As I write this, the snow is melting in Katoomba after my town experienced its second October snow-storm in three years. (Last year the Blue Mountains were devastated by bushfires.)
In Austria yesterday, it was sunny and 20 degrees.
I love autumn. The weather is usually pretty stable with some 'Indian summer' days thrown in to keep us happy until winter makes its bleak appearance. I never paid much attention to seasons until we moved to Katoomba - now we follow the daily weather forecast with fingers, toes and eyes crossed.
Early last year, Steven tried to talk me into a cycling trip in Europe. I was having none of it! Wearing lycra every day and climbing hills just didn't seem like my idea of fun. Then he explained to me that we would be riding on flat bitumen paths with no scary cars and trucks, and would be cruising at castle-on-a-hill viewing pace...about 16km per hour. There would be lots of food and drinks. Sold.
We started in Ulm in May 2013 and got as far as Ardagger Markt, a small village not far from Linz. For dinner, we ate asparagus and drank pear cider in our hotel and chatted to the owner about how dreadful the weather had been - rain every day for two weeks, except for a sunny day we spent in beautiful Passau. Over breakfast the next morning, he informed us that the river was in flood, and our cycle path was inundated and unrideable. Steven came up with the brilliant idea of catching a train to Bratislava so that we could wait out the rain, and complete our trip backwards. Unfortunately, that flood caught us and was the worst in hundreds of years, and Passau in particular was ravaged by its three rivers.
We got back on the train, and headed for the canals of France instead.
A few days ago, we completed a cycle from St Malo to Prague - a not to be sneezed at 2515km through France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and the Czech Republic. We celebrated and patted each other on the back and planned our next adventure.
We rested and ate well in Prague and spent a couple of days in Tabor and Cesky Krumlov where we cycled and ate cake with Lois, a fellow Australian who is cycling around the world.
www.cyclingsolowithlois.com.au
For the last few weeks, we've noticed decorations including pumpkins, sunflowers and apples appearing in shop windows. The trees are turning, and the day doesn't really begin until late morning when the sun melts away the mist. Restaurants are including seasonal ingredients in their menus; apples, pears and nuts fall onto the cycle paths and we've seen a few onion festivals.
Two of my favourite autumn consumables are often sold as a delicious set - Zwiebelkuchen and Federweisser. Zwiebelkuchen comes mostly in two variations: similar to an onion quiche (thick, slightly sweet and juicy) or onion and bacon pizza-ish (crispy and savoury). I prefer the quiche.
The first time I ordered Federweisser, I didn't actually know what I was drinking. I thought it was slightly fizzy, alcoholic cloudy apple juice. It is actually young wine, and is dangerously drinkable and very refreshing. A red version is also available, but I didn't like it - a bit too much like red cordial for my taste!
Now we're back on the Danube, and I'm thoroughly enjoying the relaxed cycling. I'm going to try and stay in the hardest gear so I don't lose whatever muscle-tone I developed on those accursed Czech hills. We hope to make it to Budapest, where I am heading straight for the famous bath-house where I can soak and then have my knots pummelled by a hefty Hungarian.
In Austria yesterday, it was sunny and 20 degrees.
I love autumn. The weather is usually pretty stable with some 'Indian summer' days thrown in to keep us happy until winter makes its bleak appearance. I never paid much attention to seasons until we moved to Katoomba - now we follow the daily weather forecast with fingers, toes and eyes crossed.
Early last year, Steven tried to talk me into a cycling trip in Europe. I was having none of it! Wearing lycra every day and climbing hills just didn't seem like my idea of fun. Then he explained to me that we would be riding on flat bitumen paths with no scary cars and trucks, and would be cruising at castle-on-a-hill viewing pace...about 16km per hour. There would be lots of food and drinks. Sold.
We started in Ulm in May 2013 and got as far as Ardagger Markt, a small village not far from Linz. For dinner, we ate asparagus and drank pear cider in our hotel and chatted to the owner about how dreadful the weather had been - rain every day for two weeks, except for a sunny day we spent in beautiful Passau. Over breakfast the next morning, he informed us that the river was in flood, and our cycle path was inundated and unrideable. Steven came up with the brilliant idea of catching a train to Bratislava so that we could wait out the rain, and complete our trip backwards. Unfortunately, that flood caught us and was the worst in hundreds of years, and Passau in particular was ravaged by its three rivers.
We got back on the train, and headed for the canals of France instead.
A few days ago, we completed a cycle from St Malo to Prague - a not to be sneezed at 2515km through France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and the Czech Republic. We celebrated and patted each other on the back and planned our next adventure.
We rested and ate well in Prague and spent a couple of days in Tabor and Cesky Krumlov where we cycled and ate cake with Lois, a fellow Australian who is cycling around the world.
www.cyclingsolowithlois.com.au
For the last few weeks, we've noticed decorations including pumpkins, sunflowers and apples appearing in shop windows. The trees are turning, and the day doesn't really begin until late morning when the sun melts away the mist. Restaurants are including seasonal ingredients in their menus; apples, pears and nuts fall onto the cycle paths and we've seen a few onion festivals.
Two of my favourite autumn consumables are often sold as a delicious set - Zwiebelkuchen and Federweisser. Zwiebelkuchen comes mostly in two variations: similar to an onion quiche (thick, slightly sweet and juicy) or onion and bacon pizza-ish (crispy and savoury). I prefer the quiche.
The first time I ordered Federweisser, I didn't actually know what I was drinking. I thought it was slightly fizzy, alcoholic cloudy apple juice. It is actually young wine, and is dangerously drinkable and very refreshing. A red version is also available, but I didn't like it - a bit too much like red cordial for my taste!
Now we're back on the Danube, and I'm thoroughly enjoying the relaxed cycling. I'm going to try and stay in the hardest gear so I don't lose whatever muscle-tone I developed on those accursed Czech hills. We hope to make it to Budapest, where I am heading straight for the famous bath-house where I can soak and then have my knots pummelled by a hefty Hungarian.
Sounds so great. You are my travel heroine!!
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