Along the DanubePopri Dunaji

Our first bike trip was an absolute blast. It's July 11, 2016, and with our bikes fully loaded, we set off from Karlova Ves heading toward Austria. We have a rough idea that we'd like to ride the famous Alpe Adria cycling route, which runs from Salzburg through the Alps all the way to Grado. For the first stage, the plan is to follow the Danube as far as Linz, where we'll leave it behind and head south.

This first stage brings plenty of challenges, mostly in the form of weather. The first storm caught us in the Austrian village of Untersiebenbrunn. We quickly find a spot outside the village and puzzle over how to pitch the tent. Eventually we figure it out, get the tent up, and cover the bikes with a tarp from the newly opened OBI.

Morning wakes us with sunshine, the tent quickly turns unbearably hot, and the tarp we used to shield the bikes from the storm has collected enough water for a morning bath. We arrive in Vienna along a picturesque canal. Kika finds a sugar beet and stuffs it in her pocket, saying she'll eat it tonight, though I'm curious to see that happen. A little past Vienna a storm catches up with us, and we wait it out in a snack bar next to the Danube ferry crossing. We barely manage a few more kilometers before the rain starts again, but luckily we find a shelter where we can spend the night.

The following days follow a similar pattern, with storms as our frequent companions. We meet a Bulgarian cycling back to the UK, who leaves us some forints, saying they'll come in handy eventually. In Krems an der Donau we sit in a campsite for half a day waiting for the rain to stop, though everything is already soaked from the day before. Around Wachau we finally see some sun and enjoy it to the fullest. The highlight of the day is a wooden hut right next to the cycling path, better than a 5-star hotel, an absolutely perfect place to spend the night.

We arrive in Linz battling a brutal headwind. Just outside the city, well after dark, we find, in the middle of absolutely nowhere... a stargate... built there by a local artist. It's a sign for us that it's time to settle in for the night and hope no monsters crawl out of the stargate while we sleep.