| A European
holiday with a bike is a great way of having a lot of fun,
being moderately active, meeting congenial companions,
recharging one's batteries slowly and without stress, and
seeing the land and its people from a much more realistic
perspective. Food is a very important part of travel in a
foreign country and our days start with a very tasty, generous
"biker's breakfast" and culminates in a three-course
evening meal which highlights the culinary specialties of the
region we are visiting. Our luggage precedes us by van to our next hotel while we enjoy
the scenery and our ride unencumbered. Of course, easily
removable bike bags (paniers) for the items we want to take
along on our ride are available at not extra cost.
How
to enjoy the wines of Austria.
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| We stay in
excellent hotels and each room has its own bath or shower and
a WC. Our bikes are excellent quality , 21-speed touring bikes.
The first seven days of our holiday are spent
biking along the Danube from Passau in Bavaria, Germany to
Vienna, Austria. Our daily distances cover about 50 - 60
kilometres. Each day's ride is divided into four easily
manageable parts, with a break of some sightseeing or eating
in between. Thus , we spend rarely more than 1 1/2 hours at a
time on our bikes before we have a chance to walk around,
rest, see new and exciting sights or try some of the culinary
delights of the region we are visiting.
Day 8 - 10 we spend
without our bikes in Vienna , the residence of the Habsburg
Dynasty, the world's capital of music. We tour some of its
many sights and try to soak up some of the "joie de
vivre" or "Gemütlichkeit" of this wonderful
city. Early on Day 11, we board a train to Salzburg, Mozart's
birthplace, where we spend the rest of the day and evening
seeing some of the highlights of this little jewel of a city
at the edge of the Alps. On Day 12 we continue on to Munich,
Bavaria. After checking into our hotel we spend the rest of
the day discovering a little of this fascinating city. Fine
buildings of every period, grand boulevards and squares bear
witness to a culture centuries old. Day 13 is a
"free" day where we can explore at our own leisure
or make last minute purchases before returning home. Day 14 we
pack up our bags and memories and return home to share our
many pleasant experiences with our friends.
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