September 20, 2022
Tulln to Krems (Sept. 20, 2020)
We are in the heart of touring now on the Danube and today we saw quite a few cycle tourists (including some group tours). Most were going the opposite way- that is - downstream and with a strong tailwind! I guess we didn’t get that memo or we are gluttons for punishment. Actually, I did read that going west to east makes more sense wind and grade-wise but I couldn’t get that route to work with our other priorities so, here we are, riding in late September in the cold, upstream, with a steady head wind!
The good news is that it didn’t rain much today. It was only chilly and windy. There were times the route moved away from the river into the forest which gave us a reprieve from the wind. Because of the forecast for worsening weather we once again rode hard (for us) and didn’t stop for a break, so by the time we pulled into Krems I was cooked and ready for a break.
It’s a pretty ride with some industrial sections, but it was also easy to manage with the great signage and no climbs.
Our hotel, Arte Hotel, turns out to be attached to the university here in Krems. It feels like a glorified dorm (Dave compared it to Ibis with a lesser quality interior- that sounds scary but it was okay for a night). We cleaned up and went down to the Caricature Museum which was worth a quick visit. It has exhibits on various cartoonists throughout the years. The English translations were limited so there was a lot (at least) Jill missed but it was still interesting. After that we rode into Krems for tapas at Papas Tapas, a place that turned out it be very good. That caused us to reminisce about a wonderful family trip we took to Spain for Christmas in 2019 (just before the world was turned by Covid) with my sister and one of her (many and lovely) daughters. We started going through the list of places we had tapas, pintxos, whatever, on that trip. (Hmm, I think we want to cycle in Spain - and eat).
| Heart | 2 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Back to the regularly scheduled programming…
The Krems downtown is an attractive pedestrian mall, quite approachable.
Honestly, there is not much to report. When I first mapped out this trip (3 years ago!), I had scheduled it so we would fly into Vienna and do the Danube trail first before heading down to climb the Alps. I thought it would be a good way to get into the swing of touring after so long off our bikes; but things changed. We did a short shakedown cruise in France this fall - at the last minute- and then we decided (and managed) to buy bikes in Munich this spring, both events that changed our plan. First, we felt like we had the touring thing down (or at least good enough!) and then the location of our bikes in Munich compelled a different starting point. So, here we are feeling a bit let down, plus the weather doesn’t help. We shall see how it goes.
Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 1,339 km (832 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 5 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |