Orient Express – Page 7 – Travelling reflections

OE Vienna 1

A rest day, 1 of 2 here. Vienna has a population of about 2 million, wide urban area 3 million. So on a par with Wales.

Wales, rather Cardiff, had the Butes and their unbelievable wealth. Vienna had the Hapsburgs and years of being a cultural centre. Which it wears well. Wide cycle lanes running parallel with trams. Why did we get rid of trams and the infrastructure?

Service is mixed. Germanic efficiency mixed with Highland timescales. There’s no rush though as we meander the inner city. No prevarication or messing about here: their Parliament is being modernised as a statement of democratic value. I’d of course forgotten that democracy is relatively young here, from 1920s on with a 1932- 47(?) gap.

Barbara went for a swim in some Baroque civic baths. I had a snooze

Austria, Cycling, Orient Express

OE Day 17. Melk to Vienna 123k.

Just like home. Low hanging clouds dripping the trees, light rain then heavier. Lush.

OK, the orchards of apples, pears and vines were different. So too the villages, each taking pride in a wine.

A good tail wind and soon in Vienna. Although there’s plenty of touring cyclists on the trails, as in the other towns, cars dominate. A good cycling infrastructure not being used cf Germany.

We’re stopping for two days. Our last full day of chucking of cycling in Austria.

Austria, Cycling, Orient Express

OE Day 16 Linz to Melk 110k

A route of 3 parts. The first industrial. The second sobering. The third a waltz along the Beautiful Blue Danube.

We left Linz via the industrial sector and its steelworks. Reminiscent of Port Talbot with its cacophony of towers and pipework. Barbara was in her element.

Mauthausen concentration camp Memorial. How did anyone survive? The effect on the liberating ţroops reminded me of my Dad’s story. The thin veil of civilisation with humanities dark underbelly. How we need to guard against those who trample so casually on democratic institutions, including at home.

The flowing waters we follow change the mood. Most of the day we were by the working river. And gaping at the flood levels it has reached.

Melk has a rather grand Abbey. Described as the world’s best Baroque [Benedictine] Abbey. It shows the wealth and power of religion. However well used or abused. The Allstadt beneath is a fine collection of medieval buildings. The brass band playing has probably done so for millennia. Unless the Monks complained…..

Austria, Germany, Orient Express

OE Day 15 Passau to Linz 100k

A day alongside the Danube. Passau is the confluence of three mighty rivers: the Ilz, the Inn (as in Innsbruck) and the Danube. They continue as the Danube. Did they toss coins to decide? We crossed the murky looking (snow melt?) Inn, turned left and navigating done for the day.

After 3k Austria. Weirdly it immediately feels like it too. More wood on the houses, trees lined gorges and fine meadows. We are also on the Rommeradweg a cycle trail linking up Roman sites, mainly associated with Julius Caeser.

Very beautiful, like Scotland in sunshine. A stone marks stone historic flood levels. Given the existing volume of water, that’s a pretty scary extra volume.

Linz our destination. The third largest town in Austria. Famous for cake. Still active manufacturing, a legacy of its infamous “son”: Adolf Hitler considered it his home.

Cycling, Germany, Orient Express

OE Day 14 Straubing to Passau 98k

Mainly on the North side of the ever widening Danube, we meandered to Straubing. Our last full day in Germany on this trip. Some of the route was navigated the old fashioned way using a map (but on a phone) with many river works diverting the path.

Every scrap of land is cultivated. No Ivor Williams trailers though. An opportunity. Saw two new things today. A) First Amazon Prime van since we’ve started. B) An e-tandem.

Passau is dripping with cruise ships and churches. The magnificent Baroque St Stephen’s 17974 organ pipes were in full throttle as we gaped at the over the top decor.