Probably feeling bad that she dragged me to three palaces in Vienna the previous two days, she agreed to get on a bike to ride along the Danube river in the Austrian countryside. The suggested route was 40 km and took us from Melk (where we were spending the night) to Krems.
The ride was beautiful, crossing through small Austrian towns, castles, vineyards and farms, all right next to the Danube. It was a fantastic route in perfect weather. About 2/3 of the way through the ride, she turned to me and said thanks for convincing her that the ride would be fun and a good way to see these towns up close. Right then, I worried that was a jinx; our perfect cycling day was going too well.
We got to Krems with tired legs and eagerly anticipated getting on the train that we had read departed hourly back to Melk. Turns out those trains not only don't run hourly, but we had missed the last one! Riding back an additional 40km didn't sound appealing to either of us at that point and if we had ride back, I think my chances of getting Dana on a bike anytime in the next 10 years would be slim to none. We peddled to the port to check on a boat trip to Melk....no luck there either as the last boat left 30 minutes before.
Our only hope was the bus... we had missed the bikers bus (not surprisingly the last one to Melk was at the same time as the boat and train) but we were told there was a small chance a regular bus driver would take pity on us and allow us on with the bikes. Peddled back to the train/bus station, and after a little begging, the bus driver consented even though it was against the rules. Torturous ride back adverted, thank you Mr. Krems Bus Driver.
Melk is also home to a beautiful abbey, appropriately named Melk Abbey, run by Benedictine monks. We visited the following morning and toured the grounds. Perched atop a hill above the town, it provides a great view of the expansive countryside.
Looks beautiful! Good thing you got a ride back.
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