Day 13 (13. Tag) 13th September
Fall - Au an der Donau 45 kms (711 kms from start)
Fall - Ottensheim - Puchenau - Linz - Abwinden - Asten St. Florian - Enghagen - Mauthausen - Au a.d. Donau
Click here for Day 14 - Au a.d. Donau - St Nikola
It rained again during the night and in the morning. There was a strong easterly wind blowing which slowed us up considerably today. We packed in the shelter shed under the large chestnut which kept pinging during the night. The first photo shows the fence beside the old orchard where we camped for the night. It rained all the way to the ferry which took us across to the left bank and Ottensheim, where we walked up a steep incline to the town square to a bakery cafe for breakfast. We looked like drowned rats but who cares. The bakery was warm and comfortable. It took all our strength to get on the bikes again in the rain for the stretch to Puchenau. We went under the rail and highway bridges to the other side and pedalled beside the road for many kms. The bridge pylons had some measurements showing the heights of various floods.
Finally we reached the outskirts of Linz and thought about getting a room and spending the day sight-seeing but we couldn't find anything nearby and didn't want to go into the main town looking so we by-passed the town and continued on the left bank past a Chemical works on the other side, some loading ramps for barges and several bridges. We even spotted an unusual rock with a natural crossing of layers
We continued on towards Abwinden where we had decided to go across on the Kraftwerk (Hydro works and lock). There were several signs along the way giving us an indication of distances. These were the best signs we'd seen so far - we were told that the provision of signs is a localised activity which is why there was such a variation along the whole trip. It's a pity that there is not one authority with responsibilty for standard signage along the whole Radweg. It would make the journey so much easier. The problem is that locals can't get into the mind-set of a foreigner and they make assumptions. Some travellers have a natural inbuilt sense of direction and we were very good at finding the right pathways, but occasionally we were frustrated by the lack of good signage. Crossing the Kraftwerk was interesting but also a bit scary as you had to share the road with trucks, etc.
After crossing the Kraftwerk we rode inland through fields and apple orchards, around farmhouses and occasionally back beside the river. By now we were starving hungry and looked out for a Gasthaus where we could get a meal. At Enghagen I spotted a 'Most' sign beside a farmhouse and several cars parked nearby. We opened the door and asked if they were open for business. We were in luck. They were catering for a large Birthday party in another room but were happy to serve us in the dining room. We ordered Schnitzel and alcoholic Apple cider (Most Sturm) and were overwhelmed with the servings - 2 large chicken schnitzels each. Even the waitress passing through with plates for the party made a comment about the size of the meal. I managed to down one Schnitzel while Don started on the second then gave up. When the Wirtin (female publican) came back in she approached us with a sheet of foil and wrapped the remaining pieces of schnitzel. This was to be both dinner and breakfast. We paid 18 Euros altogether for the meals and Sturm which was very cheap and we can thoroughly recommend that particular Gasthaus.
From Enghagen we rode against the cold wind towards the ferry landing on the right bank across from Mauthausen. Here we crossed again to the left bank then continued towards Au, going under a couple of bridges and then inland for some distance in order to cross the River Aist. By now the weather had dried up and the sun came out. From the Aist River crossing we followed the road to Au rather than following the Radweg as it took us directly to the camping area which was near a boat harbour for pleasure craft. It was a magnificent camping area with excellent facilities. When we paid at the kiosk, the young man serving us told us that he had spent some time in Australia travelling around. It was strange to talk about home again as we hadn't met any other Aussies on the whole trip. The campsite was out of the wind, below the levee bank and we set up our tent near a barbecue table in a most picturesque setting. After showering and doing the washing, it was time to find a Gasthaus for a coffee and cake - we'd earned it. The Gasthaus we entered in the village had a distinctly nautical feel - the first we'd seen on the trip. This indicated that the river was now an important part of the local culture in this area. Back at the campsite we met up with Paul Davenport, a fascinating Englishman who was writing a book about this and other cycleways in Germany. I went through the Vienna to Budapest book of maps with him to get some inside information on the best route to take. He had done the Radweg many times and had started this particular trip in Budapest and was travelling west. That's probably a good way to do it as we found out later.
