Saturday, May 19, 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
After breakfast we are transferred to Vienna by bus. We say goodbye to our VBT tour guides. Our arrival at the hotel is around 10:30 am. Skies were sunny on arrival, but there were rain showers in the afternoon. The day was spent exploring Vienna on foot and on the public transportation system.
Monday, May 14, 2007
In the morning we cycle through the Wachau Valley on our way to Melk. The valley is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site; a mix of orchards and vineyards. The hills are dotted with ruins of castles, abbeys, and churches. In Melk we have a guided tour of the Benedictine Abbey; one of the largest in Europe. We then ride back toward our hotel in Weissenkirchen. The trip back includes a short river cruise and two ferry rides across the Danube. We stop to explore the village of Durnstein where Richard Lionheart was held prisoner in 1193. When we get back to Weissenkirchen we have our farewell dinner at a lovely restaurant.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Our day starts with a boat trip on the Danube River. The river goes through forested mountains in a series of sharp and scenic bends. We see numerous barges and get to go through a lock. The boat ride ends at the village of Schlogen and we get on our bicycles for a day of cycling. The weather is perfect with temperatures in the 70’s. The bike mileage for the day is 37 miles. We followed the Danube bike path to Linz, Austria. Then we are transferred by motor coach to our hotel in Weissenkirchen, Austria.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Saturday, May 12, 2007
In the morning we enjoyed a leisurely bike ride along the river Inn. At the village of Neuhaus we crossed the river to go into Austria. We stopped at the Austrian village of Scharding to explore the town square. We stopped for lunch at a pub overlooking the river. We continued back toward Passau on the Austrian side of the river. As we approach town we crossed back into Germany. The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring Passau. We did 21 miles on the bikes today.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Friday, May 11, 2007
We are leaving Cesky Krumlov this morning. We board a train for a ride through a National Park. After a short train ride, we are back on the bicycles. We cross the border into Germany and continue riding on an abandon railway track. Lunch is at pub and we arrive at a parking lot in a park to finish the days riding. We are shuttled to our hotel in the historic baroque city of Passau. Our hotel is right on the Danube River. Dinner was at the hotel.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Breakfast buffet at the hotel and then met with VBT leaders. They gave out detailed instructions sheet for the day’s ride. The instructions were detailed; five pages long. Our first day of riding is a loop ride mostly on farm roads through beautiful countryside. The weather is great. Lunch was at picnic tables outside a pub in a small village. We covered 26 miles for the day on the bikes. When we got back to our hotel, we took a tour of the castle and the village. Dinner was at a restaurant in the village.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
We checked out of our Prague hotel and were on the bus by 9:15 am on our way to Cesky Krumlov. This village is still in the Czech Republic about 3 hours southwest of Prague. We stop around noon for lunch along our route and we are joined by our four VBT bike tour leaders (2 were regular leaders & 2 were leaders in training).
We get to Cesky Krumlov around 2 pm. This enchanting town has a feeling that it is lost in a time wrap. The landscape is dominated by a river, awe-inspiring castle, and a delightful old town of shops with cobbled stone streets. The bus can not drive up to the hotel which is in the old town section so we walk several blocks to get there. We meet with the VBT representatives for a talk about what to expect for the week. Next we are fitted with our bikes and take off for a short ride (5 miles) around town.
In the evening there is a reception hosted by VBT for our group and then dinner is at our hotel.
We get to Cesky Krumlov around 2 pm. This enchanting town has a feeling that it is lost in a time wrap. The landscape is dominated by a river, awe-inspiring castle, and a delightful old town of shops with cobbled stone streets. The bus can not drive up to the hotel which is in the old town section so we walk several blocks to get there. We meet with the VBT representatives for a talk about what to expect for the week. Next we are fitted with our bikes and take off for a short ride (5 miles) around town.
In the evening there is a reception hosted by VBT for our group and then dinner is at our hotel.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
The hotel breakfast buffet includes American coffee with big cups – a great way to start the day. The weather today is mild (65F), but there are brief showers all day. Prague is very crowded with visitors today as it is a national holiday throughout Europe; celebrating the end of World War II. The morning is spent exploring the Jewish Quarter of Prague which included a visit to the old Jewish cemetery and the old-new synagogue. Next was a visit to the New Town district. Since it was founded in 1348 it actually is not all that new. Highlights in that area included the National Museum and the National Theatre. Lunch was a sandwich at a bakery. No idea what it cost; she took one coin from my hand and gave me back several coins. I walked through the Old Town section and then continued across the river to the Little Quarter district to finish my walking tour in that area. I took the tram (streetcar) to get back to the hotel.
Monday, May 7, 2007
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