Back on the saddle

Where the Inn meets the Danube in Passau

After moving three households this year, we finally got settled in at our new place in Passau. We had a nice summer here exploring the area, finding great bike routes (and beer gardens!) And once my new bike was outfitted (with adapter for the bike trailer, etc.) and checked, we were ready for our bike tour at the end of August! Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate. The day/week we planned to leave we had so much rain that a lot of bike paths were flooded. Good thing our plan was to ride toward the Alps from home (no trains involved) so we could adjust our start date to the following week, still in early September.

Trees downed by the heavy rains

Flooding on the downtown bike path

Ready to roll!!

We were excited to be able to set off on our tour without having to take a train. And we could see the Alps on the second day! We planned a relatively short tour along the Tauern Radweg (Tauern bike route.) Passau, our town, is at one end of the route, which includes a circuit from Salzburg. Here's the route we took.

The first leg of the tour involved riding along the Inn river, about 80km to the first campsite. 80km is long for us. Even with e-bikes, the butt still hurts, especially when most of the ride is flat (and somewhat boring) along the riverside dam. Despite the distance and a flat tire on my trailer we made it to the campsite in Marktl by late afternoon. Marktl is known locally as the birthplace of Pope Benedict, which was highly celebrated the first time we were here about 15 years ago....not so much anymore.  The next day, we rode along the Salzach River to Laufen, where we stayed at a campsite on a farm that also family farm-stay vacations, complete with horseback rides, cow milking, campfires, etc. It was cute, and nice because no one else was on the camping pitch and only a couple of families were in the rooms, so we had the scant bathrooms to ourselves. On day three we rode along the Saalach river, buying a new tire for my trailer along the way, through touristy Bad Reichenhall to our first campsite in Austria, outside of Lofer. This was our first campsite in the Alps so we stayed for two nights to explore the area.

First campsite near Marktl

View from the Farm-stay campsite

Campsite near Lofer

The next day we took our un-laden bikes up a steep and beautiful trail to our first Alm (mountain hut, for those not following past posts) of the trip, the Litzlalm. As I've often experienced, as we were heading up the hill, I had the dreaded feeling either the alm wouldn't be there, or it would be closed for the season, as we didn't see too many other bike riders or hikers. But then we arrived and barely got a table in the shade. Apparently, most people reached the alm from another hiking trail from the national park in Germany (close by, but on the other side of the mountain.) The alm experience did not disappoint! The cows were there, the food was fantastic (cheese dumplings in soup for me) and the view was awesome. After lunch we went a bit further up the trail to another scenic view, and then started to head back down toward town. I had planned to visit a gorge on the way home, but Matthias' brakes started making some really strange noises on the way down, so we went right to the campsite so Matthias could change the brake pads. Fortunately, the campsite was beautiful, too, so we enjoyed a couple of happy hour-beers and then bread, cheese and soup at the campsite (our standard dinner) before bed. 

Litzlalm approach

Yummy food at Litzlalm

The hills are alive!

The next day we set off along the Tauern Radweg with plenty of other cyclists toward Zell am See in Austria. Unfortunately, Matthias' brake problem was not solved by the new brake pads, and we had to stop along the way to make more adjustments (and somehow almost couldn't get his wheel back in.) Despite a pretty disturbing noise, the brakes were functioning and we made it to our next campsite where we also stayed for two nights. The guy at reception gave us a few recommendations for the next day's outing and I identified a bike repair shop more or less along the way. He also showed us to a lovely spot for our tent - mainly reserved for bikers - which was a relief because as when saw the "tent field" on our way in, it looked a bit chaotic. Plus, our spot was right next to the bathroom - a big plus for me! Unfortunately, at about 8pm (Matthias's bedtime) some very LOUD techno music starting playing from somewhere outside the campsite. Fortunately, it ended at about 11pm. But I had concerns about what might happen the next night (Friday.) 

