Next door to our overnight hotel in Grein was Austria’s (reputedly) oldest working theatre. The Stadttheater was built by the citizens in an old granary in 1791. It is tiny and has only 167 hard wooden seats in it but it’s main attraction for lots of visitors is the single toilet facility which is behind a curtain located directly off the main auditorium. One just had to try it out!!
We also sneakily tried on a few hats in the dressing room and rather fetching we looked too.
After this delayed theatrical start to the day we headed off to take a small 12-bike ferry across the river to Wiesen on the right bank. The right bank was in the shade beneath a vertiginous forest. Hurrah! A few miles down we saw timber being extracted by a massive caterpillar tracked log cutter going up and down an almost vertical slope. Luckily it was attached via a steel cable to prevent it crashing down the hill into the Gasthoff below. Most impressive.
Just before that the peloton had a dispute about architecture. A modernist rectilinear house with full glazed frontage was spotted on the opposite bank set amongst the trees and seen in context with more traditional Donau Region buildings. Eyesore said some. Beautiful and elegant said others. What do you think dear readers? Blot on the landscape or elegant addition? Votes please.
It was a gentle day of cycling – only 30km but through some fine fields of corn and sugar beet as well as fine views along the river and not forgetting the charming beer stop in Persenbeug-Gottsdorf.
The day was rounded off in Marbach with a dip in the Danube right across from the hotel. Suffice to say there was much shrieking about the sudden loss of body heat on entering the water along with a reluctance among one of the peloton to put his/her feet onto the muddy slimy bottom which couldn’t be seen beneath the murky grey/green water. A collective fear of being attacked by pike and being swept away in the current towards Vienna restricted the swim to a few square meters of water at the very edge of the river between a willow bush and the barrels holding up the pontoon. Whilst some photos were taken of this illustrious event none have been deemed suitable for publication.
Velodyssee 