After I learned how to pronounce it, I thought it rather lyrical. Broken down Donau is German for Danube, schlinge means turn and Schlogen is the name of the village. The river takes a 180-degree turn at the village located at the tip of a peninsular jutting out into the river.
On this day we woke to rain so delayed our departure from Passau about an hour. It wasn’t long before we were at the border where we stopped to have our passports stamped. Late morning we crossed the Danube by ferry to the German side. The rain remained relentless all day. The restaurant earmarked for lunch was closed because of the weather so we continued to bike on to some locks.
Later in the day we crossed the Austrian border again at a place that led us directly to a nice rest stop/café where we enjoyed a hot drink. In spite of the rain it was a very scenic day. We biked through dense forest, mountain foothills, and peddled through many small picturesque villages.
At the end of the day another ferry marked Donauschlinge at Schlogen took us across the river to our hotel. By the end of the day everyone was soaking wet, no matter how expensive or what kind of rain gear they were wearing. The new modern hotel had a hair dryer in each room that came in handy for drying shoes and other gear.
While my roommate was in the shower, I opened the fridge in the room and retrieved a small bottle of wine and was drinking it when she emerged from the bathroom.
“Where did you find the wine?” she asked.
“In the refrigerator.”
“Do you know how much the stuff cost out of room refrigerators?”
“Yes, but right now, I really don’t care.”
After drying out and a good dinner I was ready to retire early. I slept well and woke the next day to cloudy skies but no rain. Another forty-mile day of biking lay ahead of us.
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