free!! Much to Carol's amusement apparently. Luck has it that no serious damage was done...although its likely I will need counseling!!

Watershed

Started the day with a pleasant track along the shore of Lake Constance...very nice and busy with day Tripper cyclists. After Radolfzell we missed some signs so had a somewhat Bitty route north having to consult our map continuously ....ended with some lovely riding through hills and forests to summit at the Rhine Danube watershed...that's what we assume the sign says anyway...and it was high up. The sign suggests 862m which is a bit of a slog in the heat as some parts were a first gear grind.

Constance is just about visable in the background.

No campsites for miles so booked into a small hotel in Tuttingen just a stones throw from the Danube....which we haven't seen yet!

At least tonight we should relief from the relentless mosquito bites!!

Lake Constance

Last 2 nights spent at Waldshut on the Rhine. One night in Switzerland convinced us that it was time to abandon the EV6 and cross the river to Germany where the prices won't cripple our bank accounts. Germany seems most reasonable at £3.20 for two coffees and an evening meal including beer and sweet £12.50 so hardly worth cooking.
Passed the impressive Rhine falls at Schaffhausen then along the young river to Lake Constance said to be the soul of Europe!
So....tomorrow its round a bit of Lakeside then strike up north towards the Danube...our third and last major river.

Switzerland total miles 900

Friday night spent at a rather nice Auberge in a village called Clerval. The Auberge and most of the houses are half timbered making it a very pretty place....looking quite different as we approach the border. No campsites were available for another 25k so a hotel seemed the easy way to avoid mutuny!!
Saturday took us through Mulhouse then South and over the border in Basel (as in Faulty if German) or Basle (as in sheep if French). A great city but once again good to be out of.

So....about 880 miles covered across France and now its along the Rhine Valley for a while.

Clerval. 800 miles.

The last couple of days have largely followed the Doubs river which is a delight between steeply wooded hills. Last night stopped at Oselle by a small lake...not bad but only cold showers brrr.

Today though Besancon with its impressive hill top ramparts on through Baume les Dames.

I'm not too sure what the picture is of below...either an impressive boat (and crew) wash or maybe something of religious significance from the shrine above? :

Through Chalon to Pagny la Ville 50 miles

Better Weather :-)

Chalon was a city...enough said!

The campsite we were heading for turned out to be the campsite time forgot. A tiny private French camping club ground on the banks of the river Doubs. We spotted an unfortunately guy and attacked him with our best French...he seemed to take potty on two old people talking gibberish and agreed for us to stay. Despite being old everything was clean and tidy with a great rural landscape over the river.

I use 'Archie's Campings' to find sites downloaded from the web in Garmin or Tom Tom format....32000 sites accross Europe and never let me down over 4 years use...recommended, oh and free too.

Chagny. 53 miles. 653 total

After a nice day of rest in a municipal campsite at Volesvres yesterday we started off fresh and enthusiastic this morning...a fresh wind on our backs and the miles quickly rolled by....all of a sudden the temperature dropped to something marginally above absolute zero and the fresh wind quickened to strong and blustery blowing horizontal raindrops the size of small footballs...jumpers, and full waterproofs on including overshoes...and that was the pattern for the day!

Anyway and easy 50+ miles to a small town one has to be very careful with its pronunciation?

More canals and pleasant rolling hills.

Volesvres just east of Paray le Monial 600 miles

Last night a pleasant camping a la ferme at Gammay sur Loire. Much of yesterday and today on quiet lanes and alongside the Canal Lateral and Canal du Centre..very pleasant and leafy and most of the Loire cycle tourists have disappeared as have most of the EV6 signs. Our route has been made up often on rough tracks as the map well have doesn't discriminate between rough and tarmac!

Left the Loire today at Digoin so now turned NE towards Basel and Germany.

Another day of thundery torrential showers...but who's complainimg in the warm.

Thursday 4th. Fourchambault. 500 miles done

Just NW of Nevers. 53 miles today after a rather late 0930 start.

Martin...you have a good eye for a tent...yes its a Nalo...served well over a few years.

Some of the beds of wild flowers are fantastic...seen them all over France and the boxes of seeds in supermarkets..alas too big to bike home.

Carols sagging Brooks saddle called for a bike shop stop to borrow a spanner...can't imagine how it got so stretched!

Weds 3rd August 51 miles

Lovely thunderstorm last night and heavy rain for hours although I'm always a little unsure about the wisdom of sitting in a field with a aluminium pole over my head when the lightening is close! Great to be snug in our trusty Hilleburg :-) A wet start but the day ends fine.
Camp site has a party of Slovakian vintage Citroen enthusiasts....2cv's and a beautiful corrugated camper van.

Monday 1st August. 52miles to Muides sur Loire

350 miles total. Flat again through Ambois and Bois but heat a little wearing in the afternoon even for ones so going and fit.
One other annoying thing about touring in France is the desperate need for a cold beer when you stop and having to drink a bottle of French wine with the evening meal...can't carry the part drunk bottle next day so only option is to drink the lot...tough I know!
Tomorrow through Orleans then turning South.