"On a cycle the frame is gone. You're IN the scene"

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Bogan - Passau......

It was an overcast day today but the rain stayed away. I met up with some other cyclists who were a bit older than me. They had very impressive folding cycles but had special narrow rims on the smaller wheel which was causing a real problem for them. The tube had gone and a replacemnt was looking very difficult to get. Let it be another lesson to me! Mine are easy to get in that they are a child's- like tyre. I am reading 'Zen & the Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance' which appears to be very apt and says things very much how I am thinking and so I'll repeat it here."You see things vacationing on a motorcycle in a way that is completely different from any other (I beg to differ! In fact what he is saying is even more so on a bicycle). In a car you're always in a compartment & you're used to it and you dont realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. '(I learnt this lesson on my first trip to the UK in the 70´s where we spent 4 wks looking out of a car window) You're a passive observer & it is all moving by you boringly in a frame. On a cycle the frame is gone. You're IN the scene, not just watching it anymore, & the sense of presence is overwhelming....the whole experience is never removed from immediate conciousness."I agree with his idea too that "plans are diliberately indefinate, more to travel than to arrive anywhere. We are just vacationing. Secondary roads are preferred. Paved country roads are the best, state highways are next. Freeways are the worst. We want to make good time, but for us now this is measured with emphasis on 'good' rather than 'time' and when you make that shift in emphasis the whole approach changes."It is why I am happy travelling alone. "You spend you're time being aware of things and meditating on them. (Without even realizing you are doing so) On sights and sounds, on the mood of the weather and things remembered, on the machine and the countryside you're in, thinking about things at great leisure and length without being hurried and witout feeling you're loosing time." (I know I don't think about things in the same analytical depth that the writer does though.)"....physical discomfort is important only when the mood is wrong. Then you fasten onto whatever thing is uncomfortable and call that the cause. But if the mood is right then physical discomfort doesn't mean much." This is how I felt with the rain. It was not drudgery - it just was. Certainly it would have been better if it was sunny but not really important as I had had sunny days.

I travelled more Kms than I would have liked as I attempted to find the crossing by boat to the town of Loh to visit a church which was said to be extravagantly decorated in the Baroque style. I probably should have made more effort in following the book & I ended up doing an extra 15km without success. It was not that I was lost at any stage. Signage is constant and reliable. It is just that I have also been following the only book/guide on the Danube caycle way that is in English. which suggests some excurcions off the main route. 'The Danube Cycleway' is written by a retired English Headmaster and is generally good, although I feel like I'm being naughtly if I don't always do the things that he keeps on saying that I SHOULD do. I also have a more detailded strip map covering the Regensburg to Budapest section. It would be quite possible to do this without any guide/ map as it is so well signed, but it helps to know what is coming up and what to aim for. The book follows the rivers origins in Germany on the edge of the Black Forest at Donaueschingen and also stops at Budapest due to the political situation in former Yugosalvia at the time of writing and as the cycleway is not developed afer this point.The cycle way is often alongside the river, occasonally alongside a road but almost invariable exclusively (that's sounds a bit like somewhat unique doesn't it?) for cycles and pedestrians. Coming into Passau was my first taste of a larger city but again the route follows ways of avoiding main thoroughfares and it was not long before I was into the old part of the town which reflects its 5,000 year of history. The old town is located on a spit of land where the Danube, Inn & Ilz rivers meet. I went out on a cruise for an hour in the late afternoon sun to get a different perspective of the city and see where the rivers actually merge. This is interesting as the Danube and the Inn have different hues of brown and green which then merge to go brown again. I have a wonderful large double bed room ($50) in a lovely old building close to the St Steven's cathedral. Breakfast is served in the restaurant downstairs which is dark with oak and old character pictures and interesting bits & pieces - a bit English really. I stayed 2 nights here so I would have time to explore the cobbled streets with its impressive gothic, renaissance and boroque architecture, stucco and frescoes. Overlooking the old town is the 'Veste Oberhaus' castle built in 1219 to control commerce across the rivers. I find that when dates go beyond the 16C it all starts blurring for me and just being really old - 13C, 14C 15C? I spent quite some time going through the building which houses an extensive museum documenting Passau's history & art history. The interactive nature of museums now with the use of computers makes it not as daunting & forgettable as they used to be. There was one room which was like walking into a fridge just to give you an idea of how cold the castle would have been and how any attempts to maintain heat would result in it being dark. They also needed to ensure that is was protective. What I never understand about castles is why didn't the invader just let the seize continue so that the castle turned from a fortress into a prison?

