Although only an average nights sleep on my sandy slope I'm in the mood to do some miles. Slugs, one of the three enemies, have no place with me when it's sandy. Wasps and Mosquitoes seem to love it though. As I crawl out of the tent and consider having a swim in the Donau I laugh at the ridiculously small patch of land I've chosen. Two things make me decide not to have a swim. I won't lie, the first reason is it's a bit cold. It's not that bad, but I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to swimming in rivers and don't like it too cold. The other less important reason in my eyes, but actually more important, is that the current is far too strong and I'll probably get swept down to Bulgaria. All things cleared away from my virgin piece of sandy slope I write my name in the sand just to say I was here first. Immediately as I pull onto the road people start beeping at me and telling me to get on the radweg. Which would be fair enough but it's a least half a mile away from the road. When I rejoin the cycle path it meanders through tiny villages all selling their wares and produce. As the houses and farms and wineries get more professional it gets more touristy and finally the magic of the Danube cycle way is finally lost. It's just anothet tourist spot. A good one admittedly but apart from Paris this is the most touristy place I've been so far. Despite this, or in fact because of this, if you are thinking of a cycling holiday in a beautiful place but want to do a bit less rough than me, this is perfect. You can hire bikes, the path is virtually flat for a few hundred kms, the scenery is excellent and there are guest houses and beer stalls/restaurants splattered along the whole route. With a tiny amount of luggage even the most relecuctant cycle tourist could take it on. Oh and don't forget the "most" and the wine and the stick fish.
After 20km I enter the town of Krems. My hard drive on the laptop is running out of room and the memory card on the camera is full so I decide to buy a mini hard drive in the town to back up the photos. BACK UP! BACK UP! BACK UP! Once you've lost 6 months of work to a broken hard drive you don't do it again.
I stop at mcwifi and find a power spot and do some research and back up all the photos and videos.
Onwards to Vienna I go! I see a sign saying 75km and head that way, it's not the radweg but I'm happy to get back on the road. The sun beats down, a gentle wind helps me along and before long the usual happens. The sign points towards Vienna and the motoway. I take a right heading East into a farm track, this turns into a road, excellent, then a track again, boo, I wiggle my way back in the hot sun for a few kms the wrong way before finding a road and eventually rejoining the Danube in a town. Here I pick up the path in to Vienna again. I'm looking good to get there tonight. A storm has been raging behind me all day. It starts to get closer. It's as if I'm just ahead of it for ages, its wind is blowing me along a treat. I make the most and really pedal hard. The sky darkens and threatens to engulf me any second and the wind gets stronger. I can't believe I've been doing nearly 30mph for about 10km solid on the flat. This is too good to be true. The lightening starts, the thunder claps get louder and it just drives me on and on. The path is empty and smooth and I pedal like I've never pedalled before, trying to out run the storm, it's exhilerating watching the swans bob up and down on the ever choppier river. Like a big black silk glove the storm tries to reach out and catch me but I'm just too fast. It must be about 20k of this later when eventually the silk glove turns to ink and wraps its wet hand around me. The game's up, and just then the path turns into woods and saves me from the proper soaking I deserve. I take cover under a motorway bridge where somebody else, a runner is taking cover too. He thinks it's calmed down enough to carry on but I've already got the stove out and start to make a cup of tick tock tea, (Rooibosh caffine free if you don't know what I mean). Whilst the water is boiling another cyclist pulls in for cover and then a couple on bikes after him. I offer them all a pretzel and a cup of tea, but they refuse, thinking they wont be there for long.
Thirty minutes later I'm warmed by the tick tock and they are stiill there. Hilariously man no 1 on his own has called his wife to come and collect him and she arrives and puts the bike on the bike rack and takes him off. Man no2 of the couple starts shouting down his phone and 10 minutes later a people carrier comes to get them but a fracas takes place between him and the driver as only the woman's bike seems to fit and he rides behind them as they leave. The rain eases up and I head on for Vienna. When I reach there it's still dark and moody from the storm and outside tables are empty. I have only been to Vienna for 5 minutes once before and that was at midnight changing trains so it's still got a dark allure for me.
A quick chocolate milkshake and I'm ready for action. Stevens mentions a hotel and a road but I can't google either of them. I ask a few taxi drivers but no joy there either. As I round the corner of a street I hear Opera being sung. When I reach the end of the street one of the Opera houses has a big screen outside and is showing the opera that is playing inside, outside. I enjoy this for a while before going off in search of goulash. I decide its best to have food cooked for me tonight as I imagine my camping situation might take a while to find near the city. No cheap goulash to be found in this part of town as it's very chic: opera, haute couture and antiques. Lovely to stroll around though on this moody evening. I come across an interesting Turkish restaurant and decide to sample the delights of Turkey a bit earlier than planned. I have a delicious, yet small, mixed pita, falafel kebap. A sneaky bratwurst tops it off and I head out of town to find a spot to sleep.
On the way in to Vienna I had noticed some trees lining the river and had mad a note of the location on my gps. I decide there might be a some more heading in my direction. The Danube is split in two through Vienna into the river and the New Danube. In the middle is an island of grass, trees, walkways and seating areas. In amongst these I find some suitable bushes to clamber into. I get a few brambles in sensitive places but incredibly manage to erect the tent using the trees to hold the tent up and hopefully will be out of sight 'til morning. The wind blows and the tent blows like I've never heard it before. I go outside and make some alterations and put a pannier inside the tent in each corner to add a bit of stiffness. I sleep in my clothes in case of a sharp exit. Considering my location it's very quiet except for the wind and I'm soon away with the fairies. I have a dream that the local shop next to where I live have found all my missing tent pegs. zzzzzzzzzz
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