it claims to be the oldest town in austria period, not just lower austria.
our hotel was much better than the tiny tiny room we had the night before in linz. but we still didn’t want to just hang out in the room, so we walked around in the town a bit. it was pretty deserted and getting a little bit chilly. we ate outside in the courtyard of the Enns castle. here’s our view as we dined.
after dinner we walked around a bit more, but then headed back to the room. it looked like rain, but it didn’t.
next morning, getting out of enns was much simpler than getting to the hotel. we rode our bikes right down the hill and out of town – we didn’t take the same route as the one we took getting into town. it was a cloudy morning and kind of cold. we passed some pretty bleak countryside and finally found our way to the bridge back across the river. we had some difficulty finding the bridge because all we saw was this bridge that was heavy with traffic. we somehow missed seeing the bike path at first, and had to go back to look at it again. and there was the path, no problem.
however, getting off the bridge on the other side – it was stairs, just like the place on the very first day, where we had to put the tires in this groove at the side of the stairs. at least this time it was just down the stairs, instead of up.
this was the least picturesque day of riding. at least in the morning – it was so grey and the path was kind of bleak. we rode on a flood plain for a while, and it got very bumpy. this isn’t the condition of the road we were actually on, but this is what it’d have turned into if we’d kept on it.
somebody made this funny sculpture along the path.
not only did we not see many people, but there weren’t a lot of towns either on this day. here’s a sign for the town of Mettensdorf, but there wasn’t much more to the town besides the sign.
i’m sure i mentioned this before, but since it’s taken me years to post these photos you’ve probably forgotten anyway – at a restaurant, our waiter said that the week before it had rained so much that people ALMOST DROWNED. this is an excellent photo of all the mud that was scooped up off the road.
i continue to be grateful at our good luck in taking our trip at the best possible time. it would have been miserable if it had rained and been bitterly cold. plus the risk of drowning.
we kept biking and biking, and really it didn’t take so long, but like i said, it wasn’t so scenic. we were headed for the tiny town of Grein, and we kept expecting to see it, but we didn’t. finally, though, there it was in the distance – just as the sun came out.
we rode into the town which was right up next to the river, and there was our hotel! no looking at all for it, it was just right there. we were there by two in the afternoon, and kevin went in to get our room, bu he couldn’t find anybody to help us. it was a fairly large (and very old) hotel, and there was a wait staff at the adjoining restaurant, but nobody at the hotel desk. i went in and tried to help – there was a sign that said “ring bell,” so we did, but it did no good.
kevin wasn’t happy with the situation, and i suggested that we have some lunch. he didn’t want to eat at the hotel because he was mad at the whole place, so we strolled through the town square and found another place to eat.
they were having an arts & crafts show in town that day (it was saturday) and the square was crowded with booths. there were lots of people walking around, and it was fun to sit outside and watch them go by.
after lunch we went back to the hotel and found somebody to give us a room and it was a great room. it had windows on either side, one facing the inner courtyard where they were serving wine and cheese, and the other overlooking the street. here’s the street view.
we walked around and looked at all the stuff, and i don’t know why kevin didn’t take any pictures. i know i took lots of video. there were a couple of guys playing music, a bunch of stuff like simon & garfunkel.
we had dinner at yet another outdoor patio, this time overlooking the river.
it was so neat, sitting there with that fantastic view. we watched the craft vendors right below us, packing up for the night, and the river. it makes me want to go back right now. except this morning i checked the weather in austria, and i think it would be too cold for enjoyable biking. plus it seems they’re going to have rain and/or snow all week. brrrr.
after dinner we took a walk, and went pretty high up into the hills.
at this point we were halfway through the biking portion of our trip. this saturday was the eve of our first anniversary, and a lovely time was had by all.
have i mentioned that i’ve started researching another trip? scotland this time, i think. except i’m slightly leery of all the hills and the rain. we’d have to go in the the middle of summer, probably, instead of september. but that’s ok by me.
ok then, i PROMISE i’m going to be more diligent about putting up photos of the second half of the ride. not to mention the days spent in lovely vienna.
ok ok ok,
is it really only monday? grace