The cycle today was so beautiful. Although it was quite long, it was flat, which meant we didn't feel too exhausted when we reached our destination. It was a beautiful clear day and the sun was very gentle, no wind, bliss! The first 20 km was through the picturesque Wachau Valley where we passed through a medieval village every few kilometers. Steep terraced vineyards line the slopes of the valley through which the magnificent Danube carves its course.
We passed through Spitz which is the center of the apricot growing area in the Wachau. These apricots are claimed to be extremely tasty and have their own certification to prove they are from the Wechau. One can buy almost anything to do with apricots here, kernels, oil, jam, sweets and brandy. Unfortunately we didn't get to taste these apricots as they only ripen at the end of July.
We wound our way along the river and stopped in at Melk, another beautiful medieval town with an impressive Benedictine Abbey which is one of the most beautiful collection of Baroque architecture in Europe. It is also one of the most visited tourist sights in Austria.
Getting into Melk took us quite a while as the Euro Velo 6 was not well signposted and had us cycling around in circles for about half an hour, until we decided to follow the cycle route through the Abbey. This was the only route down into the old town of Melk that we could find. We overshot the left turn off the road to the Abbey, which is the only other way down into Melk. One has to be wide awake to pick up on the signage!
On the way to the Abbey we passed a strawberry farm; it was impossible to resist buying some, ooh they were delicious, so juicy and tasty!
There were roadworks in the centre of the old town and bus loads of Asian tourists, so we didn't spend much time exploring Melk, but set off on the path to Ybbs an der Donau where we had a cup of coffee. From here on the route was pretty straight forward, moving away from the river at times through agricultural areas and forests with groups of cyclists passing every so often.
The last stretch into Wallsee-Sindelberg was through flood plains and was unexciting. After searching a bit we managed to find Gasthaus Harbinger. The entrance and garden was crammed full of cement gnomes! We looked at this lot skeptically and wondered what the rooms would be like. We were pleasantly surprised at the friendly reception. The room was very comfortable and there was a balcony where we could sit outside and enjoy the gorgeous bottle of wine we bought from Domane Wachau, Federspiel Riesling, 2013, 1000-Eimer-Berg (WWS 8).
Vineyards and apricots in Weissenkirchen in the early morning.
Melk Abbey and garden.
We were surrounded by gnomes at our overnight stop.
Planning the route and looking for a bed.
Reading this in theatre is very enjoyable. Keep it up and keep sharing!
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