Day 6

The Ride -Day 6

The last ride - what will it be like?

The group forms - larger than last ride  - the influence of the Royal Family is growing 

Brian in a display of regal authority accepts the challenge of collapsing the row of neatly arranged Theodore kormer bicycles - his attempt at dominoes is a mixed sucess - stops after a dozen bikes topple neatly and sequentially on to their side - further success  stymied by the bollard that intervened in the bicycle sequence - the bohemian comedian may well have become just the bohemian!

Charles cannot let the domino feat go unchallenged - successfully collapses 11 german bikes - again those blasted bollards intervene - disappointed Charles rides off on someone else's bike.

Off we head - Kate - are you ready Christine - have you got your helmet on Christine? - helmet on but confusion within 200 meters - up - down - around the roundabout - ah well - doesn't matter - Margaret to the rescue - up the hill - don't tell the girls the route is marked with neat green signs - it will destroy the fun.

Into the vineyards - terraces - vines sit atop the low rock walls along the bike path - into the first village - off the bikes - apricot wine - cards - tourists everywhere - those long sleek cruise boats had just disgourged the tourist rabble - we are joined by other bike tours some swarming  in packs - the streets are narrow - there is the Richard the Lionheart's pub - bet he didn't drink there - they held him jail - more small heritage buildings - beechworth on a double dose of steroids - nothing like Cesky- Krumlov but a great pause on a very nice bike ride - MDCXXX- the experts amongst us decipher that this building dates from 1630 - the village is much more that beechworth on steroids.

Onwards. - are you ready christine - do you have your helmet on christine? - we need a drink - Margaret find us a place - no no no - ok - there is one - rearrange the furniture - behave like ugly Australians - amuse the locals - confuse the waiter - never mind - waiter rushes inside to get the girl in the pretty yellow dress - orders sorted! - Brian poses with the pretty yellow dress - Pam - gee if I go inside to the toilet do you think a handsome man will appear at the door with me - andrew - only if I go to the toilet with you.

Margaret finally wears Garry down - he pays the bill - we rearrange the furniture - The bohemian returns - he has arranged a wine tasting - follow me - some of us tail him - the others interupted by a swarm of australian cyclists - we lose the royals for the first time.

We start the wine tasting - Chris and Peter join us - we invite the swedes into the group - three whites and a red for tasting - ah there are the royals and the adams' - 

Gee that red has a nice nose - what do you pick up on the nose - Chris Adams' bike gloves need to be washed - others really like the wines - margaret - I am not very good with wine but I am with spirits - Margaret what does that mean?

Purchase some wine - put them in the panniers - head onwards with somewhat less control over our bicycles than we had displayed on arrival.

We have ridden through Village after village after village - green - green - lavender - wild flowers - peony roses - geraniums  - green - Danube - ruins - old buildings - old buildings - ruin on the hill - the Danube  - ah this is nice - life is good - yep - life is good

Margaret leads - makes us stop at St Michaels Church - skulls - legless mummies - a kids kindergarten sketch on the wall - what is this about? - Kate - are you ready Christine - do you have tour helmet on crhistine?

Onwards  - bypass the restaurant recommended by the bohemian - would that affect his daily income - not sure - where is our beloved team leader - Brian and the domestique have gone missing - let's stop for lunch - Lunch on a green slope under an apricot tree adjacent to a small shrine on the banks of the Danube - come on! -  this is stretching the  good life too far - no it isn't - Keith pulls out the cherries that he had bought earlier in the day.

Off we go again - hullo - hullo - g'day - g'day - hullo - occasional responses from the intrepid bikers coming towards us - ah there is the statue of the madonna with the big boobies otherwise known as the earth mother - everyone except Keith and Meg  give it a miss - the group gets smaller again.

Through some more small villages - approach Melk - the scenery less interesting - urge develops to get the ride over and done with we can explore the Monastry in Melk - of course  Kate and Bernie have maps - Pam, andrew and I make a bee line for Melk - Bernie not pleased!

Shower - order a taxi - up to the monastery -  a new view on these things has emerged - me thinks that man has always built monuments to their gods - we marveled at the stone circles in Ireland, at stonehenge - why should we be horrified that later generations of humankind continued to build monuments to their gods - maybe not obscene - maybe just interesting - I wonder about humankind in the future.

The monastery is amazing - gold leaf everywhere -stunned -  only 2 kilograms of gold used in the thousands of gold statues and pieces in the monastery - also stunned by the extensive use of immitation marble - a lightweight stucco type  mimic of real marble - the reverence paid to the magnificent library stunning - the church described by some as over the top - i found myself in awe of the designers, builders and artists. I was also in awe of Marie as she meticulously took notes - an architects architect!

Tired - glad that water finds a low point - down all the way to the boat.

Dinner - the crew has made a real effort - really nice - oh there is a crew show - terrible - Bernie and Pam escape - some have early nights - most have a late night.