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We bid a fond farewell to Ingrid and John, and continued on our way.
Up to now the water levels of the Danube haven’t been as bad as I thought. The dams along the way have kept the water levels reasonable up stream. But from now on reduced depths are disrupting passenger sailings between Regensburg and Passau, and on stretches between Vienna and Budapest. Cruise lines are relying heavily on coach transfers and ship swaps. In Romania and Hungary, low water levels have strained cooling operations for power plants. Romania shut down a reactor and Hungary reduced output at one plant. The Danube in Romania has hit its lowest level in 3 decades.
But of course we’re not on the water, and anyway, we came across a ship! There were quite a few groups of cyclists, generally our age or older, crowding the cycle track. We met some at a coffee stop and they’d come off a passenger ship carrying 100 people and 100 e-bikes. They were cruising for a week, getting off and on the ship when they chose, and cycling along the cycle paths. We did see a couple fall off, and helped back onto their bikes unhurt. Their ship couldn’t travel far but at least it was operating.
We’ve been really impressed by how many Germans cycle, probably because it’s so easy with well signposted, safe cycle routes throughout Germany. Sundays the paths get extra busy with families enjoying the outdoors. There’s no Sunday shopping here, so it’s family time. Brilliant! But for our needs, weekdays are far less crowded.
On we cycled to Regensburg. It had a huge park as we approached, with people sunbathing on the banks of the river, kayaking, picnicking, swimming etc. Neil of course couldn’t resist and had a quick dip after our picnic.
Regensburg is a beautiful old city definitely worth visiting . During World War II, it suffered relatively little from air raids compared to other major cities because it was subjected to targeted attacks on specific targets rather than night-time area bombing. Consequently buildings from Romans times, through the Middle Ages, Gothic buildings, and more have survived. It has an impressive cathedral and tiny old streets to wander. It buzzes with cafes, restaurants and of course bicycles. It’s now a university town full of young people. Actually, it’s here we started hearing tourists speaking languages other than German.
Sadly, due to our schedule, we could only spend a couple of hours there, and we would love to return one day. We cycled on to Wörth to stay in a little guesthouse with a restaurant full of Bavarian banter
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