Lunch with Herbert the Pike

The day was already warming up as we departed, and after waiting a long time at the bakery for morning tea and lunch provisions, we retraced our route back to the river and soon found ourselves crossing the Ilz River – the third of the three rivers. This gave us a close up view of Veste Niederhaus and back across to Passau. 

A random mermaid was enjoying the sun and we continued along the river with views to Burg Krempelstein and little villages with their churches.

The castle at Obernzel, now a ceramic museum was also the start of an interesting sculpture trail through the gardens, where we found a shaded bench for morning tea. 

We had planned to cross the Danube at the Jochenstein hydroelectric power station but the steep stairs made it too challenging. We decided to continue further downstream to the ferry, discovering another sculpture on the way. 

It was a short wait for the ferry and we were able to push our bikes aboard.  We disembarked in Engelharzell in Austria and found a shaded picnic for lunch, overlooked by Herbert the Pike, a former mascot of the ‘On the Danube’ exhibition.  

The nearby Engelszell Abbey was the last Trappist monastery in Austria founded in the late 13th century, and ordered to close in 2023 when the number of monks was reduced to four.  The Abbey was rebuilt after a disastrous fire in the Rococo style in the mid 18th century. It released its first beers in 2012 and remains renowned for its liqueurs and beers which could be purchased from the on-site shop.  The interior was interesting, with mural paintings on the ceiling, and more examples of skeletons with jewels (bling bones). The gardens to the Abbey were adorned with two lovely sculptures.  

The cycle path ran parallel to the Danube but was much more undulating than the north side.  This gave us views up to Burg Marsbach where we could see paragliders soaring on the wind currents.  

A few more hills and we reached the stunning Schlonger loop, where the Danube makes a 180 degree turn, the only river in the world to do so.  It was a beautiful ride along the banks of the river to our guesthouse accommodation on the banks of the Danube in  Inzell. After checking in, we enjoyed a well earned beer, before a quick walk along the river.  We all ordered the Wiener schnitzel, chips and salad for dinner, and the servings were substantial. 

The rooms were basic, and the slats under G’s bed kept falling out, so we shifted the mattress to the floor.  We were supplied with a plug-in mosquito deterrent and warned not to have the lights on with the windows open due to mosquitoes.  Unfortunately, despite our efforts to heed this advice, there was a squadron of mosquitoes in our room overnight.

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