finally... a few Austria pics!

[ginny]

Thanks for the replies. Nope, I'm a biochemist who finds herself surrounded by pathologists and vets - it's a language I'm learning to speak ... s ... l ... o ... w ... l ... y

I asked for suggestions when I would enter a town for a place to stay. I sort of winged it because it would have required a bunch of long distance phone calls and (now knowing no on speaks English) some frustration on both sides probably. So, there are these information centers in the towns and they have lists of people who will let cyclists stay in their homes. The ameneties are listed (like do you want to share a bathroo?). The first night I was directed to a road house where they spoke English. I got there right at dark and they didn't have any room. I asked if I could camp, and that wasn't a problem. I pitched my little tent right near a little creek... very pleasant.

[Crankin]

I did a supported tour from Czechy-Krumlov to Vienna. The last 2 days we rode on the paths that you describe. The scenery was breathtaking! We stayed in a hotel in Durenstein, overlooking the river, which was awesome. One thing I found about the paths, is that they were really crowded, with all kinds of riders, making it hard for me to look at the scenery, because I was so busy making sure I didn't crash into anyone. It seemed like everyone was touring.
I also liked riding some of the farm roads in Austria. It's amazing that people drive on these one lane roads, in between corn stalks that were so high, we couldn't even see the road when we were looking for them.
And then there were those 15% grades on the climbs...