The Danube, Part 1 (by Helen, photos by Will)


About 6 years ago, I read about cycling along then Danube. It was described as one of the best routes in Europe for families. It became a big part of our vision for this year and didn’t disappoint, especially because we were travelling with friends. 

Our family arrived in Vienna from Paris on a FlixBus. This went relatively smoothly, though it was hard to find the bus station in Paris (it was hidden behind an imposing-angry-rap-playing outdoor gym) and the bus nearly left without us after a morning bathroom stop somewhere is eastern Germany. 

We had planned to meet our friends the next morning, but their flight was delayed, which gave us a bonus day of relaxation at a great hostel. We happened to be there during the pride parade and had breakfast at a wonderful cafe which apparently has the biggest one-piece mirror in Europe outside of Versailles. 


The next morning, we travelled with our friends west on the train to start our cycling adventure. From the beginning, the trail was fantastic: flat, paved, and beautiful. We saw little towns with cobbled streets,  pretty buildings, and of course, the river. Pedal, pedal, pedal… :)




This week was a break from camping. We stayed in guest houses and had an especially memorable stay at a farm with kittens, which Clara and Jess have written more about for our next post.

There’s nothing like catching up with friends while cycling in a gorgeous place. We stopped en-route to see a church and a bicycle museum, and for some end-of day strawberry picking. 


Every day included an ice-cream. We tried scnitzle, ate a  lot of distinctive small white rolls, and drank apricot juice and tiny coffee. We had nice picnics by the river and some delicious meals at guest houses after evening swims. On one especially hot day we had a post-picnic rest looking at one of many amazing Austrian ceilings.





This leg of the cycle trip ended in Vienna, where we got to see what has to be the world’s prettiest and best behaved stallions, at the Spanish riding school. The next morning it was time for a big group hug as Alison and James headed back to Halifax. We’re glad we will see them soon. 





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