There was another Au two days ago.
We particularly enjoyed Linz, especially because we didn't expect there would be much to see. It's a modern city on old bones, busy but with many pedestrian streets and open plazas. In the evening the streets were full of strolling people of all ages, but mainly young.
Today we rode 26 km in the morning to Mauthausen and rode up a steep hill to the site of the notorious Nazi slave labor camp there. Not specifically a death camp but over 100,000 died there, from starvation, exhaustion, and disease. Maybe half were murdered outright, by gas, lethal injection, gunshot or forced suicide. About 1/3 of the camp's buildings remain. There are memorials put up by each of 40 countries which lost people there. We particularly wanted to visit Mauthausen but it was an even worse experience than we expected.
We'd planned to spend the night in the town of Mauthausen, but we both wanted to put the place behind us. After a long wrong-way we rode a few km down the river and are staying at a fancy new hotel on the riverbank.
A warm, clear day. Rain possible in two days. So far the Donauradweg is better in Austria than in Germany. Better path for riding, better marked, and better scenery.
Happy Independence Day!
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