Blueberries and Blue water... Lunch!
Day 20: Blueberries and Blue Water
Tuesday July 16 - Day 20 - 54miles - Total 770miles
We woke up at 7am and got ready and packed up. When we went down for breakfast at 8am, we were the only guests, which is always a little creepy but we are getting used to it... We were served coffee and rolls with cheese, ham, and spreads by Granny. We could hear her laugh from the Kuchen (kitchen) throughout breakfast as she chatted with all of her delivery men for the morning.
After visiting the Spar (grocery store) this morning we started off and of course the road went up hill out of Wartberg towards Bad Hall. We finally crested...and the good part was that although it was uphill it wasn't nearly as bad as the Bodensee-Konigsee Radweg... then we coasted downhill into Bad Hall. There was a small climb into the pretty town centre, which is usually worth it. From here, we decided to follow the slightly busier (but significantly straighter) road to Steyr. We were lucky to find decent bike paths for a lot of it, however. The Austrian bicycle signage and infrastructure is not as effective as German or Swiss signage and infrastructure, so sometimes the bike path will just switch sides of the road, with no way of getting there except cutting across highway traffic (which isn't as bad as it sounds, but isn't quite as nice as when you have those transitions built in for you like in some other countries).
When we reached Steyr, we were excited to see what a lovely city it is. There is a very beautiful and historic centre, a pedestrian market street festooned with flags and banners, and a multi-steepled church built in the 1500s. The bike path passed over a couple of bridges that overlooked the aqua colored river that flows through the heart of this beautiful town.
We bought a couple of pairs of sandals to prepare for the hotter weather on our way out of town. We also picked up a half kilo of heidelbeer (blueberries) from a roadside stand for lunch for a snack later.
There is a beauty to the way cycling drops you into beautiful places just at the right time. When we were getting hungry for lunch (which we had stashed away on the back of Andrea's bike), we were just crossing through an old fabric district (which you can usually tell by the architecture and the street signs (i.e. Fabrikstrasse)). We had been weaving over small weirs (little dams to power the old factories nearby) when we saw the most gorgeous spot of white pebbles and rocks gleaming in the hot summer sun, just below one of the dams (looking more like a waterfall than a power supply) flowing right into a stunningly aqua pool and stream. The water even looked icy cold from where we were up on the small bridge. We snuck behind the apartment building (which was totally an old mill) and climbed down to our spot. We found some shade, took of our shoes, dipped out feet in the icy blue water, and ate our lunch of sandwiches and blueberries. We even chilled our water bottles in the stream.
After lunch, the road climbed out of Steyr for a little bit but then we were in gorgeous wooded glades.
We wound our way through the raspberry patches (only stopping once) and pine trees until we found the path beside the railway lines (always good for a level ride). We followed the trains into Amstetten.
We are now in Amstetten, eating at a cafe. We need to look for a place to stay tonight.
.... After we ate, we wound our way out of Amstetten. We had asked a speed racer cyclist if there were any campgrounds or hotels nearby. He kept trying to send us back the way we came to find a hotel. We decided not to listen and press on towards Ybbs (the town where we would rejoin the Danube path). We didn't know if we would wild camp or find something along the way. In the waning sunlight, we pushed on through the fields of corn and wheat. It felt like we were back in Kazakstan. We happened upon a guesthouse (gasthaus) called the Ybbs Gasthaus right on the path. The old lady who ran it spoke English (lets call her Granny II) and the price was right, so we stayed. We have learned never to pass up something, like a room or food, if it is right in front of you. You never know if another opportunity will come along again when you need it.
We met some great people at this guesthouse. We met Christoff - the non-english speaking cook (and Granny II's helper). He helped us put our bikes in the garage and chatted with us (kinda) all about our trip and his friends on bikes. He obviously seemed very interested, but without a common language it was hard to talk too much about the complexities of the bike (which he knew something about) beyond simple information and facial expressions. We also met Gabbi - the bar tender from Hungary. She was very fun to chat with. She had lived in Florida for a few months and seemed very interested in our trip as well. She taught us some words in Hungarian to help us when we get there:
Hungarian a la Gabbi:
Thank you: Kusunam
Please: Kieram
Hello: Siya (proper) Hallo (friendly)
Goodbye: Vis-lat
Another day of experiences. Starting to miss home a bit, but this ride is amazing.
The World is Ours!