Campsite dinner

Morning coffee at the campsite

In the morning we rode to the bike repair shop and were relieved that the technician came out, made a couple of a adjustments to Matthias' brakes, and the problem was solved. We then started off on one of the campsite guy's recommended routes, but soon found that we were riding along the road that led over the pass of the Grossglockner (Austria's highest peak) and there was no bike lane. Despite Matthias' strong protests (i.e., whining) we kept on as we saw other cyclists doing the same - many without battery power (RESPEKT! as they say in Deutschland!) After about 8km we reached a point where we could follow a gravel path to the alms. First, we had a lovely meal at the Oberstadt Alm and then continued up the steep, but quiet way to the Trauneralm - the one recommended by the campsite guy. It was lovely, and the way down the main road was much quicker and less stressful than the way up. Had a nice dinner at the campsite and we were relieved that there was no techno music as we went to bed. Unfortunately, at about 2AM, an Italian camper van snuck into the campsite and set up not at all quietly right next to our tent - Matthias was less than pleased. 

Off of the busy road and onto the bike path

Yummy lunch at Oberstadt Alm

The Trauner Alm had a self-service beverage station

After telling off the Italians the next morning (ugh) and making me promise we wouldn't be staying at this campsite again on our way back, Matthias joined me on the trail and started to feel better relatively quickly. It was a an easy ride along the Salzach River valley to the campsite near Krimml, which marked the end (or beginning) of the Tauern Radweg/bike route. Fortunately, the campground was a small, family-run site so we were all but guaranteed a quiet night. There was also a restaurant nearby where we were able to snatch the last outdoor table for a nice evening meal out, our first and only. And the area was amazing! The next day we rode up past the Krimml waterfall into the Krimmler Achental, a gorgeous valley. After a steep climb, the route became more gentle as we rode toward the glaciers. We got pretty close (actually could have hiked to them, but....meh) and of course visited a couple of Alms for some great snacks along the way. We decided to stay an extra night so we could explore another valley, which was also beautiful in a more rugged way. I could have stayed up in that area for a week, but the forecast was calling for rain so we decided to head home. I was also keenly aware of the fall festival taking place back in Passau. If we hightailed it home, we'd be there in time to catch the end. Not that we wanted to cut our trip short for a festival, but it would have been a shame to arrive back home one or two days after it finished.

Nearing the glaciers

Beautiful River valley!!

Krimmler Waterfall

From Krimml, we back-tracked along the Salzach river to Kaprun, stayed overnight at a campsite right on the raging Kapruner Ache (a mountain river). It was lovely to hear the water rushing by but a bit nerve-wracking as it was supposed to rain hard that night (it didn't.) The next day we continued to close the loop toward Salzburg, making a short, but steep, trip to St. Johann in Pongau. It was good that we got there early because it started to rain just as we finished setting up the tent. The campsite turned out to be a great place for a rainy night, as it had a little hut with a covered porch and outlets for phones and bike batteries! It was also walking distance to town so we could don our rain gear and walk to the supermarkets to buy dinner. 

Our new friend and hitchhiker Schaffi joined us on the way home. She now lives in Baltimore with cousin Ione. 

Campsite in Sankt Johann

Fortunately, we were warned by a fellow cyclist that the middle part of the next day's journey included a significant portion along a busy and narrow road. Not that it made this portion of the ride any less harrowing, but at least I knew we were on the right route. Apparently, it was made worse because the highway was under construction, so a lot of trucks were diverted to our street. It was a white-knuckle-ride (literally!) but at least it wasn't raining and we (obviously) made it no worse for wear. It was also mostly downhill, which made me feel for our fellow cyclist at the campsite who made the trip in the opposite direction, and without an ebike! The last portion of the ride was more relaxing and our campsite outside of Salzburg was peaceful. The next day we rode straight through Salzburg and found a nice place for lunch on the river in Oberndorf, Austria, just across the river from Laufen, Germany (where we spent our second night at the farm campsite) and the town where the song "Silent Night" was composed. Taking a different--more direct--route home, we headed up to a campsite on a lake in a lovely but non-descript area. And finally, the next day we rode a butt-busting 90 km home back along the Inn River dam. We busted our butts so we would be home early enough to enjoy dinner at the Passauer Volksfest! And we did!!

