Neuburg to Kloster Weltenburg

This was always meant to be one of the big highlight days for the trip, and it proved to be so. Number one was Kieran ordering some baked treats from the bakery downstairs from our apartment this morning to take with us on the ride. Entirely in German! Mission accomplished and they were very welcome at morning tea time. The cheese covered pretzels were surprisingly tasty.

For some reason Kieran has been obsessed with seeing squirrels on this trip and managed to tick that one off his list, as one ran beside us briefly on the bike path. A path that was mostly very manageable today, leading to better moods from all involved - and no falls... In fact, it was a perfect day for riding with mild temperatures, virtually no wind and James seems to be getting the hang of the navigation - meaning a minimum of hills and nice flat tracks to ride along. The scenery was also very pleasant, and found Gillian admiring the sunflowers at one point while Kieran lusted after the hops fields.

Lunch was at a very pleasant Italian cafe/pizzeria in Vohburg, right on the bike path, and after that it was on to Weltenburg Abbey. And what a treat it was to arrive, and before 3pm even! It's a spectacular location on the Danube, just at a big gorge on the river, and a very popular stop for tourists.

Gillian was fascinated by the baroque, ornate and magnificently decorated chapel, while Kieran and James had more of an eye for the beer that has been brewed by the monastery since 1050. The dunkel was a hit, as it should have been, having won best beer in the world a couple of times recently.

Dinner was an interesting experience, in the abbey dining hall complete with a sung grace and good conversation with the German mother and son sharing our table, Luckily they spoke very good English. Gillian managed to shock some Japanese guests by speaking to them in Japanese, resulting in a funny conversation as we realised that there was no language that we had in common in which we could properly communicate - none of the Aussies really remember enough to get past "hello" and "we used to live in Japan"...

All in all a good day, and one which will live on as a favourite from the trip for sure. On to Wurth an der Danau tomorrow - wherever that is!

Relive 'Danube day 3'