Sept. 19, Klosterneuburg, Austria.

Hi All,

I am about 10 miles outside of Vienna. I wanted to stop here, because I can’t check into my hotel until tomorrow afternoon. I am in the town of Klosterneuburg at a very nice campground. I have power running to my tent and the internet connection is very good. Can you say Netflix?

I left Au in what was  promising to be a very rainy day. The weather did not disappoint me: it poured all day long. However, the campsite in Au had a small covered area and I moved my gear there, including my tent, until most of everything was dry. It really helps to be able to start out with dry gear. I said goodbye to my new friends, the Prague Pedalers, who were nice enough to share their dinner with me the night before.

The Prague Pedalers brave the weather

I have to confess, it was a bit unnerving to be riding so close to a river this large in a downpour! It would be so easy to slip over the edge. At one point some kind of a siren was blaring and I feared it was a flood warning or something. But the flood never came.

Riding along a powerful river

Most of the day I spend along the Danube, but I cut inland for about 5 miles at one point. I passed an interesting shrine in the middle of a vineyard. These are all over the place, but this one was different, using a flat cutout painting of Christ instead of a carved statue.

Shrine

I arrived at a campground after about an 86 km ride in the rain and was ready to call it a day. My tent was dry, but my clothes were getting a bit wet. The campground had a dryer and I used it. Somehow, however, I managed to lose my towel. Now I am no longer a fellow who knows where his towel is (many of you will get the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy reference.)

The next morning, I was 5 minutes late getting on the road and, as a result, had to wait for an entire marathon to pass in order to cross the road.

Marathon

The weather this day was clearer and it only rained for an hour or two. I cranked another 8o km stopping at a campground in Tulln, Austria. On the way, I snapped took a few pictures that are worth sharing:

Awesome!

The sun came out on this interesting village

At the campground, I met an interesting man who had biked from Holland and seems to have been everywhere in the world on a bike. I really enjoy meeting people like this who get the idea of cycle touring.

Tomorrow, I have an easy ride into Vienna where I will spend two nights in a hotel! I will check with you then,

Scott