Prost!

Link to bike tour photo album

All's Well that Ends Well

From June 2023:

I am back in Gommern after five months away during what I am tempted to call The Winter of My Discontent, but in looking back I can see that along with all the stress and strife, there were indeed some highlights. Our rather ambitious plan for winter 2022-23 included helping mom move to her new apartment, selling the house she was living in, and renovating an apartment/condo we had been renting out for the past 15 years. Matthias would be doing most of the renovation so also planned to come to Florida for an extended period. That being the case, we had the bright idea to add a trip to Peru, where we first met 20 years ago, into the mix.  To accomplish all of this, I would travel to Florida alone in November, and then meet Matthias in Miami on December 6th so we could fly to Peru together on the 7th. What could go wrong?

Night sky from Gommern apartment

I arrived in Florida in mid-November and was greeted joyfully by mom, who was pretty exhausted after going through the hurricane (Ian) that hit Sarasota the previous month. Fortunately, she (and family and friends) are okay, and the house didn't sustain any damage. However, a tree fell in the yard knocking out power for eight days, which caused a lot of strife, and didn't make the house look as appealing for sale as pre-hurricane. But then again, we got off easy.

We enjoyed a week-long visit from Laurene over Thanksgiving week and visited mom's new digs, which wasn't quite ready yet. She was scheduled to move there on January 11th. Then, Mom and I set to work getting the house ready for sale. We engaged a fabulous realtor (whom we both probably developed secret crushes on) named Fernando. I kept referring to him as Francisco and mom kept calling him Ferdinand, but that's okay because he referred to mom as Sheila, I think. haha. Fernando gave us a list of things to do, and based on his expert advice, we packed things away and moved furniture around in order to show the house at its best. We got that done in time for me to bus down to Miami and meet Matthias on 6 December, one day before our flight to Lima. And in the meantime, I got to sneak away for a night in Lakeland for a visit and very long overdue catch-up with my dear old friend Leoni, and her (German!) husband Norbert.

Cocktails at Michaels on East

Lakeland with Leoni!!

Mom's new parking space!

Matthias and I met at the airport and then headed to Miami Beach for the night. We had a nice time walking around and then found a fun dive bar that had great chicken wings, which was a long-awaited treat for us both. The next day we boarded our flight to Lima, arriving late at night but finding our way relatively easily to our cute hotel in Miraflores, an upscale neighborhood on the coast. I had a pretty ambitious three-week tour planned: first Lima; then south to Paracas to explore a coastal preserve; up to Ica in the desert; over to Arica, Peru's second city; up to Puno on Lake Titicaca; and finally over to Cusco (where we first met, and the only city I've already visited) before flying home. So, I figured the first day we would just hang around Miraflores and get acclimated. We had a lovely walk along the coast and great lunch at the market, where we could see on TV that the president had just "dissolved congress." We shrugged that off and continued exploring, catching some world cup soccer and enjoying a nice ceviche and seafood dinner. We also caught the news that the Peruvian congress wasn't impressed with the president's power grab. He was promptly arrested.

Hotel in Miraflores, Lima

Parque del Amor, Miraflores

Parque del Amor, por supuesto!

