Danube River Bike Trail from Passau, Germany to Vienna, Austria - Post 1 of 2

     My sister Vicki and I arrived in center-city Vienna the last week of August 2018. We miraculously found the metro bus to our hostel which was centrally located in Vienna's old town and museum district. Our dormitory room overlooked a beautiful courtyard.

But there was little time to sight-see in Vienna as we had an appointment with a bike rental shop the next day to get outfitted. With much anticipation, we were going to bike 200 miles of the Danube River Trail, from Passau, Germany back to Vienna, Austria. Six full days of biking; about 30 miles each day (map below). We'd return to Vienna the following week to do some sight-seeing.

The Danube River Bike Trail is a small part of the larger European Rivers Route.

Vicki had already booked boutique hotels along the bike route, so we knew exactly how many miles we had to bike each day, in good or bad weather. We were excited to begin this adventure!

Note my gear in my rear basket? That was all my gear for seven days. The rental bike shop kindly stored our non-essential gear in their basement. Note my padded bike seat? I brought my old bike seat from Texas and had the bike shop switch it out with their skinny uncomfy one.

Behind the bench we sat on (photo above), was the Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church (photo below). I'm not a church-goer or Catholic, but I stepped inside to say a little prayer for us.

With minimal gear and maximum excitement, we rode our bikes in busy city traffic to Vienna's train station.

By the way, see the horse carriage driver's cigarette?  Austria's per capita cigarette consumption is slightly less than the Czech Republic (which ranks number 8, Austria ranks number 20, Germany ranks number 33, United States ranks number 69).

At the train station, we mingled with hundreds of travelers. Do you see Vicki and her bike?

With help from another bicyclist, we lifted our bikes up the train car's steps, and hung up our bikes on a hook.

There was a train connection half-way to Passau which we missed because we couldn't read German platform instructions; no problem, wait three hours for the next train. Vicki made good use of a very informative book written in English on how to get around and what to see.

Our learning curve for finding the correct public transportation busses and trains and subways was pretty steep every where we went in Europe, but that was part of our exciting adventure.

Passau is just over the Austrian border in Germany where three rivers converge; again, no border check. It's a wonderfully scenic town, a quintessential Danube River town that hasn't changed much in the last several hundred years.

The Danube River Bike Path, for the most part, is next to the river. That's Vicki in the photo, far right, on the bike path. The fall leaves were just beginning to turn colors. See the castle up the hill, top right of photo? There were castles and monasteries peeking out from almost every mountain top along the river.

Before officially starting our 200 mile ride the next morning, we explored Passau. Saint Stephen's Cathedral is a beauty! It houses Europe's largest pipe organ. We attended it's pipe organ recital that day.

Saint Stephen's Cathedral, built in 1682.

They're cleaning the exterior of Saint Stephen's Cathedral.

Parish Church of Saint Paul, built in 1678 (below).

     The mail carrier (photo below) gets around on a bicycle. I've noticed that the bicycle culture in Europe is completely utilitarian. Women in dresses, men in suits, many wearing dress shoes, women wearing heels, normal office work attire, they're pedaling a clunker of a bike, smoking a cigarette sometimes. Biking in Europe is primarily a quick and easy way to get around vehicular traffic (especially delivery trucks that make frequent stops on the streets), plus the tiny streets and alleys are easier to negotiate on a bike.

 Flammkuchen is the best!!! Why don't American pizza shops sell these? It's a crispy vegetable and cream-cheese based pizza.

Next morning bright and early, we begin our adventure! To be continued . . . 

Teaser: the weather is intermittently rainy and cold, and I fortunately have a spare innertube.