Bad Deutsch Altenburg-Vienna-Austria_7-26-14

Bad Deutsch Altenburg-Vienna-Austria route crosses a long bridge to the other side of the Danube. There is a bicycle path on each side of the bridge. As we were crossing I had the camera to shoot a picture and realized that the battery was dead.

Last night, as I was unloading pictures into the computer, I thought perhaps I was charging the camera. But I wasn’t. It drained the camera so this morning when we started off we had no battery. The Go Pro camera seems to discharge even when it’s not being used. So that camera was also dead.

We crossed the bridge and started on this beautiful paved bicycle path. I really wanted to get some pictures. We were lucky enough to come upon a coffee house within a kilometer or so and they allowed us to plug in.

There is a complex of bicycle paths that one can follow. I’ve seen at least four marked trails that go in large loops in the area. There are many cyclists who are riding the EV 6 as well as these loop rides. It’s an impressive network of bicycle trails. The guesthouse that we came upon once we got on the dyke trail in the national park is in a very quiet, peaceful location. But how would one ever know that the place was there? There were several guesthouses in the area.

The ride through Donau National Park is as flat as a pancake and straight as an arrow. There is a section of very fine gravel which is easy to ride. The paved section is actually chip seal and is a little bit rough and therefore a slower surface to ride. The entire ride is through forest and meadow.

There is no housing or really much of anything to see. It is just a very pleasant ride. It is possible to free camp in the forest on any of the little side roads that go down to the river. You don’t see the river while you are cycling on the bicycle path.

 Ten miles before Vienna there is a biker stop. It is full of bikers from all over the world. Beer and wine Bratwurst and all kinds of good food are available. What a perfect place for refreshments.

All the bridges into Vienna have special cycle paths and a really unique circular ramp to get cyclists up and down from the bridge.

We entered Vienna via the route to the Prater. It’s a royal entrance into the city. The tree-lined avenue was once the hunting grounds of the Kaiser Franz Joseph. He made the land open to the public. The aristocrats would come to the long avenue to see and be seen in their carriages and on their fine horses. Today the entire wide road is reserved for bicycles and pedestrians.

We cycled to the famous giant Ferris wheel in Prater Amusement Park where our Viennese friends met us. Anne took a ride to see the sights of Vienna from the air.

We stayed for three nights in their country home just on the fringe of Vienna. It was a great treat to see the city in their company.