Tag: Passau

Passau to Mühldorf 22/08/18 – 67km is a long way with a baby!

Day one of the cycle tour part of this trip, on new heavy bikes, fully laden with panniers and a trailer loaded with Evie…. and stuff.

So first thoughts…. it was too far in one day.

Second…. we set off far too late! That won’t surprise some of you.

Third…. Evie was a star. She slept most of the day

So our first stop this morning was in Passau, at the church of St Nikoli, as yesterday we were told of this very peaceful 1000 yr old crypt that was there.

We ruined that peace! Evie was tired, hungry and needed a change. So I saw it for all of about 1 minute, but it was worth the visit.

And then we were off! And what a glorious morning it was to!

Our final trip through Passau down the Inns, then out and away. We probably got our best view yet of the confluence of the Inns and the Danube.

I didn’t know quite what I was expecting. But I wasn’t expecting a fairly main road to run alongside us for so long. However, it felt very safe as there was a barrier between the road and the cycle path. I also wasn’t expecting to be literally next to the Danube the whole way, that was a pleasant surprise.

Evie fell to sleep before we even left Passau. It was roasting hot, with no shade, but we decided that we just had to keep going whilst she slept. Luckily she woke literally as a Resthaus came into view, as drinks were welcome by all of us. We got a rest, and she got a wriggle!! I also decided to completely soak her romper and hat in cold water to keep her cool as we continued on.

We passed through a couple of lovely small towns, with beautiful old buildings.

And then onwards, back past the lock and the power station before heading through pretty countryside.

Evie Bean did of course sleep through the important border control!

We kept going as long as we could, or at least as long as I could before a lack of energy and too much heat got to me. A lunch stop, another wriggle for her and a dunk in the Danube fully clothes, shoes and all, for me to cool down.

Onwards through lanes of trees, the road by the side of us had now disappeared.

We then got to a big bend in the river where we needed to get a little ferry across to Schlogen on the south bank of the river.

Evie slept through the excitement of a boat trip but woke up just as we arrived at Schlogen.

We knew we still had about 30km to go, time was ticking, an Evie did not want to be in the trailer any more… after a few stops and cuddles, she did fall back to sleep again. And she missed the beauty of the wooded hillsides, which are already turning autumnal. The scenery was just stunning for mile after mile.

There was a point in the river where you could see all the way around the bend on the other side. The photo doesn’t do it justice.

Then we saw the Neuhaus castle high upon the opposite bank, one of the largest castle complexes in the region. Certainly it looked impressive from below.

Despite the gorgeousness of it all, the energy was low again. Boosted by some flapjack, we pedalled onwards, but my legs were tired and I was looking forward to getting to Aschach for some food. Lucky for us all I think, Evie stayed asleep until we did finally get there.

Aschach was smaller that expected, but it had some lovely old buildings. It also had a good dinner and some good cuddle and clambering time for Evie. Her new thing today that she enjoyed were some very strongly flavoured mushrooms!

Final push, less than 7km to Mühldorf, where we are staying tonight.

And that final push was worth it. We are staying at a castle…. it’s pretty cool. And it has an outdoor swimming pond!!

Much fewer miles tomorrow…. will be no bad thing. We got away with it today somehow, but I wouldn’t fancy repeating it. And that’s just with Evie, never mind the legs!

A final day in Passau

We started our day today by going to the bike hire shop to pick up our bikes and the Chariot. It’s going to be quite a ride on these European style sit up bikes, although I quite like the upright position.

Fahrrad-Klinik has good reviews and so far so good with their service. They promise the tyres are very puncture resistant to the point of insisting you don’t need a pump or repair kit, so let’s hope this is also true!

This Chariot is quite different to the one back home, so it took quite a bit of fettling and two attempts to get the car seat in a position and stable enough that I was happy with. Good job there was a cafe next to the bike shop!

From here we went onto the Cathedral, where at 12pm daily there is a 30 min organ concert for €5. Passau cathedral has the biggest organ in Europe with a crazy number of organ pipes, over 17,000! So it makes so good noise.

Evie loved it….

….. and then fell to sleep. But this did mean I could really sit and appreciate the surroundings! As well as a very impressive organ, were equally impressive walls ceilings, and a door lock (bigger than my head!).

We trialled the bikes again around the bumpy streets of Passau

And then Evie slept whilst I did some work! Possibly not the most effective way of working ever???

Out for the evening. Possibly THE BEST CURRY EVER, that I have ever tasted, at an Indian restaurant called Marahaja. Evie even guzzled a few grains of rice and curry sauce. And grabbed great handfuls of rice. Messy mealtimes are afoot big style I think.

