“Aten-Wait for It – Wait for It”.

What started off as a simple cycle run down the EuroVelo route from the Black Forest down the Danube River as far as Vienna returning back via Salzburg has turned into a lifetime adventure? For a while there I thought my trip would never happen when coronavirus struck, well, possibly someday, however as we all know, only too well, someday is only the code word for never.

There is always a silver lining after a storm, coronavirus has meant that not too many people are booking holidays in Austria and as the holiday season, fast approaches hotel (and YH) are dropping their prices. The war in Ukraine has also been a strange sort of a blessing too, tourists to the Baltic States, have vanished like mist off a Scottish hillside.

The Danube flows all the way out to the Black Sea, when I was touring Europe, in the good old days of a disposable income, Budapest was difficult to get to, the collapse of the old Soviet Union has changed all that, “BUT” – some fools started a war in Ukraine.  

I heard the president of Hungary tell the people, that Hungary will be staying out of the war in Ukraine, and will not be sending any weapons to that country (The man has much more sense than the Numpty, and leader of the Tories at Westminster). Now it may seem a little foolhardy by wishing to go to a country that is, not only close to a war zone but where the towns and cities will be streaming with refugees from that war. But then again, I may well be living on borrowed time anyway, and could drop down dead on South Street, tomorrow, who knows, not I.

I have always wanted to see the beautiful city of Budapest and the lands that surround it, so have booked myself into the YH in Budapest for a week. I could not resist being so near without a visit and with rooms only costing £7.00 per night it was a no-brainer.

So I now have my whole route planned out, rooms (and some long-distance transport)booked. The highlights for me will be revisiting Wien (Vienna) – Salzburg will have to start practising the Landler (as performed in the film The Sound of Music) – revisiting Munich – Innsbruck (stay there at least three days and you get to travel on the public transport systems and some cable cars for free, Scotland has much to learn).

I wanted to spend two nights in Zurich and travel back overnight to Paris but did not notice that the overnight bus leaves at 01:55 in the morning, which of course is another day so had to cancel one of my nights in Zurich.

I love Paris in the springtime – I love Paris in the fall, I really do I never tire of the city – sad that cars have taken over so much of its streets, would be my only complaint. So will spend some time there arriving on the morning of the 12 May and not leaving until the overnight bus on the 15^th and this time just before midnight.

I shall be taking the first bus out of London for home so possibly home on the 16^th or 17^th May. Home just in time to do a bit of gardening – have big plans in that department, (and cheerfully trying to write my blog, having just read a very sad book – my bank book. )     

Edinburgh to London Sunday, March 27^th March 22:40

London to Paris Monday 28^th March 23:20

Paris to Strasburg 29^th March 19:30 Arrives 01:55 on the 30^th March

Train to Triberg 7:30 March 30

B&B Gastehous Ursula – Hornberg March 30

B&B Naurfreundehaus-Brend Furtwangen March 31

B&B HUA Baron – Muhlheim am Main April 1 

08:55 bus from Muhlheim (Donau) RE55 (3211) for Ulm

10:56 bus form Ulm Hauptbahnhof EC113 Klagnfurt

13:59 bus to Salzburg

Salzburg YH arrive Sat. 2^nd April Leave Monday 4^th

Train to Munich

Munich YH arrive Monday 4^th April leave Wednesday the 6^th

Eriebnishaus Spiess, arrive Wednesday 6^th April leave the 8^th

Jachabauer arrive Friday 8^th leave Sunday 10^th

Regensburg arrive Sunday 10^th leave 14^th April

Jugedherberge Passau arrive 14^th April leave 17^th April

Sovea Kaisergasse Linz arrive Sunday 17^th leave Tuesday 19^th

Sankt Pantaleon – Erla arrive Tuesday 19 leave Wednesday 21^th

Osterreich arrive Thursday 21^st leave 22^nd

Train to Budapest

YH Budapest book in 22^nd April to 30 April

Vienna YH Sat 30^th April leave Sunday 1^st May

Train to Graz

Graz arrive 2^nd May leave 4^th May

Mapi Jaru arrive 4^th May leave 6^th

Innsbruck YH arrive 6^th May leave 10^th May

Train to Zurich

Zurich arrive 10^th May leave 11^th May – 01:50 Overnight bus for Paris 12 May, arrive Paris 11am on the 12^th May

De Jeunesse Paris arrive 12 May leave 15^th May

Stay safe