Rossatz to Pochlarn

We started are last day at Rossatz, taking the ferry to the north bank of the Danube and the city of Durnstein. This was the only day that we rode our bikes upstream, instead of down. We could not see or feel any difference in elevation gain or headwind. The quaint medieval town is on the hill, requiring us to walk our bikes through cobblestone streets filled with tourist and shops to cater to them. Durnstein is home to Kuenringer castle, famous for holding Richard the Lionhearted for ransom in 1192 as he returned from the Third Crusades.

We continued on through the Wachau wine region, surrounded by vineyards and picturesque villages until we came to Spitz and the Klosterhof winery. The vineyard buildings were first used in 996 AD as a monastery. In the early 1800s, it came into family hands. We were treated to a tour and wine tasting by the current owners. The Wachau region is primarily known for its white wines. The principle grape is the Gruner Veltliner grape that is picked in three distinct times to produce three different wines. There are over 30 families owning vineyards in the Spitz region producing grapes for the local wines. The yineyards are planted on terraces that go up the hills.

After the wine tasting it was across the Danube again on a ferry. This one was larger than the previous ferrys. It is attached to a cable across the river and uses the current to power it from bank to bank. Once again on the south bank, we rode toward Melk. We stopped to eat our packed lunch on the bank, before cruising to town. Mari did some more Christmas shopping, while I sampled the local beer.

A short 9 km along the bike path brought us to the dock at Pochlarn. We waited for a local day cruise ship to board its passengers and depart. They were waiting for stragglers and held our boat up, but all was good as our boat was able to dock and take on the merry bikers one last time.

After a round of champagne and a delicious dinner it was time to say our goodbyes and have one more sleep aboard the MS Normandie.

The ship cruised all night upstream to return us to Passau on Saturday morning. We left the ship, spreading out in all directions, taking our memories of 7 days on the Danube. Photos are up on Flickr,https://flickr.com/photos/22583315@N08/sets/72157681918355672

We made some great new friends during the week