Passau to Kasten: A Great Deal of Walking, A Wee Bit of Cycling
We woke up this morning and neither of us felt ready to leave Passau. We decided to see about staying another night, and the hotel was fully booked. The phrase 'fully booked' has become a running joke with Keith and I, and he makes me laugh every time he says it. We were really surprised as we were staying in a hotel, unusual for us, and it is a huge property. It is also the weekend though, so back to the drawing board.
Over breakfast we decided the best plan of attack was to spend the day in Passau, and then roll on down the Radweg to Kasten, just 18 km away. That would put us within easy striking distance of Linz tomorrow. So with that problem solved we left the ponies and panniers at the hotel and had another great day in Passau.
First up was the fortress across the Danube from the old city. I wanted to take the shuttle bus, but Keith wanted to walk, and while we were dithering the shuttle bus left! It was a half hour until the next one, so walk we did. The chief navigator was right though. It was a great walk and I would have wondered what I missed if we had taken the bus. It was another outdoor stairmaster with the most amazing views.
The police are a fixture at this spot, checking all vehicles as they cross the bridge.
We had to stop at Tourist Information for another map. We keep forgetting them in the room. Tourist Info is at City Hall where marriage ceremonies take place. In keeping with the wedding theme, here are another bride and groom...only he is in white, and she is in black. There is something very weird about that! Maybe she thought the black would be slimming??
We decided to go through the museum. Their were two exhibits, a permanent exhibit about medieval times and a temporary one about more recent times. Both were excellent. Unfortunately only the permanent exhibit had English explanations, and these were written in mouse print and posted very close to the floor. The security guard suggested to us that they had been written for English speaking Lilliputians. He had a good sense of humour. So after climbing a gazillion stairs I got in a good set of squats as well, in order to read the material.
We hiked back down the hill, across the bridge and had a restorative coffee at an outdoor cafe. Then we made a quick visit to a bike shop. The owner suggested a route in Italy he has cycled and really enjoyed, so next up was a visit to the bookstore, and lucky us, they had the map. We also visited the Bishop's Residence, and much to our surprise, the exit stairs popped us right out into the Dom, so we got to admire it again. There was a bit of drama there yesterday for us that I forgot to mention. Sometime after yesterday's visit Keith realized his prescription sunglasses were missing. Panic stations! We had been a number of places and decided retrace our steps. First up, the Dom, and there they were, thank goodness. Some kind soul had found them. We think they must have slipped out of his pocket when we both sat down to stare in wonder. We feel very fortunate that he got them back.
We then headed back to the hotel to pick up panniers and bikes. Our ride to Kasten was short...we barely got warmed up...but it was very beautiful. I did see one odd thing. In three different spots there were items of clothing. Twice it was good jackets and once it was boots and a jacket. Clean, warm and in excellent repair. I wondered if people are leaving things for the refugees, or maybe Austrians lose things as regularly as Keith and I. We are in a new country, in the most delightful Gasthaus and fed and watered (beer actually). Another fantastic day. Off to Linz tomorrow.
Our hotel in Passau. Bigger and more hotelish than we are used to, but excellent.
