Das Sudburgenland Day 2

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The following day we again start early because of the heat. There has not been a thunderstorm of any significance to cool the air but it is pleasant until about 10 a.m. when it becomes a solidly hot day. We continue on until a misread of our map has us climbing a double steep hill (on foot) in the noon sun - when suddenly we both realize that it is much too hot. We sit down in the shade of a tree - realize ten minutes later after we have cooled down that it´s a cherry tree - we had noticed the scads of cherries on the ground when we sat but with the heat had not made the connection that the tree might be a cherry tree. The cherries are very delicious when we finally get around to tasting some. But as luck would have it, we made a double misread of the map - we had thought this route which we mistakenly were on, was a double up and double down followed by another double up and double down - which is why we avoided it. Double means over a 10% incline. It was actualy a double up, a double up, then a double down and another double down - it was just that the route was so twisted due to its steepness that we had misread it. So here we were well on into the double ups. If we made it to the top, we had a huge downhill to a nearby lake/campsite! And was it ever a lovely ride down those long steep hills! And the last kilometer off the route to the campsite/lake was also a major downhill in the shade!!!

It was so pleasant to arrive at the refreshing lake. Already they had run out of some food items (as of 1 or 2 p.m.) since anyone with the day off in the small town (Burg) was there, including the local military recruits who had been given the afternoon off because of the heat.

The following day we read in the morning newspaper that this had been the hottest June day ever in Austria, with the official temperature readings up to 38* and according to the Vienna reporter unofficially well into the 40's. The reason was a dry hot wind from the Sahara.

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Photos

Church along bike path
Near Strem.

Wineyard
Area is called Deutsch-Schuetzen/Eisenberg. Earlier in the day we were more protected from the heat. Because of the day's heat and the open fields where we cycle after lunch we take no more pictures this day.

Sunset
As viewed from our tent site.

View of lake/camp site in Burg
Taken in the early morning.