Checking the news the next morning, it seemed large demonstrations were expected in the capital, and when I asked at the hotel reception if there would be difficulty getting into the Lima center, she replied that the entire area was closed to the public. Oh well, so much for seeing historic Lima. Spent another day hanging around Miraflores. The next morning, I got an email from the bus company that our bus to Paracas was cancelled because of demonstrations blocking traffic along the Panamericana, the only road connecting to points south. In fact, people were stranded for hours on the road (could have been us if we had left earlier.) I rebooked our bus for the following day and so we spent yet another day in Miraflores. Following the news, we learned that violence along the Panamericana was increasing, not subsiding, and the road wouldn't be open for days, at least. So we had a decision to make. Should we pack it up and go home, or fly up to Cusco and tour around from there? We decided on Cusco and flew in relatively easily. We were able to move up our guesthouse reservation and in fact were the only guests there at the time. The room was a bit noisy ("street noise" at night - although on small pedestrian street, we could hear people walking by and talking quite clearly) but we were able to get another, nicer room the next day. We set off to explore the town and environs, checking out the places we visited 20 years earlier while I made plans to explore further afield. Unfortunately, the universe had other ideas for us. The next day a general strike was declared. The airport, museums, markets and most shops were closed, transportation halted, and marches and demonstrations were planned in Cusco and all around. We were advised to stay in the tourist area around the hotel and not venture down to the main plaza, where demonstrations could become violent. We rebooked our flight home, hoping that the airport would reopen soon, and spent our days in repetition (probably nice for Matthias, in hindsight) going up the hill to the ruins, which were closed, but we could still hang around and the little souvenir shop with the cart selling choclo (boiled large corn) and enjoy a snack. Places for lunch were still, for the most part, open although on the second day they appeared closed because demonstrators vandalized places around the plaza that didn't observe the strike. Fortunately, there were some nice restaurants on our side of town where we could eat dinner as long as we finished up before staff needed to leave to get home by the 8pm curfew that was imposed later in the week.  We had the guesthouse to ourselves all week (and I felt really sorry for our host) as people either cancelled their trips or couldn't get there - a group of guests were among those stuck at Machu Picchu and couldn't get back. And there's not much more to write about the experience, except that we got a flight home the day the airport opened, spent the night in Miami and got back to Sarasota the next day (quite a bit later than expected after our scheduled bus was cancelled - of course!)

Another day in Miraflores

Where it all began in Cusco - found what we think is the bar where we met.
Looks quite different after 20 years, though!

Cusco

Saqsaywaman

Some restaurants were open!

Our digs for our extended stay in Cusco

The one place we could hike to everyday.

Okay, this one is from 20 years ago. Changed much?

Well, we really could have used a better vacation to prepare for what awaited us in Florida. 

Continued, September 2023

I had all intentions to write about the nightmare renovations of our condo, but kept putting it off so long that I suppose it's better to just let it rest. Suffice to say, my mother moved to her new digs at the Sarasota Bay Club, we sold the house where she lived, and renovated the condo my mom previously rented out so we (and family) would have a place to stay when visiting. We wrappred that all up by the end of March.

Sunroom at Mom's new digs!

But wait, I almost forgot to mention the bouts of wonderfulness we did experience in Florida amid the stress. Jen and Brenda paid a visit and (although I was sick) we had a great time hanging out together and spotting alligators. Matthias and I got to meet baby Jordan Belle when Chavi and Andrew came to visit and had a super time playing in the pool, etc!  Then Matthias went back home and I stayed for an extra month to try to finish up. During that time, I got to spend some time with Stu, who came to visit for a few days. Then Josh, Elisha and Iona made the trip to stay in the almost-done apartment (no kitchen yet) and we had a blast! 

Jordan and Family

With Jen and Brenda at Myaka State Park

Ione and Family

Stu's visit!

When I got back to Gommern we set to work finding a new place to live. And wonder of wonders, we immediately found a promising property right away in Passau. We contacted the landlord and within a few days took a train across the country (8+hrs!) to see the apartment. It seemed perfect, so we agreed to sign a two-year lease. This was in April, and the apartment would be available in July, which gave us plenty of (too much, in fact) time to prepare for the move. Another bout of stress, but the move went quite well and we are settled in our new home in Passau! It's even better than we hoped. 

One of the beautiful scenes in Passau!