I thought I might be saying ABC to myself under my breath as I have been riding along. I remember 30 years ago going along the Rhine it being like that - 'Another Bloody Castle! I think by the end of this trip my ABCs will be 'Another Bloody Church'. There´s only so many times you can say "Wow that's impressive".Talking of churches and being impressed the St Steven's Cathedral here does have the Wow factor. The original church having been devastated in 1662 they bought in the renaissance experts from Italy to do a "makeover" in design, stucco & frescoes in boroque style. Not as over the top as rococo but getting there. I went there during the day and took some photos. I have dveloped this technique of photographing impressive ceings from visiting the Aya Sofia in Istanbul. I put the camera on the selftimer setting of 10secs, which gives me enough time to get out of the way, and put it on the ground and hope no one comes along and steps on it. That way the camera can do it's own thing without me moving it. It's a bit embarrassing as it beeps away until it snaps, especially in a quiet church. Not being statisfied with the wow achitectural factor, St Stevens boasts being the world's largest cathedral organ. With 17,974 organ pipes, 233 stops (is this a lot?..I don't know) and 4 carillons it certainly sounds impressive, although my English Headmaster tells me that in reality it is five organs strategically placed throughout the cathedral linked to a single manual. Now I don't know whether to be cross at those deceptive Germans or the padantic Headmaster. Given all this "world's largest" etc I though I better take the opportunity of a once a week evening organ recital. While I like some Handel, Handel on organ isn't really my thing, but keep it short and play it on the world's largest organ and it is memorable. A Mozart piece with 20 or so in the orchestra and forty or so in the choir with a quite good soprano in that setting, it really was something to write home about!Going around the corner from the cathedral on my way back to the 'Goldenes Schiff' Pension I happened upon a groovy little bar with live music of a different funky sort. A song list was on every table with pen/paper and anyone could request a song, many of which were western oldies such as the Beatles, Animals etc. They had a great repertoir and a new way of doing each song while obviously enjoying themselves. I didn't get to bed till after 11pm after spending some time in an internet cafe on a laptop ($3/hr)

For those not particularly computer savy, you can click on the photo and it comes up separately a bit larger & even tells what camera I used! Also the actual blog site is http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Pedallingpete so you can check out other trips and references to another trip in Turkey & my photo site on flickr. Comments can be sent by going to the bottom of the particular blog and going to the comments section where you can read what others have written and send yours by clicking on 'Add Comment' or specify to 'Add Public Comment' or 'Send Private Message'. I love hearing from you all !I'm in Vienna at the moment by the way. This is my 3rd night here and I'm staying one more night. There's plenty to do here in this full on place of Culture on a Grand Scale. Cycle tracks everwhere in the city & so relaxing as well. In fact fell asleep in the sun today by the edge of a fountain with others lazing around. My camera is getting hot. So many beautiful things and so much graffiti !

Till next time
Pedallingpete

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Photos

Passau
Early morning mist across the Danube

Passua from the Castle
Morning Mist

Comments

[jane]

awesome
Hi Pete this is my first time visiting a travel blog site, and I'm not sure what to be most in awe of: the instant access to where you're at, your photos, your extensive info or your travel bio. (James was funny when I asked him how you were, his look of surprise as he asked well hadn't I checked your travelblog. silly me.) You've also reminded me to read Zen and the Art again, what a great book! Happy Travels! Adelaide Greens Jane