Today was a slow day. Mary Ellen is suffering from a cold and I got stung by a wasp shortly after leaving Grein. We have learned long ago that when you are having a difficult day, just relax and go with it.
We got a late start because we took the time to explore the wonderful theatre in Grein. It rained a little this morning but later it turned into a beautiful day. On our first cycling trip to Europe six years ago we rode the Danube River route. One of the highlights was visiting the city of Melk. The abbey at Melk is a Unesco sight that is quite amazing. As you are riding on the Danube you can see from a distance perched on a hill. The abbey is massive. It has been described as "baroque gone balmy". We are looking forward to touring the abbey tomorrow.
We met this lovely couple, Elke and Christof, while having breakfast at our B&B. They are from Germany and told us that they had visited Thetis Island which is a very short distance from our island home on Saltspring Island.
We got one of the last rooms at this excellent guesthouse. When we arrived, it said Zimmer Frei (vacancy or room available), now that we have checked in, it shows "belegt" (occupied).
A lot of the cities and towns in this region have these cement walls surrounding them. In 2002 this region was badly flooded and as a result these flood walls were created.
Mary Ellen in the toilet at the Theatre. The drape for the toilet is a quirky detail of this wonderful historic theatre. If the person using the toilet heard something funny happening on stage, they could peak out and still have privacy.
This is the busiest time of the year on the Danube. Large groups of cyclists gather whenever there is a bakery. From August 15, almost everyone in Italy has their holidays and it seems like most of them are renting bikes and doing the Danube Bike route.
