'pht..chur'....'pht..chur'....'pht..chur'

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29th September......Linz with a population of 208,000 grew on me. While it has a lovely market square (with a flea market on the Sat morning I was there), it is an industrial city that belches out steam and pollution in the suburbs and across the Danube. You can taste it as you cycle out of the city. It is an alive city though and I enjoyed the large community art pieces on the riverbank. The Postlingberg, a twin spired baroque 18C church, sits atop a hill overlooking the town and river. At 537m it was a bit like cycling up to Mt Lofty but rewarded great views. After looking at the church I had a pleasant time sitting on a seat trying to avoid getting hit by falling pears while I had a beer overlooking a valley- not unlike Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills. A lovely sunny autumn afternoon. Usually when I am away by myself like this, I don't drink alcohol but as I have made such a habit of the evening beer at home because we make our own, it's difficult to not have one in a culture where beer drinking is so prevalent. Well that's my excuse anyway. I've managed to have one alcohol free day!

The amount of fruit here to be picked up is amazing. A drink called 'Most' is made from pears in this region. Fruit (pears, apples) is falling freely all the time on the side of the road. Often the trail goes through farms, right past their back door. They have minimal fencing. The walnuts have fallen and are there for the picking up. I have enjoyed watching the squirrels collecting for the coming winter. They are just like the cartoons, scampering around and sitting there with big tails erect behind them. That is one on the things I like about cycling- watching animals come and go - birds of prey hovering, seagulls far from the sea, pheasants rushing back into the high sweetcorn crops, finches flitting from branch to branch, rabbits hopping down the road not smart enough to go sidewards off my path. Some animals that haven't made it, a beautiful snake, a curled up hedgehog not sleeping.

It is strangely quiet riding along with no cars and sound somehow being suppressed within the river valley. Often it is just the ripple of water, the sound of my tyres and the soft crunch of newly fallen linden (read polar) leaves. More of a 'pht..chur....'pht..chur....'pht..chur' really than a crunch as they get squashed by both tyres. I visited the 'Ars Electronica Center' - a museum of the future with an amazing array of interactive computer wizardry. I donned a suit and got hoisted in the air and 'flew' over Linz depicted on 3 interactive computer screens in front of me. I wasn't able to fly as well as I can when I dream and kept crashing into buildings. Young people are encouraged to use the the computers up stairs to create their own programs and some were displayed via a card which when put ion a table brought up the information. - like I have seen on some adverts. This will be common place in the near future. Big business will make sure of that. The displays show how human beings and computers can communicate with each other without the use of a mouse or keyboard. One display digitally manipulates a drawing you have just done by moving separate parts of the drawing through using your voice and touch. Another allows you to make different musical sounds through the shapes you make with your fingers.

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Photos

Drinking View
The view from my drinking spot while hoping not to get hit by falling pears

Comments

[James]

Silvana's right-Life is Good
Hi Man, So many people are following you now. In light of the election campaign, your travels are perfect contrast to our activities. Good to know you have completed the distance. Looking forward to seeing you . Love James..