Miles of Smiles

Weather for our rides was always a bit iffy. But never bad enough to wipe the smile off Nonie's face.

The bike paths well maintained with little or no hills.

Why my smile was never far away. This cherry beer  paired with a bag of Lays potato chips was to die for.

This Hungarian white brought a smile to my lips.

We saw lots of castles along the way.

Some in better shape than others.

But they all seem to be located on steep hills, making them difficult to bike to.

So we didn't.

The paths were well populated with quaint little villages and towns.

Filled with tourists.

Every village had church.

Some were grander than others.

Vineyards were just getting ready to produce.

We were a little early for grapes.

But plenty of wineries to sip last years vintages.

Getting across the Danube was never a problem with plenty of ferries.

Some bigger and busier than others.


The rain had swollen the Danube making it deeper and and swifter adding to Nonie's continued fear of ferries.

There were plenty of little surprises along the way. The Simandl Fountain in Krems.

Simandl is a figure that plays a special role in this city so rich in legends and tales. This name is used in Bavarian and Austrian dialect to designate a henpecked husband. (wikipedia)

Then there was the giant nose in which Nonie carefully picked her way through it.

A 700 year old wall and gate to no where

And one last ferry ride, still smiling.

We biked over 240 kilometres on this trip. Saw four different countries and only got lost a few times.

Well worth the effort and the sore asses.

We will be back.

A Barge To Big

We flew into Passau by a commuter train arriving late in the afternoon from Munich and boy were our wings tired. Sorry, but the picture dictated the narrative.

Our plans for the next day were to find the correct dock for our departure the following day, as well locate some cycling helmets. We had several options for helmets that I had sourced out before we left Canada and settled on rental helmets for $18 EU, thanks to the nice folks at Fahrrad-Klinik.

Chores out of the way we set out to explore Passau. Our first stop was St. Stephens Cathedral and a chance to listen to its 17,774 pipe organ at an afternoon concert.  The organ has five sets of pipes spread around the cathedral that surrounds you in sound. The organ is the largest in Europe and second largest in the world.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the old town. We would have another opportunity to explore more of Passau upon our return. We would have the whole day as we are catching an evening train to Vienna.   

Morning of departure day and we needed to get some laundry done. Since they started charging for checked in baggage we have developed serious skills in travelling with carry on only. So it was off to the Waschtreff waschsalon. Thanks to a teaching moment in an Amsterdam laundromat, we managed to get our laundry done by carefully reading all instructions and following them to the letter. Okay, maybe there was one small mistake when I chose the wrong drying cycle and it took over 90 minutes and some extra Euros to dry our laundry. But all the instructions were in German and I blame this on my translation app.   

Meet the MC Carissima; she will be our home for the next 8 days. Building on the success of our Tulip Tour in 2018 we signed up for another bike and barge tour. This time we will cruise the Danube River from Passau Germany to Budapest, Yugoslavia with stops in Bratislava Slovakia and Vienna Austria.  Four days of the journey will involve 45 kilometre bike rides, mostly along the Danube River.

The biggest difference between our Tulip Tour and the Danauwalzer (Danube Dance) tour was size. The Magnifique II, our first barge had a passenger capacity of 46 while the Carissima had a capacity of 160. This translated into a much different vibe between the two ships.

Like the big cruise ships we were scheduled to board the Carissima in the early afternoon. We arrived concurrently as a large bus, full of fellow passengers and got caught up in a mass boarding and luggage situation which got uglier when they discovered the bar was not open yet. There were lots of grumbling and complaints, which got louder when they saw the drink package costs.

Our room was as advertised. Small but spotlessly clean. We were warned that space for luggage in the berths (rooms) was limited and they weren’t lying. We had trouble finding space to store our two carry-on(s) so we can only imagine what some of the other passengers did with their massive suitcases and carry-on bags.

