Life's a Stitch

Sept 4th Passau to Inzell 46k (28 miles)

We said goodbye to our friends. It was wonderful being together again and we appreciate that Anne, Janett and Emma drove seven hours from Berlin to meet us. 

Anne drove us to the bike rental, located across the street from Deutsche Post, where we shipped our luggage to Austria, not without hassle. Turns out the quote we received was too low and they only take cash. 

We picked up our bikes at Rent-A-Bike, Passau. We opted for e-bikes, which are different from the ones we have at home. They were heavier, had a narrower range of pedal assist and no throttle, something I use at home if I have to walk the bike up a hill.  I was surprised that our bikes were the same size, but we were told it was appropriate for my height. My toes barely touched the ground so we made every possible adjustment. We had read that the bikes were Dutch style for comfortable “sit up and beg” positioning. Not so. The whole fit required getting used to and many adjustments beyond the shop’s recommendation.

All packed up and ready to go:

It was a beautiful day and a short ride out of Passau:

and we quickly crossed the Austrian border through rolling forested hills and farmland, and quaint villages across the river. 

We passed an artist’s dream, one of the Farber Castell factories, but didn’t stop.

Without a reservation, we were lucky in finding accommodation at Pension Zum Heilogan Nikolaus, which included a nicely manicured Dunube-side campground. 

The rooms were comfortable.

Even the birds had decent accommodation.

Dinner was reasonable and delicious: pumpkin ginger soup and a shared schnitzel. It was a family operation, a teen boy serving and 9 yr old girl delivering beer to tables.

After dinner we had a quiet evening. Tomorrow’s route will be longer.