Passau to Linz

We departed Passau on Saturday night sailing down the Danube to Englehartszell. We went through a lock on the Danube just north of the abbey at Englehartszell, docking directly across from the abbey. This is the only Abbey in Germany were Trappist monks brew Belgian beers. They also offer their own cheeses and flavored liquors. We arrived too late to visit the Abbey.

We woke to overcast skies and a cooler day than than yesterday. We had a very good breakfast and packed our own lunchs from food provided by the ship. We packed our panniers, found our bikes, and headed north, back toward Passau, to the first ferry of the day. The ferrys of the Danube are small wooden boats that can carry 12 to 14 bikes and riders. They go from the south bank to the north banks, waiting only to pickup passengers. Once on the north side of the Danube, our ride began.

The bike path along the Danube is wide, paved, and well marked. There is very little elevation change, just a gradual loss of elevation matching the river. Forest of fir trees descend from steep hills on both shores. Houses and farm lands sit between the bike path and the woods. Aside from the occasional local car or truck, we rode with others enjoying a biking holiday. The bikes were spread out enough that at times it seemed we were alone on the path. We managed to miss the occasional showers that kept the day cool.

After about 16 km, we rounded the first of the major bends in the Danube at Schlogen. There are resorts on both sides of the river. We took the second ferry of the day to the south bank. At the dock was a holiday resort for campers with rooms and a cafe. We took a break to eat our bananas and headed out on the south side bike path. The Danube bends back on itself, between rock hills, to flow north for 2-3 km before turning to the east again. Here was the last ferry of the day, taking us back to the north bank at Inzell.

The next 10 km was through a canopy forest filled with birds singing. Were we could see the river, there were numerous swans, some with cygnets following behind. We rode through Obermuhl, were the river swings to the south, and on to Untermuhl. We arrived about 12:20, before our ship. We enjoyed our packed lunch on a bench and sat on the deck of the local restaurant enjoying a beer as the Normandie pulled into the dock.

We had time to rest and shower before the ship left Untermuhl headed to Linz. We went through two locks, each dropping the ship over 40 feet to the river below. Both have hydroelectric generators to provide power to the local communities. The ship arrived in Linz at 6:00pm, just as we were finishing a fantastic dinner. We had time for a tram tour of Linz before heading back to the ship for a well earned nights rest.

Photos of the day on Flickr, https://flickr.com/photos/22583315@N08/sets/72157684549979826