Let’s go

Actually, it was agreed to start like our first trip to Sardinia: pack the night before, assemble our suitcases & bags, provide the bacon princess and Gisi with enough fuel (which we did) to start well rested and fit into our new adventure. Well, this time it was a little bit different … After we had finally finished packing after two cups of coffee at 11 o’clock, we started full of anticipation. On familiar roads through familiar villages and forests we started our 1st stage towards Wasserburg am Inn. Along the country road we drove in little traffic and beautiful sunshine to Burghausen – with the plan to take an extensive break at the border to Austria to relax. But what a plan it would be if it actually worked: Downtown closed, no beer garden nearby, …, so we continued with the intention to stop at the next inn along the way. You might think that this couldn’t take that long; but we were wrong. It was not so easy to find an open restaurant along the route on a saturday. After a beautiful forest route and far more kilometers covered than expected, we found a shady spot in the guest garden of Gasthof Hofer in Neukirchen an der Enknach to fortify ourselves with Jause-Brettl, homemade Sulze in pumpkin seed oil and homemade Salzstangerl. Well nourished and relaxed, we then tackled the remaining 116 kilometers.

Shortly before half past five we finally reached our hotel in Linz, the Park Inn by Radisson. After I spent what felt like an eternity checking in, it was time for the bacon princess and Gisi to set up camp for the night on the sidewalk. Thank goodness this offered plenty of space and a tree that would protect them in case of rain. They also quickly found connections – four like-minded bikes from the far north were quartered under the neighboring tree and told of their already traveled destinations. Since we knew the two in good company, Micha and I undertook a sightseeing tour, which, however, was not so fruitful: After a walk through the manageable city center, we stopped at the restaurant Stadt Liebe for dinner and ended after an unfortunately unsuccessful search for a good bar in the hotel bar, where you get rid of an incredible 10€ for a mediocre mixed whiskey sour – and that for a few sips, which is why it was unknowingly two per person.

The next morning we continued towards Vienna. The first part of the route is simply fantastic and absolutely recommendable. Following the Danube, it led us directly between cliffs and river along through small towns and wonderful curves. You must have seen the Sissi series and can remember the scene when Sissi was standing on a boat on the Danube to her wedding with emperor Franz Joseph, right? I think that Sissi must have felt as happy as I did while driving here – ok, maybe more people cheered for her on the shore than for me, but even without the cheers you can feel quite well how she must have felt. 🙂 The second part of the route, which began after the abbey of Melk (it can be admired directly from the road) with the turnoff onto the B1, was unfortunately not so special – here the Austrians apparently think that we enjoy the recurring alternation of short successive sections with 50, 70 and 100 km/h, but honestly … in the long run the constant up & down shifting is quite annoying and scenically there was also not much offered. Next time we will definitely follow the recommendation to drive through the Wachau and thus just continue to follow the Danube to Vienna.

Vienna remains Vienna

Once we arrived in Vienna, we crossed the city, drove past Schönbrunn Palace and finally reached our accommodation for the next 2 nights – the Hotel Vienna. As for its location, we couldn’t complain at all: with only a 10-minute walk to the Prater in the 2nd district and only 2 subway stops to the city center, it’s an ideal starting point to explore Vienna. However, the hotel unfortunately only has a garage with 2 parking spaces and of course these were already occupied when we arrived. Fortunately, we were allowed to squeeze Gisi and the bacon princess in for the 1st night; but had to switch to a parking space on the street the next morning. 🙁 And so the two of them basked in the hot Vienna sun while we met up with friends and explored the sights and amenities of the city in 1.5 days. Riding the Lilliput train in the Vienna Prater, experiencing original Viennese coffee culture at Kaffeehaus Hawelka, exploring the city center on foot, enjoying a panoramic view at sunset from the rooftop bar Libelle, or enjoying delicious drinks & tasty food (you must try the Nougatschmarrn!) at the Film Festival at City Hall are just a few activities that are absolutely recommended. However, if you want to visit one or the other museum or Schönbrunn Palace, you should plan at least one more day.