draussenerfahren
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Days 28 to 33: Trip to Vienna along the Danube, through the Wachau region, and three nights in Vienna

Published: 31.08.2022


In the following days, we cycled swiftly towards Vienna. We took the train to position ourselves (the route from Wels to Linz didn't seem very exciting, and we preferred to spend the remaining time along the Danube.

From the train station in Linz, Komoot guided us through the industrial area to the Danube

We were particularly interested in the Wachau region - and rightly so, as the Wachau is a stunningly beautiful place with a lot of fruit cultivation, some of which is even sold by the roadside. There were also plenty of delicious apricot products. It's a region to enjoy! We first rode from Linz to Grein. On the way there, we were caught in a thunderstorm and sought shelter in a hut where they even sold homemade cookies and drinks. We spent an hour there until the rain stopped. The cookie baker even came out in the rain with new cookies and invited us to come inside, but we had already made ourselves comfortable. We spent the night at the campsite in Grein, but unfortunately it was very noisy due to the road with many trucks. The city is beautiful though, and we had a delicious dinner at an Italian restaurant with plenty of dessert. In the morning, we had a good breakfast at a café. By the way, the locals here speak a German dialect that we couldn't understand even when they spoke to each other.

We took shelter here when the thunderstorm 🌩 was right behind us
The weather pulled out all the stops. An English family decided to continue cycling just before the rain started, with the wind blowing fiercely. 'Those Brits are crazy' (Goscinny, R.: Asterix in Britain, 1966)
Our bikes holding up bravely
Grein campsite with a view of the castle
Our tent
On our way to the Italian restaurant
Grein
In the evening after the Italian restaurant, Annika found a telephone booth with books and borrowed some evening reading.  
 
Café for breakfast and the market square in Grein
Morning atmosphere by the Danube


Along the Danube - it's even more challenging for two people to take pictures like this...
Along the Danube
Good thing we didn't go the other way!
The Wachau region
Very good cycle paths
A break in the Wachau region
With delicious char
And a beautiful rose garden
Onward we go  
Along the Danube

Butterfly by the roadside
A quick photo break
Beautiful village
Preparing for the following photo 
Attempt number 5, complete with castle, river, vineyard, ship, and of course, us 😃
The castle in the background
Delicious apricot products
Close-up
Vineyard along the way
Through the vineyards
And orchards
Why not both at the same time
View from the campsite across the river, with an abundance of historic buildings
In the evening, we took fun long-exposure photos.
Our packed bikes the next morning.
We took the ferry across to the historic town called Dürnstein
Dürnstein

After the Wachau region, we took the train from Krems (also very nice) to Vienna. On the way to the train station, Annika spotted some figs with her keen eyes for fruit, which were being sold for 20 cents each.

Figs

Vienna is a beautiful city with very good cycling infrastructure in many places. We cycled over 30 km each of the three days, explored various areas, took a lunch break at a café, and always had a delicious breakfast. In the evenings, we had dinner at an Indian restaurant twice, which was super delicious and very cozy as there were only 4 or 5 tables in total. We always sat comfortably outside and enjoyed Dals with Naan bread. One highlight was the Palm House at Schönbrunn Palace, where we accidentally ended up due to a misunderstanding. There are actually two botanical gardens, each near a different palace. Of course, I navigated us to the 'wrong' one. But the Palm House there was really worth seeing, with lots of interesting information about the time when naturalists were collecting their specimens - and of course, huge palm trees and interesting plants that are endangered or very old (from the time of the dinosaurs, of course, the species, not the plants themselves). We managed with our accommodation. At first, we were put off by the surroundings and the condition of the hallway (a dirty shared toilet in the hallway and a sticker indicating rat poison from 2016). The apartment was mainly visually enhanced, and the washing machine that we were looking forward to was broken. Nonetheless, the apartment served as a good base for our explorations, and the bikes found a safe haven right next to our bed ☺️

Staircase to the hallway
Building hallway with communal sink and toilet.
The sink is not very inviting.
The toilet is even less inviting... 😱
This nice sticker on the door opposite the toilet doesn't contribute to a relaxed living atmosphere...
The rickety apartment door
Our apartment - hallway and kitchen
The room
Dining table and huge TV. Due to the lack of a trustworthy environment, our bikes found a place behind the door.
Our bathroom turned out better
Skateboarding party in Vienna
When a trick succeeded, the whole crowd cheered
Our bikes waiting patiently while we sat comfortably in the small, fine Indian restaurant
And enjoyed our meal! We liked the restaurant so much that we went back there the next evening. Tiffin Daily Spice is the name of the restaurant, for those who might also be in Vienna sometime.
Annika on her way to the Butterfly House
Great architecture
Us at what is probably the most touristy place in Vienna, Michaelerplatz, and the many Fiaker carriages.
Hercules?
Fiaker carriages
Street at Michaelerplatz
Cycle paths
Cycle paths
Cycle paths
Very fast ferry on the Danube Canal
View over Vienna
Bus station
Palm House at Schönbrunn Palace - highly recommended!  
Palm House
Palm House
Palm House
Our last breakfast in Vienna.
Annika at the Flixbus station

In the end, I took Annika to the Flixbus in the morning and I'm already looking forward to seeing her again in October in Crete! For me, I then went back to Lake Neusiedl and then on to my next country, which I don't know much about and just want to pass through: Hungary.

You can find my routes on Komoot:

https://www.komoot.de/collection/1622992/-draussenerfahren


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Austria
Travel reports Austria
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