Tuesday July 16 - Day 20 - 54miles - Total 770miles
We woke up at 7am and got ready and packed up. When we went down for breakfast at 8am, we were the only guests, which is always a little creepy but we are getting used to it... We were served coffee and rolls with cheese, ham, and spreads by Granny. We could hear her laugh from the Kuchen (kitchen) throughout breakfast as she chatted with all of her delivery men for the morning.
After visiting the Spar (grocery store) this morning we started off and of course the road went up hill out of Wartberg towards Bad Hall. We finally crested...and the good part was that although it was uphill it wasn't nearly as bad as the Bodensee-Konigsee Radweg... then we coasted downhill into Bad Hall. There was a small climb into the pretty town centre, which is usually worth it. From here, we decided to follow the slightly busier (but significantly straighter) road to Steyr. We were lucky to find decent bike paths for a lot of it, however. The Austrian bicycle signage and infrastructure is not as effective as German or Swiss signage and infrastructure, so sometimes the bike path will just switch sides of the road, with no way of getting there except cutting across highway traffic (which isn't as bad as it sounds, but isn't quite as nice as when you have those transitions built in for you like in some other countries).
When we reached Steyr, we were excited to see what a lovely city it is. There is a very beautiful and historic centre, a pedestrian market street festooned with flags and banners, and a multi-steepled church built in the 1500s. The bike path passed over a couple of bridges that overlooked the aqua colored river that flows through the heart of this beautiful town.
We bought a couple of pairs of sandals to prepare for the hotter weather on our way out of town. We also picked up a half kilo of heidelbeer (blueberries) from a roadside stand for lunch for a snack later.
There is a beauty to the way cycling drops you into beautiful places just at the right time. When we were getting hungry for lunch (which we had stashed away on the back of Andrea's bike), we were just crossing through an old fabric district (which you can usually tell by the architecture and the street signs (i.e. Fabrikstrasse)). We had been weaving over small weirs (little dams to power the old factories nearby) when we saw the most gorgeous spot of white pebbles and rocks gleaming in the hot summer sun, just below one of the dams (looking more like a waterfall than a power supply) flowing right into a stunningly aqua pool and stream. The water even looked icy cold from where we were up on the small bridge. We snuck behind the apartment building (which was totally an old mill) and climbed down to our spot. We found some shade, took of our shoes, dipped out feet in the icy blue water, and ate our lunch of sandwiches and blueberries. We even chilled our water bottles in the stream.
After lunch, the road climbed out of Steyr for a little bit but then we were in gorgeous wooded glades.
We wound our way through the raspberry patches (only stopping once) and pine trees until we found the path beside the railway lines (always good for a level ride). We followed the trains into Amstetten.
We are now in Amstetten, eating at a cafe. We need to look for a place to stay tonight.
.... After we ate, we wound our way out of Amstetten. We had asked a speed racer cyclist if there were any campgrounds or hotels nearby. He kept trying to send us back the way we came to find a hotel. We decided not to listen and press on towards Ybbs (the town where we would rejoin the Danube path). We didn't know if we would wild camp or find something along the way. In the waning sunlight, we pushed on through the fields of corn and wheat. It felt like we were back in Kazakstan. We happened upon a guesthouse (gasthaus) called the Ybbs Gasthaus right on the path. The old lady who ran it spoke English (lets call her Granny II) and the price was right, so we stayed. We have learned never to pass up something, like a room or food, if it is right in front of you. You never know if another opportunity will come along again when you need it.
We met some great people at this guesthouse. We met Christoff - the non-english speaking cook (and Granny II's helper). He helped us put our bikes in the garage and chatted with us (kinda) all about our trip and his friends on bikes. He obviously seemed very interested, but without a common language it was hard to talk too much about the complexities of the bike (which he knew something about) beyond simple information and facial expressions. We also met Gabbi - the bar tender from Hungary. She was very fun to chat with. She had lived in Florida for a few months and seemed very interested in our trip as well. She taught us some words in Hungarian to help us when we get there:
Hungarian a la Gabbi:
Thank you: Kusunam
Please: Kieram
Hello: Siya (proper) Hallo (friendly)
Goodbye: Vis-lat
Another day of experiences. Starting to miss home a bit, but this ride is amazing.
The World is Ours!
Large castle-like building number 384... in Steyr...
Bruce in the market district of Steyr
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