So now that we're finally settled in (and I have a new bike!!) we are about to set off on our first (and last!) bike trip of the year. Exciting to head out our door and be in the Alps (by Salzburg) in three days. We're leaving tomorrow so I just wanted to finish this up so I can start the next post fresh! Servus!! 

Links to photo albums:

Peru + 20

Home Sweet Home (apartment photos)

Scenes from Home in Passau

Ich bin ein Wiener

Upon seeing this photo in the national history museum in Vienna, I couldn't help but think, what would JFK have said if he made his famous speech in Wien/Vienna instead of Berlin? And I couldn't get it out of my potty-brain so it gets to be the latest blog post title. My mother must be proud!

Speaking of mom, I'm currently on the train to Frankfurt to catch a plane to the USA where, among other things, I'm going to help her get ready for her big move. But more on that after it happens; I plan to use this train ride to write about our wonderful trip to meet Stu in Vienna! 

On October 24th Matthias and I boarded an early morning train to Nürnberg, where we decided to spend a night before continuing on to Vienna. It was a great plan, particularly because our train was delayed (but even if it wasn't the 10 hour trip to Vienna would have been a bit too much.) As it turned out, we arrived in Nürnberg at noon instead of 10:30 AM, so we were able to check in at our hotel and go right to lunch at a middle eastern cafe nearby. The food was good, and we assumed the restaurant was pretty authentic since we had never seen or heard of the dishes that we ate and nobody around us was speaking German. After a quick bite there, we walked into the old town of Nürnberg, where I wanted to take the tour of the labyrinth of tunnels that were used for various purposes over the centuries, most significantly to brew and store beer in the middle ages. The tour was nice, and so was walking around the old town. We ended up, of course, sampling the famous beer and eating a regional delight (Shäufele) for dinner. 

Nürnberg

Street in Nürnberg

The next morning, we grabbed breakfast (I had Nürnberger sausage, which I think tastes like Jimmy Dean sausage so perfect for breakfast!) and easily got our direct train to Vienna. We were even a few minutes early meeting Stu at the hotel where he had spent his first night in Vienna so we took some time to grab a cup of coffee before checking into our two bedroom apartment/hotel a couple of blocks away. After getting situated, we walked into Central Vienna--about a mile from our accommodation--to St. Stephen's Church, through the grand pedestrian plazas and the Hofburg palace. Behind the palace, the  Heldenplatz (heroes square), was chock full of tanks, tents, and various army fixtures. They were on display there because the next day (26 October) was a national holiday, and recruitment/national pride in the military was a theme, presumably due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We found it a bit creepy and mood-ruining, so continued on toward the scenic Rathaus and Votivkirche, which we took a look at from the outside. By then it was time for dinner, so we walked back through town to a Cellar restaurant, which was festive but the food was just okay (Matthias was a bit distressed that there were only tourists there.) And then we walked home, where, after appreciating the reproductions of Gustav Klimt art hanging throughout the apartment, Stu and I found a way to stream "Woman in Gold" (the film and then a documentary) on the smart TV in his bedroom. Good intro to Vienna!

Hoffburg palace

St. Stephen's Cathedral

Taking a break in central Wien

The next day (Austrian National Day), we got transit passes and took the Ringstrasse bahn (the ring road tram) that took us past a bunch of massive historic buildings. We got off at the Rathaus and walked over to the Votivkirche (Votive Church) to have a look inside at the beautiful stained glass windows. We then happened upon a traditional Austrian restaurant (crowded with locals, to Matthias' delight) and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. Then on to Kaisergruft (crypt), where we gawked at all the dead royals including, most famously, Sissi and Franz Josef. After that we went to the Secession museum, checked out the Karlskirche (from the outside) and walked back home. We tried a local restaurant for dinner (meh) and had a relaxing evening in the apartment watching the Netflix series the Empress (about Sissi and the Hapsburgs) to stay in the mood.

