Day 26 - Day in Passau

My day off is not just a case of kick back and relax. I have to work out an outline plan for the next stage, sort my diary, catch up with postponed admin, stock up on supplies, give the bike a good check over and clean, remind myself of the cycling rules in Austria and do enough hand washing to see me through the next three or four days.

This morning I rode my bike, without luggage, into the old town to ease my exploration and to take it to bike shop in order to purchase a few bits and to give it a once over. It did feel strange cycling for the first time in ages without any additional weight; there was a complete lightness to my movement with seemingly minimal effort on my part as I navigated the mile or so alongside the river to Passau's old centre. Items bought, tyres checked and bike parked, I caught a boat trip that took me up the Danube and then back and around up the river Inn. For the second time today there was a sense of something strange: I was acutely aware that something felt different as we glided past the city's imposing Baroque frontage and it took a few moments to realise that this was the first time in over three weeks and over twelve hundred miles that I was not moving solely by my own effort.

It was good to see the city from the river but even better to see it from the castle that overlooks Passau from its cliff perch over three hundred feet up on the opposite side of the Danube. And from both the river and the castle that mixing of the waters that I failed to see yesterday was obvious.

Danube dark, Inn light

I had lunch overlooking the city, learned a little about the history of Passau and the castle - although the English translations necessitated me squatting which got wearing after a while - and headed back to start the job of thoroughly cleaning the bike, chain and brakes and plan tomorrow. And as I was removing the accumulated gunk of the last two weeks a spoke sprung free on the rear wheel which was particularly annoying as I have been checking the wheel daily since my incident in France and all had seemed fine. It was fifteen minutes walking to the bike shop I visited this morning. He couldn’t help today but pointed me in the direction of someone who could. So back I went to near where I’d started. Wheel dropped off, a bit of shopping done and then bike wheel collected and I was in the position I’d hoped to be two hours previously.

I now seem to have caught up with myself so it just remains to do my planning for tomorrow and a little admin before digging out my waterproofs: from tomorrow the rain is back.