I started cycling from Engelhartszell in the early morning and soon I had to change side of the Danube, which is no big problem if you can take a Fähre, a small wooden ferryboat that brings people from one side to the other, in case no bridge is available. In this particular case, I was the only client on board.
The wonderful cycling path continues completely surrounded by hills and trees, with all the possible shades (50 or even more) of green.
After a few kilometres the Danube decides to make a U turn or, better to say, an S turn. It’s not actually its fault if there are some granite hills in the area. Sometimes you have to find another way. And for a cyclist it means to get a ferry and get to the opposite side to admire this abrupt turn of nature.
The path continues then on the right (south) side of the river, although you can also cycle the north side, but then you have to go back and forth to do everything and I really do not have that much time. Maybe the next time I’ll choose the opposite pathes.
During the afternoon I was caught in the rain, so all I manage to take is a selfie, which means a picture of myself (as I would have said a few years back), while being soaking wet. That’s the price you pay if you want to get out there. Well, I have to say it’s worth every penny (mmm, eurocent, sorry).
The second day of my short cycling tour along the Danube ended in Linz, a scenic spot and capital of Upper Austria (as opposed to Lower Austria, following the downstream of Danube you go from Upper to Lower).
Being the capital of the region, Linz has a popoulation of a little less than 200 000 inhabitans and it is a lively industrial centre, as you can notice from the huge amount of sand that is gathered along the river. But it is also a historical town, the most important centre of the region since the 15th century.
The main cultural sites are the Martinskirche, Austria’s oldest surviving church (8th century) as well as the newer Alter Dom, a former Jesuit church which was chosen in the 18th centurty as the cathedral of protestant Linz. Another nice site is the Schoss, the castle built in the 15th century by Emperor Friedtich III as his residence, on the top of the hill just above the current city centre.
Going fast forward in time, it is worth mentioning the Ars Electronica Center, museum of virtual worlds, showing the latest technical discoveries, such as virtual-reality simulation of space and time travels.
Day 02 – Tour de Danube 2016: Engelhartszell – Linz
Trip distance: 72,5 km
Total trip time: 6 h 30 min
