September 12, 2017
Angst und Wurst: Day 36 - Linz to Melk
We had pretty crappy internet on our night in Melk and rather than fight with the computer and get pissed off, I didn't even try to update the blog. We knew we'd be in Vienna the next day, with a few days off, and most likely much better internet. This all proved true.
So last night while K and I we recounting the last two days of riding, over our post ride beer, we both had the same feeling about today (Linz to Melk).
Angst is the best word to describe it.
Although the ride was actually quite nice, lovely bike paths through trees and alongside the river, a few widely spaced but pleasant villages, we both had an underlying feeling of sadness tinged with a bit of depression.
The weather certainly contributed to that, low cloud and a light drizzle for most of the day. However, the one thing that was making us feel this way was Mauthausen.
We started seeing signs for this village just after Linz. However, it's not just a village, it was the centre of one of the first, largest and most notorious Nazi concentration camp complexes, and nearly all the towns and villages we would be cycling through today were part of that complex. Neither K nor I had any desire to go to the actual village and tour the museum and memorials there (a 14% grade hill was a factor, but not the deciding one). We came across a few modern day memorials to the legacy of the place. We both just more or less cycled along in silence with our own memories and thoughts.
I'm probably making this sound more melodramatic than it was, but the feeling was real and persistent.
Today's cycling was much the same as yesterday's. We got off to a decent start, thanks again to Dusan and Lili for their great hospitality in Linz. As previously noted, the day was cool with on and off drizzle for most of the day. Lots of other cyclists, mostly day trippers from the tour boats.
Our destination was Melk, a smallish village with an even smaller medieval centre, about half way between Linz and Vienna. It's main claim to fame is a very large, ornate and imposing Abbey on the hill immediately above the town.
It's a 'must stop' destination for the cruise boats / ships, and our timing was good today. The 'boat people' stop in for a few hours and then keep moving and they all have to be back on their boats for dinner. That means that they are generally cleared out of any town by about 5. We were approaching Melk at about 4:45 and caught the last stragglers making their way back to their boats.
Quite a contrast. One hour earlier and the place would have been heaving with thousands of people (there were still three boats moored when we arrived and there was space for several more). When we got there, the streets, bars and restaurants were largely empty. Nice.
We had picked Melk as a destination today largey for two reasons. FIrst it's almost half way between Linz and Vienna and two, there were two campgrounds there. However, given the day, cool and constant drizzle, K and I looked at each other when we were about an hour out of Melk, and with unspoken agreement, fired up Booking.com and got a cheap and cheerful hotel room in Melk. It was perfect. It even cleared up just as we arrived so we had a pleasant and dry night and a great set up to get an early and dry start the next morning.
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Song of the day:
Everybody Knows by Leornard Cohen
This came up on a random shuffle just as we were getting ourselves sorted out in the hotel in Melk. Classic dark and cynical Leonard at his best. It was just how both of us were feeling for a good part of the day.
Sunshine tomorrow!
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Today's ride: 110 km (68 miles)
Total: 2,551 km (1,584 miles)
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