We woke up this morning, looked out at the frosty ground and enjoyed the fact that we were in a toasty room. The guest-house boss had managed to take the restaurant keys home with him last night, so we had breakfast brought to our room instead. To be fair we were the only guests and he did open especially for us yesterday.
From a warm room to a very chilly morning, we got loaded and back on the road. About 3kms down the road, after barely having left the guest-house, I got yet another puncture in my back wheel! This time I decided I would have to swap the front and rear tyres over, so the repair took a little longer than planned. The cold weather didn't help either.
With both wheels back on we set off once again. Despite the fog, cold and puncture we covered the distance well and by the time we stopped for lunch we were two thirds of the way to Passau.
Despite the usual after lunch heavy legs, we continued our way to Passau via an enormous set of locks on the Danube and across some huge sluice gates. On arrival in the city we failed to find our first choice guest-house near the train station. So carrying on along the Danube route we headed towards the cities youth hostel.
The hill to the youth hostel was so impossibly steep, that after a short attempt we came to our senses and went to look for somewhere else to stay. I stopped at the tourist information office to pick up a city map and enquire about the location of our first choice guest-house. The lady kindly phoned the place, checked that they had space and then explained where exactly it was. Heading back to the train station where we started, we found the place we were looking for. Armed with the slightly cryptic instructions of 'you have to go into the bakery' our puzzled looks soon attracted a member of staff who sent us round the back with our bikes.
The 'Fahrrad-Pension' as it turns out is basically a hostel with secure parking for bicycles. This time we have a 6 bed dorm to ourselves and it is very warm, plus it's cheaper than the youth hostel.
After settling in, we went to an internet café and checked our emails to make sure we could still stay with Franz in Peuerbach, Austria. Everything is fine for us to go, all we have to survive are the hills to his house. He even gave us three options to take, steep and short, much further and not so strenuous and somewhere in between. Will let you all know which one we go for tomorrow.
Tonight is our last night in Germany, we hope Austria is as good to us.
Nice to hear that you have navigated Germany without serious incident. I've just got back myself from my epic trip across Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico... except I managed the 5,500 miles with the aid of a car!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to hearing about your trip through Austria.