The bar was a lovely place to spend time at the end of each day to watch the world go by, sipping tasty German beers and dry German whites. Free coffee was only available from 6:00 to 6:45 AM and 4:15 to 5:00 PM each day. For the rest of the day it was available for $3 EU at the bar. On the Magnifique, coffee was available for free all day.   

The dining room was located on the lowest deck. Breakfast was served buffet style and dinner was served to our table. Each morning you were presented with a menu where you would select your evening meal. You had two choices for appetizers and entrees and three choices for dessert of which one was always ice cream. On the Magnifique, we got dinner with a tasty dessert buffet. 

There was only one seating for dinner and the dining room was packed. Seating was fixed so we sat with the same people each night. Seating was set by large groups and nationalities. Our seat mates consisted of a large group of friends from different parts of Canada and they filled two tables. They were all computer nerds who had met while working with Nortel back in the 80’s but were now scattered around Canada but still got together annually some where in the world. All were in their 50’s, all single and no children.  Wifi sucked and cellular connections were spotty at best making them all very jittery.

All in all, it was an enjoyable trip but to much like a big cruise ship and not the more casual, laid back vibe of our first bike and barge. But we weren't there for the barge, it was the bike the brought us back. 

Do Pigs Have Knuckles.

A pork knuckle is the joint between the tibia/fibula and the metatarsals of the foot of a pig, where the foot was attached to the hog's leg. It is the portion of the leg that is neither part of the ham proper nor the ankle or foot, but rather the extreme shank end of the leg bone. (Wikipedia)

Although we were a few months too early for Oktoberfest, I was not leaving Munich with out spending a few hours in a beer hall, quaffing giant beers, with an oompah band playing in the background and using my fingers to tear into a succulent, perfectly cooked pigs knuckle (ham hock for you Americans).

Arriving in Munich, the day before, I spent the evening in our hotel mapping a route that would take us on a tour of some of Munich’s sights while timing our arrival at the Hofbrauhaus around lunch time. The Hofbrauhaus is a world famous 400 year old beer hall that is still pumping out oompah music, 400 year old beer and world famous pigs knuckles.

It was if they knew I was coming. As we walked in the door, the house band was just starting to play Ein Prosit, the national anthem of Oktoberfest. A parade of waiters marched by us with fistfuls of giant beers and plates of knuckles being delivered to giant tables full of tourists. The place was hopping and it was another tick on the Bucket List. I will never need to eat another pigs knuckle again. 

We were catching an early evening train to Passau so with only the day in Munich; we had to make every minute count. Up early, we headed to the cathedral Frauenkirche and the famous/infamous Devils Footprint. Legends claim that the 20-year construction of the cathedral in the 15th century would have been impossible without some kind of divine intervention or perhaps not so divine. Seeing his project timelines slipping away, the builder enlisted the help of Satan himself to finish erecting the cathedral on time. In exchange, he promised to keep the interior windowless to bathe the church in darkness.

The builder fulfilled his end. Or so the devil thought. As Satan stood in the entrance, the church, with its massive pillars blocking the light, appeared to be covered in blackness. Something didn’t feel right. He stepped further in, passing the pillars, and was knocked aback as light poured in from the windows. Displeased with the deception, the devil slammed his foot into the floor of the entrance, forever indenting the concrete with his footprint. As he stormed out of the church one last time, he left behind a perpetual torrent of wind that still swirls around Frauenkirche to this day. I would have thought the footprint would have looked more hoof like.





Marienplatz was next for the 11:00 am Rathaus-Glockenspiel show. The platz was chock full of like minded tourists awaiting the chimes and life sized marionettes re-enacting two stories from the 16^th century.

The top half of the glockenspiel tells the story of the marriage of Duke Wilhelm. The bottom half tells the story  of Schäfflertanz ( Coopers Dance). According to myth, 1517 was a year of plague in Munich. The coopers are said to have danced through the streets to "bring fresh vitality to fearful dispositions." The coopers remained loyal to the duke, and their dance came to symbolize perseverance and loyalty to authority through difficult times. By tradition, the dance is performed in Munich every seven years. It was underwhelming to say the least.  (Wikipedia)

We had a similar under whelming experience at the Prague old town glockenspiel so should have known better.

