An early start as there was open breakfast and lunch so we could eat whenever we wanted to instead of waiting for 7.30am. People left camp from 6am, we were up and away at 6.45. Breakfast was muesli, lunch ingredients were out unrefrigerated all night - so being shrimp salad and such most people did not take any.
The first 30ks of the trip was through little villages. It was fairly quiet as was Saturday morning. The villages were really quaint; cobblestone roads which are not the easiest to ride on. There were lots of vineyards on the hillsides. Many religious memorials all along the route. Houses were well-kept with lovely shrub gardens. It was getting warmer as the day went on with the temperature at 32 degrees when we arrived in Vienna.
We stopped at 35ks in Korneuburg, where we had morning tea with Jim, Don, Terry and Jako. We had a delicious apple strudel with our coffee. John and I set off while Terry mended another puncture. It was a little tricky getting out of Korneuburg as some signs had been covered up by road work signs. We rode along the river stop bank for 57ks from camp where we crossed the river to the south side over a large hydroelectric dam. Lunch was at Tulln, 20ks further on. We wandered into the town and brought some pastries which we ate under a tree beside the river. There was a big screen set up on the edge of the river and lots of tiered seating on the riverbank for the soccer games this weekend. Saturday is Holland playing Russia and tomorrow is Italy and Spain - both games in Vienna!
After lunch we carried on along the side of the river right into the centre of Vienna. We crossed the river again to the north side at Tulln and from there the route was mostly flat, straight, wide and lovely to ride on. There were some interesting sights to see, including fishers, in-line skaters and many nude sunbathers. There is an island in the Danube for the last 10km the which we crossed and rode. It was very warm by this time.
We finally found the bridge we needed to cross over on and rode off the island, straight down the road to the hotel. When we arrived we heard that Don, the Canadian with whom we had had morning tea, had fallen off his bike around lunchtime and broken his collarbone. We had been wondering why his cycling group had not caught us up. So Don is no. 3 to be going home, hopefully the last.
The hotel rooms are built like a ship cabin with a separate room for the toilet, a sink for the electric jug, and a separate shower and bath. There are a number of strange design flaws, such as the shower doors hanging round holes for handles and not closing together - so the water gets out! However it was a large room and very quiet. There is a washing machine available so a queue formed very quickly. Drying was a bit tricky but we had the overnight shift on the clothes aired and so the clothes were dry by morning.
It continued to get warmer through the afternoon. At around seven pm a large group of us (16) went a 100 metres down the road to an Italian beer garden where we had a lovely Italian meal. Pizza, pasta, etc. We were back in the hotel at ten, though a few stayed to watch the surprise 3-1 victory by Russia over Holland.
So we have cycled into Vienna! We covered 117kms in 5 hours 57 - nearly 6 hours. Ave 19.6.
The first 30ks of the trip was through little villages. It was fairly quiet as was Saturday morning. The villages were really quaint; cobblestone roads which are not the easiest to ride on. There were lots of vineyards on the hillsides. Many religious memorials all along the route. Houses were well-kept with lovely shrub gardens. It was getting warmer as the day went on with the temperature at 32 degrees when we arrived in Vienna.
We stopped at 35ks in Korneuburg, where we had morning tea with Jim, Don, Terry and Jako. We had a delicious apple strudel with our coffee. John and I set off while Terry mended another puncture. It was a little tricky getting out of Korneuburg as some signs had been covered up by road work signs. We rode along the river stop bank for 57ks from camp where we crossed the river to the south side over a large hydroelectric dam. Lunch was at Tulln, 20ks further on. We wandered into the town and brought some pastries which we ate under a tree beside the river. There was a big screen set up on the edge of the river and lots of tiered seating on the riverbank for the soccer games this weekend. Saturday is Holland playing Russia and tomorrow is Italy and Spain - both games in Vienna!
After lunch we carried on along the side of the river right into the centre of Vienna. We crossed the river again to the north side at Tulln and from there the route was mostly flat, straight, wide and lovely to ride on. There were some interesting sights to see, including fishers, in-line skaters and many nude sunbathers. There is an island in the Danube for the last 10km the which we crossed and rode. It was very warm by this time.
We finally found the bridge we needed to cross over on and rode off the island, straight down the road to the hotel. When we arrived we heard that Don, the Canadian with whom we had had morning tea, had fallen off his bike around lunchtime and broken his collarbone. We had been wondering why his cycling group had not caught us up. So Don is no. 3 to be going home, hopefully the last.
The hotel rooms are built like a ship cabin with a separate room for the toilet, a sink for the electric jug, and a separate shower and bath. There are a number of strange design flaws, such as the shower doors hanging round holes for handles and not closing together - so the water gets out! However it was a large room and very quiet. There is a washing machine available so a queue formed very quickly. Drying was a bit tricky but we had the overnight shift on the clothes aired and so the clothes were dry by morning.
It continued to get warmer through the afternoon. At around seven pm a large group of us (16) went a 100 metres down the road to an Italian beer garden where we had a lovely Italian meal. Pizza, pasta, etc. We were back in the hotel at ten, though a few stayed to watch the surprise 3-1 victory by Russia over Holland.
So we have cycled into Vienna! We covered 117kms in 5 hours 57 - nearly 6 hours. Ave 19.6.
2 comments:
Hi!
Still sounds fab and that you're loving the trip!
Please don't go getting injured though!!!!
Lots of love,
Amz
xoxox
In a great city!!
enjoy
Surprised about the soccer'
At a Broadway show tonight.
love
Michelle
Post a Comment