Sunday 21st July - Vienna

As you might have gathered, this Blog has gotten away from me. Too much to do and see and too little time to stop and reflect. In part this has been due to the fact that our crew did such a great job in avoiding the lock strikes, which closed every lock in Germany from Tuesday to Friday, that we made it through the final lock into Austria before it began. In doing so, we had longer bus trips to make to visit the various towns in our itinerary and we only missed one of the option tours which we had decided to do.

To make up for the one we missed, Ches decided to take the 20 minute helicopter ride over the Wachau Valley. She took 15 minutes of video, so I can share the experience from the safety of the ground. Actually, the grounds not so safe.

While Ches was flying, I opted for the 10km bicycle ride from one village to another and back via a combination of main road and tracks through vineyards. My balance has never been great since my stroke, however I figured I could handle a relatively flat track.

Big mistake.

The ride out was great and the village we visited stunning. I did have a nip of Schnapps and another Apricot liqueur, however there was a good hours break between then and the return ride. On the one section of bicycle path beside the main road with traffic traveling at 100k, I was safely on the right hand side and therefore the inside when we came to pass two riders going in the opposite direction. I was aware of how close they were to the traffic so decided to move even further to my right as we passed. My right shoulder caught the bushes growing out of the top of the vineyard retaining wall, it pulled my shoulder back, which pulled my right arm back, which pulled the handlebars to the right which turned the wheel into the wall, which left me grabbing the bush and wall to try to stop forward motion. I was unsuccessful in the final, or penultimate sequence. I tried to jump out of the bike as my legs tangled in the frame, launched myself over the handlebars and came to a screaming halt 10cm short of the road.

I now have fantastic purple and black bruises inside my right forearm, my left armpit and my left knee and a graze on the same. Superficial cuts and grazes on my arms legs and face.

I climbed back on the bike and continued the ride, and three days later I haven't missed a beat. Pride comes before a fall .... and after.

I'll have to backfill the other towns and more info when time allows but for now here are some photographs. Better than a slide show when we return ... you have to avoid that.

The two Ches photographs she took from the top deck as we set sail down the Danube while I was being patched up by another passenger (a doctor). I insisted she photograph the blue church which is in the village we cycled to.