After lunch we were off visit the Englischer Garten. (English Park) Deep into spring and the place was in full bloom. But we weren’t there for flowers, surfing was on our mind. The surfing site is called the Eisback Wave and is found on a man made river located in the park. The huge wave is created by the water resistance of a huge stone step located under the water. The wave creates an intense ride that depending on the skill of the rider can be short or incredibly long. Go too long and the other surfers lined up along the river bank start to grouse.

Feeling peckish, we headed over to the famous 200 year old Ratskeller Restaurant for some real Bavarian food. One look at the menus price list dampened our appetite so we headed to the train station to see if we could find some Bavarian cuisine that was a little more affordable. 

So, with our breath reeking of bratwurst and sauerkraut, we boarded the train for Passau. 

A Day Revisited

Day 37 and up and on the road to the ferry where it took a while to load. It was a slow process trying to fit us all into the limited space. The weather was looking a little stormy as I jammed the car in. Our ride was the roughest ferry ride I have ever taken. The ship listed over 45 degrees to the vertical as it slammed through the 5 metre waves. It was a scary, stomach churning 60 minutes. Disney should be considering this for a new ride. But, according to the lady in the souvenir shop it was “No problems mate.”

 It was even slower, unloading the ferry as everyone was having trouble getting their balance back. Thankfully it was a quick ride into Adelaide where we dumped the rental car and checked into our hotel. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the downtown. The downtown area is 10 blocks square almost completely surrounded by parks and the River Torrens along the north end.  

Day 38, a nice sleep in, a late check-out and with a late flight out to Sydney, we had the whole rest of the day to explore Adelaide.  Adelaide is a pretty city but still just a city so we opted to spend the rest of the day exploring their park system with special attention to the botanical gardens area. Established in 1855, it has over 50 hectares of Australian flora past and present. Billed as an oasis in the middle of Adelaide, it lived up to its reputation as the temperatures were in the high 30's and humidity that squeezed us dry. 

Day 39, woke up in Sydney at a hotel by the airport then off to the airport for a 1230 flight to Auckland. A two hour lay-over and we were on our way home.

At some point in our flight we crossed the International Date Line and I woke up to Day 39 again landing in Vancouver at 1215, fifteen minutes before we left Sydney. Hopefully Day 39 will be better the second time. 

Will we re-visit Australia?  A big maybe but New Zealand has been definitely re-added to the “bucket list” with the South Island our focus. We really did not spend enough time there to see everything we should have seen. 

No Worries Mate

Day 35 continued.

We arrived at the ferry to see all kinds of fire apparatus disembarking. It seems that Kangaroo Island had been experiencing some serious forest fire activity over the last week but thanks to some wet weather, they had it all contained and some of the crews were returning to their home bases.

Day 36 and the view from our hotel room indicated that a cloudy and cooler day was in our future. There would be lots of driving and hiking today with the hope to see a few kangaroos in their natural habitat.

But no trip to Kangaroo Island would be complete without a visit with some sea lions. So we were off to Seal Bay, a protected area home to a large colony of sea lions.

Sea lions are dark brown, bark loudly, walk on land using their large flippers and have visible ear flaps. Seals have small flipper, wriggle on their bellies on land and lack visible ear flaps. Both are pinniped, which means “fin footed” in Latin. (wikipedia)

Arriving early to Seal Bay, we scored a private tour with one of the guides as we were the only ones there. We were able to walk down to the beach and get up close and personal with the sea lions. The smell was certainly memorable. 

The sea lions use both their front fins and rear tail fins to lift themselves up and can cruise along for 10 or 15 metres before running out of steam. A short rest then up and at it again. Looks very awkward.  

