A Train Ride to Passau and a Bike Ride on the Danube River
For our third night in Nuremberg we stayed in this family run hotel. The wifi was super fast and our room had just recently been renovated. The hotel has been run by the same family for three generations.
The smallest elevator we have ever been in. It went from street level to the third floor where the hotel reception was located. Thank goodness they had a bike storage on the main level as our bike would not have fit.
Knut and Eva, with their daughters Eva and Karina, from the Black Forest area, were also taking the train to begin a bike holiday along the Danube. We were interested to see that they were wearing bike jerseys from California where they had lived some years ago.
It was a busy day on the train for cyclists. At first it was quite a jumble as we were getting off at different stops and need to be ready to hop off quickly. Knut helped to get all of us organized.
Everyone knows about Octoberfest in Munich, but the second largest festival is in Straubing and over a million people attend. We saw many people dressed in their traditional clothing enroute to the festival. It is called the Gaubodenvolksfest. Beer served must be brewed in Straubing or the district. It is held in the middle of August for 11 days.
While waiting for the train we met this lovely couple who had just completed their bike trip starting in Donaueschingen. They explained to us why people were dressed in traditional clothing.
Here are some images of Passau, which is notable for its strategic position on the Danube. We won't stop here as we are keen to get on our way. We will continue riding along the Danube to Vienna and then begin our route south through Austria to Slovenia and ultimately Italy. We are finally finished with the train trips which had taken us from Poland back to Bonn (where Seavo's e-motor was repaired), then back to Nurnberg and now Passau. The train journeys have been an adventure, and surprisingly fun, but we can't wait to get back on the road.
The eagle has landed! We are on our way...our cycle tour continues.
Passau was packed with tourists. Several river cruise boats were docked along the river and this is the starting point for people who have rented bikes to begin riding to Vienna
Crossing the Danube to start the bike route was a nightmare. Construction on the bridge had reduced the area for bike travel to a very narrow passageway. When we got to the other side we couldn't make the corner due to the number of tourists standing in the way, the narrowness of the passage and the steep decline. We tried to take off the trailer but Mary Ellen had difficulty controlling it. The line up of cyclists behind was getting longer and longer. Cyclists waiting to go on the bridge were impatient and the people behind did not offer to help. Eventually we got underway. Not a great start to this part of our trip.
The frustration we felt here is a symptom of the challenges of a place with too many tourists and cyclists, as this type of aggression and impatience is thankfully rare in our experience touring in Europe.
Looking back at Passau. It is an historically important city and there is much to see, but we seem to always "pass" through Passau. Our first time here it was a place to sleep and this time, we got off the train and headed on. For us, it is just too congested with tourists to want to spend time here.
