DISTANCE COVERED:  96.4 KM

CYCLE TIME:  4:31

AVERAGE SPEED:  21.3

Today was sunny, and warm with a high temperature of 23ºC, and light winds.  Kevin was having problems with his rear derailleur today.  The problem actually developed the previous day as a result of the handlebar bag he had been using.  The handlebar bag had caused the shifting cables to bend and kink.  As a result, the gear cables would not shift freely. Shifting with the rear derailleur was limited to the five lower gears, so he resorted to shifting with the front chainrings.  Because his front handlebar bag had kinked the gears, the gear cables would not shift freely.  As the route was mostly flat, he opted to "suffer" along for the remainder of the trip.  At worst, he might have to push his bike up a steep hill, but for the most part it was just a continual annoyance. The route proved to be very flat, and Kevin was grateful.  Flat except for the first three kilometers of today's ride backtracking to the Mauthausen Concentration Camp.  Our pension hosts gave us useful directions through town to find the signed route with green signs leading to KZ Mauthausen.

THE LAST SECTION OF ROAD BEFORE THE CONCENTRATION CAMP (photo by Kevin Rodger)

This camp was very somber, and in my opinion, much more substantial than Dachau .  This I owe to its close proximity to a limestone quarry, which incarcerated prisoners excavated to build the camp itself, as well as other structures.  The Mauthausen Concentration Camp was to become the first concentration camp outside the “Old Reich” and one of the most notorious camps within the entire Nazi camp system.  According to one web site, almost 200,000 prisoners from numerous European and non-European countries had to endure the inhuman conditions of internment and torture by the SS. More than half of them did not survive their imprisonment.  There were far fewer people touring Mauthausen than when I toured Dachau on three previous visits to Germany.  This was probably due to Dachau's close proximity to Munich.

Mauthausen seemed to have many more memorials dedicated to individual prisoners.  It is hard to imagine the inhumanity that occurred in these camps. 

BARRACK BLOCKS AT MAUTHAUSEN (photo by Kevin Rodger)

MEMORIALS AT MAUTHAUSEN (photo by Paul Delconte)

After touring the camp for just over an hour, we departed for our next destination, Melk. The bike path meandered through cornfields, along the Danube River, and through several small villages.  Much of the rural area was planted with corn, and it seemed very close to harvest time.  The fields of sunflowers were past their prime, and had long lost their yellow sheen, instead looking like rather large dead weeds.  Many small bugs were ingested while riding today, and many others imbedded themselves in the hair on arms and legs.  Riding without sunglasses today was not an option - the bugs were simply too numerous. The bike path closely followed the river and steep hills rose from either side of the Danube .  Not only was the route very scenic, it was very clearly marked and easy to follow. Lunch was in Dornach, at a restaurant/pension located just across the road from the bike path.  It was crowded with other cyclists, and service was quite slow. 

A PICTURE OF TOM AND PAUL TAKEN FROM THE BIKE ALONG THE DANUBE CYCLE PATH (photo by Kevin Rodger)

WE ARE HERE ... A CYCLIST REST AREA ON THE DONAURADWEG (photo by Paul Delconte via Kevin Rodger)

After a bend in the river, we we came upon the town of Grein, noted for having the oldest town theatre in Austria .  We marveled at the view these citizens would have on a daily basis - the beautiful, meandering Danube River, flanked by lush, green hills.  In Grein, we crossed the Danube on a bridge and cycled along its right bank. This side of the river placed us in the shade, and allowed several good photo ops.  

THE PATHWAY LEADS TO GREIN (photo by Kevin Rodger)

We pedaled through the town of Ybbs , and on toward Krummnussbaum (try to say that name three times really fast).  Across on the other bank, and close to Melk, we could see the ruins of a castle.  It was not until we returned to Canada that I discovered it was the 9th Century ruin of Weitenegg.  In the 11^th to 13^th Century, this piece of real estate belonged to the bishop von Freising.  

Just prior to Melk, we saw the beautiful Melk Abbey, perched on a hill high above the city.  We stopped at several intervals along the way to take pictures. Melk Abbey was founded in 1089.  One of the problems we encountered on this cycling trip was not including enough time to tour local points of interest in any detail.  We very much regretted having to leave Melk without touring the magnificent abbey.

CASTLE RUINS ON THE RIGHT BANK JUST BEFORE MELK (photo by Kevin Rodger)

MELK ABBEY (photo by Kevin Rodger)

In Melk, we found very nice hotel accommodation for 30 Euros apiece (including the usual breakfast).  At dinner, each of us ordered a different dish and customary beer for about 10 Euros.

HOME