skip to main |
skip to sidebar
We cycle the eight miles, into Vienna, along an excellent cycle track which runs alongside the River Danube and Danube canal.
I am rather disappointed to see, the Danube is not blue, as in the song, but, a rather green/brown colour.
It is true to form for Austria/Germany, well maintained, clean, well signposted, and plenty of "radler" (shandy) stops.
We do the usual sight seeing things, St Stephens Basilica.
Statues, of people we have never heard of, this guy was a Fieldmarshal.
Presumably, a Fieldmarshal who led from the office, since he lived to be 84. "Send another 10,000 forward!, oh, and could you pass the port".
Some nice public gardens, the best part of any city, in my humble opinion.
A rather magnificient, and beautifully maintained Parliament building, well, the politicians always take good care of themselves don't they?
Vienna is another beautiful European City, I am not really a city person, but our European neighbours definately know how to make their cities "people friendly", why can't we do this?
We have had an amazing run of good weather, it is weeks since we saw rain. But, that all comes to an end on Tuesday night, with a thunder storm.
Wednesday, I manage a 12 mile cycle ride along the Danube, out of Vienna, while Kathleen is laid up with the usual "leg problem", ie big red blotches on both legs.
By 16:00 on Wednesday, it is raining again, so the plan is to move on, tomorrow. Kathleen has spent some of her time looking at our route home, and has realised, we are still 1,000 miles (approximately), from Calais.
I suppose we should not complain about a bit of rain, since we have had day after day of glorious sunshine, but, Thursday comes, and it is raining again.
A dismal drive in pouring rain across northern Austria. Not mountainous like the south, not that it would have mattered, visibility is so poor you cannot see the scenery.
We arrive at Birkenstrand Camping am Wolfgangsee, near St Gilgen, Abersee, another ASCI site.
The site is about 1.5 miles from the village of St Gilgen, on the shore of a lake. It has the potential to be a beautiful place, if it would just stop raining!
It looks very like the Lake District, including the rain!
Actually getting out of Budapest proves not as difficult as finding our way in.
We arrive at the campsite at midday, to find the gates closed, the Reception office is closed 12:-14:00.
Once we get in, Thermal Camping, is an excellent site, German/Austrian quality facilities, excellent.
While we wait for the site to open, we go looking for a supermarket, to buy some provisions. We find a Tesco!
After lunch, I have a little explore, ie search out the Catholic Church etc, I find a church no problem, but the notices are obviously in Hungarian, and may as well therefore be in ancient Greek.
I find a "Wine and Potato Pancake Festival", a bit of a strange combination.
In the evening, we go along to the Wine Festival.
There are to usual parades with people dressed in what look like costumes from the middle ages, followed by speaches by local notables, which no one appears to pay any attention to, but, the most interesting bits were:
You "hire" a wine glass for 500HUF (350HUF = £1), then you wander around the various "exhibits" sampling the different wines.
The wine is not actually free, you have to pay about 200HUF, per glass. They obviously assume people are here for the culture, since they are giving out small (ie correct) amounts of wine, but Kathleen note that some locals are asking for their glasses to be filled up, and so joins the local winos in insisting on a full glass.
There are tables and chairs set out, where you can eat your potato pancakes if you wish, or just watch the folk music type groups on the stage.
When you have had enough, you take your wine glass back, and get back your 500HUF.
Saturday, we cycle along the excellent cycle tracks, visit the town to attempt to decipher the church notices (we find a German speaker who can converse with Kathleen), eat ice cream, then return to the van to lie in the sun.
Sunday, Kathleen goes to church in the morning, then we have a bit more explore on our bicycles.
We then discover, the Wine and Potato Pancake Festival has morphed into a sort of old fashioned fun fair, staffed by people dressed in what I assume are Gypsy costumes.
There is a chap wielding a bull whip, not too sure with what objective in mind (if any).
But, mostly the "side shows" are aimed at children.
There is one where they have a barrel on a pole, there is a large hole in the barrel, and the children have to throw balls and try to get them into the "mouth".
Another where they roll Walnuts down a hollow tube, and the children have to hit the walnut with a mallet as it emerges from the pipe.
The old favourite, walking on stilts of course.
Another, involving walnuts, they spin the wheel, and the children have to throw the walnuts into the pots attached to the wheel.
and, finally, one which seemed to interest the older girls mainly, we were not too sure exactly what was going on, lots of blushing and giggling, but we think it was a variation on "reading tea leaves", but here, they appeared to be "reading the beans!".
Monday, we are on our way, leaving Hungary, so, no point taking our remaining HUF's with us, we call at Tesco, and with some difficulty, buy food and booze until we have spent the remaining 12,000HUF (about £40).
Then, on our way to Austria and Vienna, to arrive at Doneupark Camping (Klosterneuburg). Doneau, we think, is the name they call the Danube River.
All looks good, usual high Austrian standard of site. There is a cycle track (we are told) into Vienna city centre (about 18km away). We check out where it starts, and plan to do the whole thing tomorrow.