She also liked to pick the flowers… but they did make her even prettier!

Tomorrow the cycling begins in earnest…. next chapter of this trip….. we are all excited!

Passau – cruising down the river on a sunny afternoon

Another amazing breakfast to start the day, although this morning Evie is more interested to practice her standing than she is to try food.

We headed out to the head of Passau peninsula, to see where the rivers Inns, a glacial river, and Danube (not glacial) converge. Quite a stark contrast when looking down on it.

We then boarded another boat, as we had decided that the best way to avoid the heat but still see things was to go on a 5 hr river cruise. This was really reasonable at €18 and it was a beautiful boat journey, passing through woodland and agricultural areas and past small villages. Have us an idea of what is to come when we start cycling.

Leaving Passau we saw the convergence more clearly. Another interesting point was a big lock that the boat entered, due to a change in river heights due, I think, to a hydropower station.

Took quite a while to get through…. twice.

We took a picnic with us, but when we saw other people’s food come out and saw the prices (cheaper than most land restaurants), we decided to save the picnic for later and treat ourselves to food on the boat.

Evie’s interest in food continued, and today she discovered strongly flavoured courgette and red pepper! Can’t say I blame her, it was scrummy.

We took in some more gorgeous views….

Before treating ourselves to ice-chocolates…. must not make a habit of this! Enjoyed this as we headed back towards Passau.

The boat trip over, but as well as being relaxing and enjoyable in its own right, it served its important purpose of keeping Evie Bean out of the heat of the day (because it certainly is hot here in the afternoons).

So we decided that by now a leg stretch was in order and ascended the many steps up to the castle, to gain a view over Passau.

Even with Evie in a front sling, keeping a steady pace, this was fine. And it was worth it. The views from the top were spectacular. So many different coloured building and roofs. And the cathedral just towers high above the rest (the the other buildings are not small!).

The descent was pretty special to.

And probably one of the best nappy change spots yet…

We also caught the sun setting making it all very pretty, and turning us into golden girls!

Back to the peninsula park for our picnic.

I had to test the waters with my toes. And I’m not sure if I was surprised or not, but the Inns was notably more refreshing (cold) than the Danube. I would say there are degrees in difference.

From there, a stroll back in the beautiful light and past time to get Evie to bed. What an amazing day we have all had…. and, thankfully, no toilet incidences tonight to finish the story!

Passau by night

It was far too hot this afternoon for mooching with a baby, and a sleep was long overdue as well. But what that meant was that we saw Passau in a pleasant evening heat & light.

Still hot when we did go out, we dived into the closest church, St Paul’s, which looked pretty plain on the outside, but was beautifully ornate inside

But first dinner, where we enjoyed a view of the river. Evie is now very much at the point where, given the opportunity, her hands would be in my dinner the whole time, and she is definitely enjoying trying lots of tastes.

Evie must have been thirsty as she grabbed for the glass and, on offering, drank quite a bit of water. Most people have a tippee cup, we have a normal glass!

We strolled around, along the Danube, then crossed over through very narrow cobbled streets, to bring us out on the bank of the river Inns, whilst Evie Bean fell into a deep sleep in the sling.

The buildings began to get beautifully lit up, definitely a place to explore by night.

What better way to finish the day than with an Eis Schokolade….

…… and then feeling your sleeping baby wee all down your leg ! Time for a bath & change!

Regensburg to Passau- the journey continues

We managed a relaxing swim in the river after breakfast this morning. Needed a relax after the shock of being asked to pay 20 Euro for the use of the cot for two nights. Am hoping this is not going to be a common additional cost!

Then back to the hotel and into a taxi, which for a quiet Sunday morning, the taxi driver had notable road rage! She humphed at every red traffic light and the other bad drivers!

The train station was more lumping bags up & down… I must surely be getting stronger ! Something strange was going on, lots of men in lederhosen and women in traditional wear.

Upon asking Evie’s new friends, we found our they were going to Straubing beer festival, Barvaria’s 2nd largest beer festival.

After the excitement of interesting dress and lots of stimulation she decided on a power nap towards the end of the journey, in time for a change of trains and platforms.

From one to the next she is awake and jolly again! Managing the journey exceedingly well.

Finally arriving in Passau, we continued to learn our lesson and in the blistering heat got a taxi 500m down the road to our hotel.

It is hot hot hot. Evie Bean is chilling out, trying to decide how best to spend her time here!