Into the mouth of the fish

We left Linz via Nuer Eisenbahnbruke with views up to Our Lady of Seven Sorrows that we had visited the evening before. The cycle path was very busy, with most cyclists heading towards Vienna.  We sped past a few groups, but as I stopped for photos, many of them passed us.  

We crossed back across the Danube at the Schleuse Abwinden Asten lock and continued along the river before detouring into Enns, the oldest town in Austria.  The town dates from the 13th century and the houses in the old town centre were mostly from the 15th and 16th centuries. The 16th century town tower in the middle of the main square was particularly impressive.  The manholes reflected the Roman legacy of the town.  

The ferry to Mauthausen was waiting for us as we neared the dock and we wheeled our bikes aboard.  Across the Danube we could see Pragstein Castle, built in the 15th century on what was then a rocky island in the Danube, which gradually silted up.  By the time we departed, the ferry was full. 

We continued along the river, passing a series of sculptures in the grounds of Danau Standl, including a giant bird sitting on an egg.  A little further along the river, we encountered the Scheuwimmer, a 12 metre walk-in fish model, weighing almost 12 tonnes. 

The route took us away from the river and we stopped for lunch at around 50kms at Radstation Mitterkirchen, a café that catered for cyclists, finding a shaded table.  After cycling through a pretty wood, we returned to the river with views to Pfarrkirche Kollmitzberg, a catholic church, high on a hill. Soon we could see our destination, the little town of Grein in the distance.  

After a quick detour to the Austrian version of Aldi, we reached our accommodation to be greeted by Kimberly, a Californian now settled in Austria.  Our Airbnb accommodation was located right next to the parish church so we can look forward to the chiming of the bells on the hour and quarter hour throughout the night.  

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