Off to Little Sahara for a quick walk up onto some natural occurring dunes with the opportunity to rent a snow board for some gritty boarding down the steep, 70 metre dunes. We enjoyed watching Chinese tourists careen down the dunes, filling their cargo shorts with sand as they wiped out. 

Still no kangaroos, but “no worries mate”, we still have lots of time. Next stop was a hike into the “Remarkable Rocks”, which more than lived up to its name.  

500,000,000 years of wind, rain and waves have created unique sculptures that are, shall we say remarkable.

Admirals Arch was 1,000 years in the making, a rock bridge with peek-a-boo views of a fur seal colony swimming and resting in the protected bay while stalactites hang over their heads.

It was then up to Cape Couedic Light House and the start of a 5 kilometre hike into Weir Cove and the possibility of a kangaroo viewing  or two.  

90 minutes later, not one kangaroo was seen but the cliff-side trail provided some awesome views of Weir Cove and out into the Great Australian Bite.

“No worries mate.” but we are running out of daylight and still no kangaroos in their natural environment.  We decided to take the longer route back to our hotel, on some lesser traveled roads. We are sure to see some kangaroos here.

We are now close to home and have finally started to see lots of kangaroos in what looks to be their natural habitat. Sadly it was as road-kill on the side of the road. We seem to come upon carcasses every few kilometres. Most kangaroos are classed as diurnal and are active during the daytime but it seems that Kangaroo Island kangaroos may be nocturnal.

To test my mettle and to wash off the dust of the days hiking, I decided on a swim in the local swimming hole across from the hotel. Our hosts thought I was crazy when I asked them for beach towel. I explained I was from Canada, and that seemed to quell any further questions they may have had. 

Damn, it was freaking cold.

Tomorrow we start our trip home.

A Railway Not Taken

Day 34 continued.

We arrived within minutes of our scheduled time, full from a lovely brunch on the Ghan as we passed the last few kilometres into Adelaide. Well fed, we made our way into downtown Adelaide to pick up our rental car. 

Once again we resurrected our mantra for left turns, “inside, inside, inside” and right turns, “outside, outside, outside” as those silly Australians also drive on the wrong side of the road.

We have an 80 kilometre ride to the small town of Victor Harbour where another train awaited our arrival. The drive would also take us through the self proclaimed, world renowned wine region of the Fleurieu Peninsula known for its Shiraz and Cab Sauvignon.  We stopped into Mt. Jagged Wines to check out those claims and found a $20 AUS bottle of Shiraz that was pretty tasty.

Victor Harbour is a pretty little town with lots of opportunities for things to do. My “must do” was a ride on the Cockle Steam Rail line from Victor Harbour to Goolwa and Port Elliot. Sadly we had arrived in a down period and the train was not running. Damn, missed the small print.

Photo- steamrangerrailway.com

Day 35 and there was still an option to scratch my rail itch, another rail line was available and running. An historic horse-drawn tram that once transported goods but now hauls tourists across a causeway to Granite Island that sits just off shore from Victor Harbour. Six Clydesdale take turns pulling the tram along a steel rail line across the causeway to the island. The line has been in operation since 1894.

We opted for the ride out and save money by walking back, racing the tram on our walk back. We would have won too but we stopped to catch a picture as the tram passed by.  

Since we could not take the train to Goolwa and Port Elliot, we decided to check them out before we made our way to Cape Jervis and our late afternoon ferry to Kangaroo Island.

Goolwa Beach is the main attraction for the little town. After reading the sign, I am not sure what the attraction was all about. 

Once on the beach, the reasoning became a bit more apparent although Nonie was on high snake alert. The temperatures were down in the low 20’s with a nasty wind chill and the surfers were all tucked away in their swanky beach clubhouse. Sipping hot toddies, I’m sure.  

Port Elliot is a cute little town, with many original buildings but once again the beach is its major attraction. At its inception, the hope was the town would become a major ocean port but Victor Harbour proved to be a better location.

Tomorrow we will wake up on Kangaroo Island with our main goal, to see some kangaroos in their natural environment. None so far.