Fred Elder, The Danube River by Bike – 2015

In 2015 we (Ardith Meier and Fred Elder) were back on our bikes along the Danube. This time we decided to explore a different stretch, one that included a little WW II history.  We were again headquartered in Vienna, Austria, for a longer stay in Europe and boarded a train there at the Meidling train station, destination Nűrnberg/Nuremberg, Germany, where we arrived five and one half hours later. The train route, more or less followed the Danube, a very familiar site.

In Nuremberg (site of Nazi Party strength during WW II), we visited the Nazi Rally Grounds and some of its buildings, including a museum.  We also spent considerable time at the court house, the scene of the 1945-46 Nuremberg trials.  The court house remains in use today and still feels foreboding!  A well-done museum there documents the series of trials, also allowing a glimpse of the actual courtroom. The history of Nuremberg (pop. 518,000), however, extends much further back than the 1940s, being founded in the 11^th century. Albrecht Dűrer, the artist, was born here in 1471.  Its culinary claim to fame is its small, approximately 3-inch, sausages, typically served with mashed potatoes or sauerkraut, which we did not pass up.  

After overnighting in Nuremberg, we rode the train for an hour Wednesday morning to Regensburg, which was to be the beginning of our bike trip the following day. Regensburg (pop. 193,500) is a historic city with an intact medieval center (UNESCO World Heritage Site), a 12^th century stone bridge across which two Crusades crossed, and the imposing 13^th century twin-spired Gothic cathedral of St. Peter’s. The latter boasts the world’s largest hanging organ, suspended 27 feet above the ground and suspended on 4 steel cables. The organist (preferably not afraid of heights) reaches the organ with an elevator resembling a small wooden phone booth.  We were lucky to attend a concert there that evening, the warm, powerful sounds of the organ filling the shadowy evening ambience. After the concert, it was time to rest for the onset of our biking trip the next day.

We packed up our gear the next morning, Thursday, June 11, found some breakfast, and set off to the place where Ardith had reserved our rental bikes, a place so helpful that we sent them a thank-you email after our trip.  We left the city on that very same old stone bridge traversed by the Crusaders.  This stretch goes through the Bavarian lowlands but, although we were again right along the Danube, glimpses of the latter were rare due to a relatively high dike between the bike path and the river. This was the case most of the way to Passau, our final destination. After an enjoyable morning’s ride, we took a lunch break in a small town and finished the day in Straubing, Germany (pop. 47,700), having cycled about 34 miles, a leisurely day.  There was music in the town square of Straubing, inducing us to sit and have something to drink while we enjoyed some entertainment before a fine dinner.  I had a Műnchenerschnitzel (Munich-style): The pork cutlet is first seasoned with mustard and/or horseradish prior to the application of eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs. Ardith had a Brotzeitteller, a plate of coldcuts and cheese with dark bread.  After wandering back to the square after dinner and listening to a bit more music, two musicians singing 1970’s U.S. American songs, it was time to get some rest for the next day on the bikes.

Day two, Friday, June 12, with breakfast over, we again found ourselves astride our bikes, pedaling down the main street of Straubing to arrive at the bike path. We continued through the Bavarian lowlands, stopping for lunch at Deggendorf (pop. 33,500), which is about halfway between Regensburg and Passau.

After a comfortable day of riding only about 30 miles, we decided to stop at Niederalteich (pop. 1,900).  Here a ferry crosses the Danube (we did not need it); there was a beer garden and guest house (we needed these).  We saw a “Zimmer Frei” sign hanging from a large, newish house immediately on the bike path overlooking the Danube and upon inquiry there, had a very nice room.  In fact, our room there had a balcony that afforded a beautiful sunset over the Danube — most pleasant.  After a short nap and shower, it was time to seek out a place for our evening meal.  We ended up back at the beer garden after learning it was our only choice. 

After dinner we decided to walk about a bit and explore the small town.  We found the main church, a sleepy looking structure, and doubted it would be open, but decided to try the door anyway.  Much to our surprise, the doors were unlocked. To our even greater surprise was what we saw when we opened the doors and walked in, namely a full orchestra and choir in front of the altar, filling the church with concert hall quality music. The musicians turned out to be from Munich.  We slid into a back pew and were able to enjoy the concluding half hour of the concert.  We then ambled back to our room and to bed, having one more cycling day ahead of us. 

So, on Saturday morning, June 13, we were on our bikes about 8:30, destination Passau, the end of our bike ride.  We remained on the same side of the Danube and rode until we were about 10 kilometers from Passau, where we made a stop to drink something.  We watched as a heavy wooden boat which had been adrift was wrestled into place by a second boat and several helpful men.  Our path into Passau was well-marked, but circuitous.  At one point we crossed a private bridge, which led us to a catwalk well above the river on the downstream side of a dam.  Not harrowing, but also not easy!  We first ended up at a freight train station, but easily found our way back to the path and on to the main train station. We had accomplished another 30-mile day.  

We arrived at the bike rental shop near the train station where we were to return our bikes just after it closed at 3:00 pm.  We parked and locked our bikes, then went to the train station to book our tickets for the 4:30 pm InterCity Express (ICE) to Vienna.  Then we made a beeline for the beer garden we had twice frequented on other visits to Passau.  While things had been tarted up a bit, the food was as good as it ever had been, and, nothing like 30 miles of biking to work up an appetite and thirst. We then walked about the old city, including a stop at St. Stephen’s cathedral and a stroll along the path joining the Inn and the Danube rivers, which were both running near full. 

The afternoon would not have been complete without a stop at a Konditorei for a pastry.  Then it was time to head to the train station and be off to Vienna, arriving at the Meidling train station.  Next we took public transportation to near our apartment, where we found light rain, walked to a nearby eatery, ate under an umbrella in the light rain, and then walked back to our apartment to finally wash our biking gear, and be off to bed.

Another successful bike venture along the Danube had ended.

Note: We have done other beautiful bike trips in Austria, perhaps the most beautiful being the so-called “Drauweg,” along the Drau River, beginning in Lienz, South Tyrol, and extending as far as Slovenia.  The scenery was like finding oneself in a picture postcard with majestic mountains rising round about one.  We did parts of the Drauweg twice, 2006 and 2009.  In 2008, we cycled the Kamp valley, a famous wine-growing region, for 3 days.

 

Another trip, in 2000, began in Graz, Austria, following the Mur River, hence called the Murweg.  This was a round-trip route.  Another round trip route, and our last multiple-day biking trip, took place 5 years ago in 2017, this time through the flat heaths and woodlands of Lower Saxony, Germany, starting and ending at the town of Celle with many fields of lavender.