Austria
Leitenbach

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    • Day 351

      Jochenstein

      May 21, 2017 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      Wir sind nun an der letzten Ecke der Deutschen Grenze angekommen, schlafen aber auf Österreichischem Boden.

      Nach einem ausgiebigen Frühstück haben wir es heute ruhig angehen lassen. Den Inn hinuter nach Passau gab es unerwartet viele kurze Anstiege. Es wollte kein richtiger Fluss zustande komme. Außerdem sind die Österreichischen Radwege größtenteils mit ziemlich groben Kieselsteinen ausgebaut, der einen ziemlich hohen Rollwiederstand hat. Die Macher waren wohl keine Radfahrer.

      Nach 40 km in Passau angekommen haben wir beschlossen, nur noch etwas über 20 km weiter die Donau hinunter zu fahren, da danach auf einer längeren Strecke, zumindest laut OSM, kein Zeltplatz zu finden ist. Passau ist sehr schön, was hier allerdings bei Hochwasser abgeht, wage ich mir garnicht auszumalen. Die Wassermassen die hier von Inn und Donau zusammenlaufen beidrucken jedenfalls sehr.

      Sarah interessiert sich brennend für die Technik der Wasserkraftwerke entlang der Donau, die ich ihr morgen ausgiebig erklären werden ;-)

      Das Tal der Donau ist hier ziemlich eng und sehr tief. Man fährt nicht mal eben heraus ins Nachbardorf. Aber der Radweg ist hier wieder 1A.

      Noch 360 km ist der Weg bis Bratislava. Dann ist das Gefühl der Heimat doch irgendwie nahe zu sein wohl endgültig vorüber und wir beginnen blinde Flecken auf unserer Karte, auszumalen und mit Erlebnissen zu füllen.
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    • Day 352

      Jochenstein (English)

      May 22, 2017 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

      We're now preparing to say goodbye to Germany as we enter chapter 5 of our GPS tracks heading through Linz in Austria to Bratislava in Slovakia. We enjoyed the luxury of a picnic bench alongside our pitch at "Camping Panorama" and had a long slow breakfast of beans on german bread toast before having a quite chilled Sunday heading through Passau.

      The route took us along the river Inn through the valley which eventually joined the Danube at Passau. The Austrian cycle routes are pretty challenging in terms of the terrain and navigation consisting of mainly loose gravel which is pretty unstable for a weighty bike on corners and descents. The route signposting has also been pretty unfortunate at times; namely concerning signs which look to be pointing uphill.... 15 sweaty minutes later we realise it should have been a "straight ahead" arrow! 😅

      The latter part of yesterday's route leaving Passau was very scenic in the winding Danube valley, thousands of trees either side. Occasionally a small house pops up to highlight how forested this area is.

      Tonight's campsite was a tiny piece of land with 5 permanent caravans and a handful of tourers. As usual, our curious neighbours watched us busying around our camp with our now well-rehearsed routine and of course asked where we were going 😅
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    • Day 16

      Engelhartzell- Creepy Church

      June 25, 2016 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

      The original Abbey was founded in 1293 by a Bishop of Passau, as a Cistercian monastery. It was settled in 1295 by monks from Wilhering Abbey. It suffered a considerable decline, both spiritual and financial, in the period of the Protestant Reformation, and for a time passed into private ownership. From 1618 onwards the intervention and support of Wilhering Abbey gradually restored it.

      On Easter Sunday 1699, a disastrous fire plunged the abbey once again into financial difficulties and from 1720 it was in the hands of administrators. In 1746, the last of Engelszell's abbots of the Common Observance, was appointed and soon rebuilt the financials. Between 1754 and 1764 the Abbey was rebuilt as the present day abbey church. In 1925, Engelhartszell was occupied and re-founded as a Trappist monastery by refugee German monks expelled after World War I. (Trappist monks are a branch of the Cistercian order of monks founded in 1664 and noted for an austere rule that includes remaining silent for much of the time.)

      On 2 December 1939, the abbey was confiscated by the Gestapo and the 73 community members were evicted. Four monks were sent to Dachau Concentration Camp, while others were imprisoned elsewhere or drafted into the Wehrmacht. At the end of the war in 1945, only about a third of the previous community returned. As at 2012, the number of monks in the community was 7.
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    • Day 16

      Engelhartzell

      June 25, 2016 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

      We docked at Engelhartzell for about an hour. Earlier some of the guests went for a bike tour along the Danube and this was the stop that we picked them up.

      Rather than stay on the boat we went for a walk, this town only has a few residents but they have the creepiest church I have ever seen.Read more

    • Day 16

      Engelhartzell - Creepy Church

      June 25, 2016 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

      The outside is very pretty and even the painted frescos on the ceiling are beautiful. Then inside you take in more of the detail and it is just creepy. There are 6 glass coffins with the skeletons dressed in luxurious robes and jewels . Also weird statues of Jesus adorn the walls and floor space.

      We left the Abbey feeling like we had been in a horror movie, certainly not a church that you would like to sit and reflect.
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    Leitenbach

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