Kaisergruft

Klimt murals at Secession Museum - the highlight
(and only part of the museum we liked.)

Ok, the outside of the Secession Museum was cool, too.

On day three we started out walking about the grounds at Schönbrunn palace. Had a lovely lunch at an outdoor cafe there and then walked over to the Vienna Zoo! It was crowded, but really nice. Somehow after that Stu had enough energy to do the castle tour while Matthias and I ducked into a wine bar. We caught the subway back to hotel for short rest and then back downtown to dinner. Luckily the place I found on the internet was closed, so we ended up at the Rathaus Keller, which was really lovely. After dinner we wandered over to the hall where we had tickets for a Classical Viennese concert. It was wonderful. Stu and I were both deeply enamored with with the clarinetist and Matthias managed to stay awake and even enjoy the music, though he couldn't help but mutter about how touristy it was.

Schönbrunn palace grounds

Pretty day by Schönbrunn Palace

Giraffes at the Zoo!

I think I might have pushed some kiddies out of the way
to get this picture of the lions! Sorry!

Fabulous dinner at the Rathaus Keller

The next morning, we had tickets to see a practice at the Spanish Riding School, but first we took a walk around Hofburg. It was nice to see the Heldenplatz without the military show - it looked totally different and elegant! We strolled through the gardens and back to the riding school rehearsal, which was interesting, and where Matthias enjoyed friendly conversation with an American, who, let's just say, doesn't share our views. We then went to a traditional Viennese cafe, Cafe Frauenhuber, for lunch and dessert and then on to the Austrian national history museum at the Neue Burg (wing of the palace which also houses the national library.) The exhibits were great and the building itself was gorgeous!  Once we got back home, Stu was too full for dinner but Matthias and I ventured out again to the restaurant where Stu ate on his first night in town - it was great!

Spanish Riding School. Photographs weren't allowed
so I didn't get a shot of the horses.

Yummy cafe! 

One of the halls in the National Library

On our final day in Wien we started out with a walk through our neighborhood (new Jewish quarter) over to the local market (Karmelitermarkt). Then we took a lovely Saturday stroll over to the Prater, an historic park/amusement park and had lunch at the busy biergarten in the park. Matthias and I shared a huge Haxe/pork knuckle (called Stelze in Austrian German). Then we tried to walk that off by heading further through the park and to the Hundertwasser village, an area designed by the quirky Austrian architect whose stuff reminds me of Gaudi (he also designed a building in Magdeburg.) We then made our way slowly back to the apartment for packing and preparing for early departure the next day. Stu was thrilled to have scored a seat on the non-stop back to NYC, and his later departure meant that he could take a train to the airport. We went out to the local restaurant for our last dinner and the next morning we were up and out early on our way home.

Prater!

Lunch at the Prater.

Bathrooms at the Hundertwasser Village - Funky!

On the way back home, Matthias and I stopped over in Prague (again, to break up the trip.) It was a five hour train ride which got us there around lunchtime. We were able to check into our charming hotel before heading over to a very busy and trendy self-service butcher shop/meat restaurant. After lunch, we took a scenic walk around Prague, trying to avoid the throngs of tourists in the major historic/scenic areas. We did get a nice view of the castle, walked down some pretty avenues and stopped by the Kafka statue before settling down for delicious Czech beer and some mediocre food, The next morning, we boarded our train/bus combo to Dresden, and because we were booked flexibly on regional trains for the rest of the way home, we decided to stop for lunch in Dresden at an outpost of one of our favorite haunts, Watzke, near the train station. It was a lovely day and we had a good time reminiscing and thinking about a possible future in Dresden before catching our train home. Just one missed connection and we still got home at about 7pm. Not bad at all.

 

Charming "old school"  hotel in Prague

Kafka statue

Iconic view of the castle

lunch at Watzke!!

Full photo album is here

Next installment to come soon, I hope. As soon as I come up with a catchier title than "Winter from Hell" for my report on winter 2022-23!