Day 9 to Day 22 First border crossing and relaxation at Lake Mondsee

Tihchhuah a ni: 25.08.2022

After a few relaxing days in Ingolstadt with a school friend of mine and her lovely sweet little family 👪, I continued with my sweetheart. She came to Ingolstadt later than planned, directly by train, after having a cold.

The weather was very hot, over 30 degrees, so we were very happy about the first break with delicious regional ice cream from the vending machine.

Mostly along the Danube and occasionally through fields, especially hop fields, we approached our destination of the day, the Danube Gorge at Weltenburg. After an extensive swimming break with a dreamlike backdrop and a very pleasant water temperature, we took a boat through the gorge. Alternatively, you can cycle around it. But the boat was definitely the better choice! With the warm weather, there were a lot of people in the Danube with all sorts of watercrafts or even without, so it was astonishing that the large ferry could pass through without any problems.

After about half an hour, we arrived in Kehlheim. From there, we went to the first campground on a farm just past Kehlheim. The place was quite full and we managed to get a spot in a corner a bit on the edge. In the evening, we had Spätzle with zucchini, and the first, exhausting day in the heat was done.

The next day, we started early (or at least we tried), as there was no bakery or bread service on site. Instead, we stopped at the Inselcafé in Bad Abbach after 10 km and had a hearty breakfast 🥐🥖🍓🥝🥚🧂🧈🧀

We continued towards Regensburg, always along the Danube. Just before Regensburg, we had a relaxing swimming break with many small fish at the bottom, nibbling at our feet - very cute. In Regensburg, we leisurely explored the beautiful old town with its narrow alleys. Annika bought a book for the journey, and I visited the Trekking Shop Regensburg - a very small store in an old building with a very friendly owner. With a few travel tips for Crete and a replacement bungee cord, we continued our journey.

In Donaustauf, just outside Regensburg, we spontaneously decided to stay in a 'proper' accommodation and spent the night at Hotel Kupferkanne. The hotel had a good dinner and breakfast the next morning in the beautiful garden of the hotel. It was funny that there was only one single room left. The hotelier, however, agreed to let us stay as a couple (if that's okay for you) and gave us a good price. I slept on a soft carpet and my folding mat.

The next day, it was very hot again. After shopping at Edeka, we continued along the Danube. After 30 km in the heat, we escaped the midday heat in a small grove hidden directly by the Danube. We set up the hammock, placed our chairs, and enjoyed the cool shade of the trees, the refreshing water, and the tranquility. Unfortunately, we only took pictures of the place after we had already packed up.

Well-rested, we continued along the Danube, sometimes directly along the river, but often slightly off through the flat countryside. Overall, it was much more diverse than I expected. Our goal was Plettling, from where we wanted to take the train to Passau or even directly to Austria in the Salzkammergut the next day. But when we realized that the overnight prices at the chosen hotel in Plettling were per person and not per room, we changed our plans and stayed in a small, simple but cozy guesthouse in Mariaposching. In the evening, we cooked for ourselves, and we were able to eat in the garden. Finally, it rained and there was a thunderstorm at night, cooling down the weather.

The next day, Annika started to have a scratchy throat again, a precursor to the next cold. We didn't want to believe it yet. We took it slowly and only took the ferry across the Danube and cycled about 10 km to Plettling, from where we took the train to Passau. We explored the old town on foot, bought a few small things like sunscreen, and sat comfortably on a bench at the confluence of the Danube, Inn, and Ilz rivers. After a small snack, we figured out how to proceed and headed to the campsite around 4 pm.

After checking in, I quickly went to the city center for groceries. The Edeka supermarket was beautifully decorated, and each aisle had creative names, such as the jam alley, fish bridge, or beer garden. Shopping was a joy. With fruit, yogurt, bread rolls, jam, butter, cheese, and oat milk, I prepared breakfast meticulously. 😋☺️ In the evening, we had pizza at the restaurant on the campsite. The pizza was only okay, but at least we didn't have to walk far to the tent.

The next morning, I took some pictures early. The campsite was crowded, including many cyclists on the Danube cycle path: Italians, Dutch, French, and of course Germans. Some with trendy racing bikes and bikepacking bags, others with trailers and lots of luggage. The funniest was a French family that apparently hadn't thought about the distribution of luggage and the types of bags in connection with the bikes before leaving the campsite. When a huge travel bag was loaded onto the slim luggage rack of an old lady's bike, someone commented, "Je pense le sac est plus grand pour le velo n'est pas" (I think the bag is bigger than the bike, right?).

Then it was time for breakfast. Annika was feeling worse. I made tea, and Annika sat in the sleeping bag with her feet elevated on our two chairs - a magical sight, unfortunately without a picture. After breakfast, we decided to take a little bike ride across the Austrian border and then take the train to the Salzkammergut. And that's exactly what we did.

During the train journey from Wels to Neumarkt am Wallersee, we finally realized that the next cold had arrived.

In Neumarkt am Wallersee, we booked our next accommodation in the comfortable ÖBB train station with free WiFi (!). There was availability from Sunday to Monday, and we stayed very comfortably at Hotel Herzog with beautiful flower decorations, nicely furnished rooms, and a good breakfast with a view of the Wallersee.

Unfortunately, we couldn't stay longer, so we drove to the Austria Camp campground on the Irrsee and then to the Mondsee.

On the tent meadow at the Mondsee, we met many nice people, including a young couple from Vienna who were going on a bike trip for the first time, and a bike enthusiast who talked about self-welded bikes, including a tandem where the stoker sat on a higher level. We would have loved to stay there, but it was getting crowded, and we couldn't extend our stay. However, we finally found what we were looking for. Three nights from Tuesday to Friday in an accommodation with a view of the Mondsee. And what a view it was. From the window above the bed, you could see turquoise water, sailboats, and mountains. The Mondsee is beautiful, and we thoroughly enjoyed the three days there, and Annika was able to recover somewhat. In the evening, we went to the Spanish or Italian restaurant. For breakfast, we shopped at Marias Bio Treff - one of the best organic stores I know with a fantastic breakfast. And we immediately fell in love with Maria. We highly recommend the store!

One day, we even went hiking a bit. Annika turned back after halfway, and I continued to the summit of Kulmspitze with a very tall observation tower and a great 360-degree panoramic view.

You can swim very well in the Mondsee. The bathing areas gradually slope into the clear, warm water (22°C), and the best part: there are no jellyfish (the main reason why I don't like swimming in the Baltic Sea).