Today was Ascension day, a public holiday in Germany and Austria, so all the shops were closed and everyone was out and about. There were many people on the cycle ways, fishing on the river, and in the cafes. However, it was not quite as jolly as we experienced in Germany on our previous tours – no people dancing in the streets.

We traveled 84km, mostly on cycle paths – from Hochburg to Scharding. We started out on a lovely forest ride out of Hochburg.

And not long after, we had a brief ride on one of the most peculiar roads we have experienced. It was still in the forest, and unique because the middle of the road was much higher than the sides – by at least half a meter in places. This would make it impossible to ride on with an ordinary car – we assume only trucks ride here (so this may have been done be done on purpose to keep cars out). It was uncomfortable to cycle, as the road was unsealed and we were riding on an angle on the side.

Uncomfortable road
As soon as we could we turned off onto a tarred road. Kris found a path to the river, which also eventually petered out. Then onto a bigger road with cars for a while (part of the official cycle route).

And finally onto off-road cycle routes alongside the river Inn, for the rest of the day. The river was amazingly calm when we joined it early on – a mirror reflecting the clouds above.

Many of these routes were on the stop banks and became quite monotonous in the last ten kilometers – very flat and straight with bushes on either side and no good view of the river. However we made good progress.

The river is the border between Germany and Austria. We rode in Austria for most of the day, but did cross over a couple of times to ride in Germany. Our destination (Sharding) is in Austria.

The front mudguard of Jenny’s bicycle got mangled when a stick got stuck in the wheel. After some debate over whether it was salvageable, Kris finally removed the mudguard as he thought it safer and we continued on our way. On a cycle tour of this length, you start out all shiny and clean with new equipment that gradually degrades, things break off and wear down, but you carry on.

We crossed the river again to get to Sharding, and saw how wide it had become – at least 100m wide.

After circling through the town, we bought some absolutely delicious pastries from a bakery in the main square, and had some beer and pizza at an outdoor cafe. There were many people around, a lot having arrived by bicycle. The cafes were buzzing. The town bills itself as a “baroque town” – the buildings are all narrow with gables and are painted in different bright colours. Evidently the colours relate to medieval guild colours – red for butchers, blue for bakers, yellow for brewers etc. There is also a large brewery in the town. We enjoyed some beer and pizza at one of the cafes on the main square.

Our accommodation is one of the most expensive yet, and in the center of town. The room is small, although it has everything you want and a nice bathroom. However the Internet is a disappointment – it doesn’t work in the room at all, probably because the walls are so thick (Old buildings in Europe have very thick walls). We had to sit next to a router in the hallway to plan for the next day’s journey. There was a comfortable table and chairs to sit on, but the lights go off automatically every minute or so and then you have to wave your hands around to get them on again with the motion sensor.