Grein to Melk: Beer, Sunshine and Tailwinds - Poking Around Europe 2.0 - CycleBlaze

September 21, 2015

Grein to Melk: Beer, Sunshine and Tailwinds

The day began with an excellent Austrian breakfast. We then stowed our bags with the hotel so we could explore the castle in Grein. As we were leaving we heard much hilarity from the breakfast room. Who needs coffee in the morning when you have beer? We never did figure out what they were celebrating, but they were having a good time.

Why have coffee when beer is available? This was 9:30 in the morning. They were having a wonderful time and their positive energy was contagious, even if I couldn't understand a word they were saying.
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We did a little explore of Grien, minus the artisans, and then headed up to the castle. It was well worth the visit. It contained a maritime museum, as well as some historical rooms. We both really enjoyed it.

My favourite building in Grein.
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The castle courtyard.
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Kiersten, we inquired about shipping this to Canada for the wedding, but thought it might not suit Strathcona Park.
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I loved the ceiling here. Keith says to look carefully for the display. It is invisible.
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The view out one of the windows.
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There were many, many ship models in the maritime portion of the museum showing how goods used to be moved up the Donau. We both love boats, so found these fascinating. This model of the old tow paths was particularly interesting though, because those tow paths are often what we are riding on.
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The knight's hall was huge...the photo can't convey how big, and the height of the ceiling was impressive.
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This is the diamond vault. Absolutely amazing detail. The man hours required to complete this must have numbered in the thousands. Those are little pebbles that create the mosaic.
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The grotto inside the diamond vault.
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View from the castle grounds.
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It was time to get on the ponies. We walked back to the Gasthaus (our friends were still laughing and celebrating over beer) and got riding. It was 11 AM. We were planning the south side of the Donau as it is the preferred route at this point, and that meant retracing our steps and crossing back over yesterday's bridge under construction. We saw something there I can promise will probably never happen in my lifetime in British Columbia. Cue the pictures.

Our very, very own bicycle path flag person, making sure we were safe. I mean, really, how awesome is that?
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He was there to make sure this guy up above didn't dump rocks on our heads. We weren't the only bikes in line either. It was actually a pretty neat experience to be considered important enough to have our very own flag person.
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After crossing the bridge, it was gorgeous scenery, fishermen (no fisherwomen), amazing weather and a smooth surface, with a tail wind. I said to Keith, everything is blowing our way. The only minor incident was when Keith stopped suddenly to take a picture, and I was looking the other way. Absolutely nothing happened, but boy, did I swerve in a quick hurry, and my heart rate had a quick boost. It was just a beautiful ride. Always something to look at.

Views across the river.
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More views.
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And more views.
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About this point the chief navigator pointed out we could be doing this, or we could be home in our comfortable surroundings doing the mundane. There is nothing wrong with that either...we live in a beautiful part of the world...but this is just so amazing. It really is.
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I watched him reel this one in. We were both excited! We have seen scores of fishermen, but I have yet to see a fisherwoman.
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We stopped for lunch in Ybbs. Really neat town.
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This was our view as we ate lunch. Public Art of the Day.
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It was a short ride today because we wanted to stop in Melk. We had one more break on our way, the obligatory ice cream stop, and then cruised into Melk. You can see the abbey for several kilometres before you arrive. It is huge. We have the cutest spot ever to stay, and we arrived here early because of the shorter ride and the very helpful tailwind. We have had a good explore, but are saving the abbey for tomorrow. Another short day tomorrow. This is such a beautiful part of the world, we don't want to rush. I may have to cut down on the kuchen though!

Corn being harvested.
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Great views all day.
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My beloved Surly pony waiting for me to finish my ice cream and coffee. Isn't she beautiful? And aren't bikes magical? What a way to travel. Knowing I am being very, very repetitive, we are so lucky to be able to do this.
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Whoa, where did those clouds come from? Fortunately, they disappeared! Note that it is sunny where I am. Sun into clouds equals dramatic skies.
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A view of the famous abbey from the bike path.
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Wine purchased ( and mostly gone), SIM card sorted, Melk explored, and here is our Gasthaus. How awesome is that? Austria is amazing.
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Today's ride: 54 km (34 miles)
Total: 1,122 km (697 miles)

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