(Gmunden, Austria to Linz via train; to Willersbach by bike)
View 2008-05-15b Linz, Austria to Willersbach in a larger map
Highlights: waking up super-early to catch morning train to Linz, met Joe at campground, started riding on Danube river trail towards Vienna, barges & cruise ships
Another nice city square (Linz)
Along the way (east of Mauthausen)
The most boring part of the day (somewhere along the Danube)
The view gets interesting again (approaching Grein)
City center (Grein)
View from the campingplatz (Willersbach)
Journal: Normally I find it quite difficult to get an early start. However, today I awake before 6 am when the sun came up & the birds started chirping outside. I even had time for the free breakfast at the pension before setting off on my bike a few minutes after 7. The ride to the Gmunden train station was straightforward, whereupon I purchased my ticket to Linz (about an hour away to the north). Had a small problem getting the loaded bike on the train up three rather steep steps, but managed with some assistance from the passenger behind me. The scenery to Linz was unremarkable and I was glad I had decided to skip riding this part on bike (for which no bike maps were available anyway).
When I reached Linz it was shortly before 9 and I was able to find an internet cafe to check my messages & see where Joe was staying. Then rode thru the attractive old town on the way to the local campground where we had our rendez-vous around 10. Shortly thereafter we were on our way down the famous Danube River bike trail, alternating between paved paths along the river & quiet country roads thru nearby villages. Since we are in a bit of a hurry to get to Vienna by Saturday (so that I have time to visit my friend Gerhard & his family over the weekend) we didn't stay in one place for too long but did manage to spend a few minutes in the two notable scenic towns along the route (Mauthausen & Grein). From Grein we hopped a bicycle ferry to the right bank of the river and rode another easy 14 km to the campground in the small town of Willensbach. For dinner I splurged and ordered a few interesting (& very good) items at the local restaurant: a dried meat/bacon platter followed by a plate of fleishnoodle (large meat dumplings) with sauerkraut.
Overall the ride today was quite low stress (no traffic to worry about) but the scenery paled in comparison to what I have been accustomed to over the past several days. But no complaints...the weather was great again and the terrain was mostly flat with some pleasant variety.
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