A day of contrasts.
We navigated through and out of Vienna without a hitch, thanks to our guidebook, maps, Google Maps, and the help of strangers.
We rode through a huge and beautiful city park, probably a former hunting preserve of the emperors.
We rode the length of Donau Insel, a man-made narrow island in the middle of a canal stretching east from Vienna. Notable on the Insel was its popularity with nudists. It was a clear sunny day, so there were a lot of people out showing what a life of schnitzel and strudel can do. It left us feeling much better about our own bodies.
What we expected to be a long, straight stretch of nothing along the Danube flood dike turned out to be otherwise. The path turned unexpectedly inland and led us to an outdoor cafe, a welcome lunch stop. But we found that the regular bike path was closed for ? and we were directed to a long and difficult detour. First, we rode back to the Danube where we took a bicycle ferry across the river, which dumped us onto a gravel beach. "Just like D-Day, eh?", quipped the ferry captain. Looking to make a beachhead, we dragged the bike inland to a road not intended for wheeled vehicles, leading across a marsh and then up several steep switchbacks to a town above the river. We were ready to call it a day, but there was no zimmer frei or other accommodation. So we followed the detour signs along rough gravel paths across endless farm fields. We were running out of water and getting tired. We finally came on a ruined Roman arch in the middle of nowhere, and while we rested several other riders came and decided it was a good place for a break. Their complaints gave us comfort.
We rode on into a more settled area, and finally came on a cafe/hotel where we could get a room. Showers, cold drinks and a decent supper did wonders for our attitude.
Today was the first in Austria where the bike path was not paved. They saved the worst for last. We're only 13 km from Austria's border with Slovakia.
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