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On our way home

I can’t wait to get home and see my babies.

I’ve had a fantastic time, it was one of those ‘trip of a lifetime’ sort of trips.

I’m sitting in the lounge waiting for our boarding, reflecting on our experience. We cycled through some gorgeous country, a week of really special one on one time with Graeme which is a difficult thing with the kids, had dinner in the desert, swam in the 36°C ocean, and snow skiid in a shopping mall.

Wow!

Skiingg in Dubai

A boat in our hotel

The End!

Dubai

We are not on a bike anymore, but I thought it worth an entry. We’re in Dubai and I’m really enjoying it, it’s a big contrast to the first part of our trip. Things slow down on pedals and you take on a new concept of distance and speed. A couple of days ago we were gently pedalling through sunflower fields, yesterday we were careering over the desert sandunes, English pop music blaring (long story) in our air conditioned 4WD along with another 20 vehicles doing the same thing.

It is hot hot hot here. When our driver stopped to let down tires before entering the sand dunes it registered at 46°C. We were given some decidedly hot water to ‘cool’ us down and walked into the dunes to try and find a space to photograph our other halves that made us look like we were all alone. Back in the car we put on our seat belts and started the 4WD part of our desert experience. Look it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t scary infact it was quite fun......so why did I feel like cringing when I saw the trail of cars going over exactly the same route. We eventually made our way to the desert BBQ part of the tour, got out of the air con and clambered onto a camel and smiled for the camera. Found a cushion and table and refreshments and tried to relax in the heat. The food was really quite nice. We watched a belly dancer who looked like she was melting and then collected our camel photo and gratefully climbed back into the air conditioned car for our trip home.

We swam in the pool yesterday and melted under the shade of our umbrellas. I was watching one of the lifeguards throw water on his umbrella to try and cool himself down. Glad everyones is finding it hot.

We’re off now to find Tam a prezzie, just need to decide if we want to go to the mall with the fun park of the mall with the ski park.

As unrealistic as it is here, it’s great.

View from our room

Burg Al Arab

Car and driver (not how Graeme can’t actually touch car as it’s too hot)

Waiting for photo opp.

Alone in desert

Campsite

arty farty pic.

Tulln to Vienna

41 Kms

32°C

Google map for part ride today

Walk in Vienna

It’s all over, our bikes have been given back. Now its all just memories :(

What a great trip and experience, thanks so much to mum and dad for making this all possible. It’s not all over yet either, we still have our stop over in Dubai....mmmm more heat 43°C last check. I expect that Dubai has some very good air con however so I don’t feel the heat is going to be much of a problem.

Today was an easy ride of 42km into Vienna. Once again we stayed on the south bank of the Danube the whole way and didn’t actually stop. Graeme was very speedy today, the day off did him good. Nothing of note to report on this stretch we didn’t travel through any villages to speak of and the scenery was all the same. Right next to the Danube in shrubby bush.

What next?....training for sydney to Gong I guess.

Leaving for the last day’s ride

On the phone to Tam just after arriving in Vienna

Made it. Back at our hotel in Vienna

Vienna

St Stephens fancy schmancy roof

Note the covering up of the renovations

Going to find iced coffee and lunch

Vienna

We made it! Passau to Vienna. Sitting in air conditioning... Bliss. About to get ourselves a well deserved iced coffee.

Melk to Tulln

81km

32°C

Google map for todays ride

Graeme got heatstroke after yesterdays ride. He was hoping to be ok for today but decided rather smartly to opt out for the day. I think he was worried about me not doing it without him and worried about me doing it without him if that all makes sense. He definitely made the right choice, there was a patch in the middle of the ride where for around 20 - 25 kms I was in full sun without any shade at all. It would have finished him off.

I was anxious heading out by myself. I’d done the typical female thing and handed over all the map reading to the man and found myself not looking out for signs etc. So I read the map, re-read the map and headed out around 8am to try to miss the heat. The signage here is actually really easy to follow, every turn is marked clearly where to go. We’ll probably get horribly lost tomorrow heading into Vienna.

The first 20 or so kms was just beautiful it was a mix of road and trail. Quite hilly and all in the shade. It’s funny how blasé you get....oh look another castle on the top of the hill, and around the next corner another one...and one beautiful village after another with people having coffee and cake outside a bakery. The last 2/3rds of the trip were fairly plain with nothing of particular interest. There were some nice patches riding through farm land and sunflower fields.

I tried to up the average and was travelling along quite happily between 23 - 26km hr comfortably. My overall average was 21kms.

Once I made it to Tulln I went in search of our Hotel. I checked in and was moving the bike to the hotel bike lock up area and in front of me I saw a guy on a bike stopped on the phone. It was Graeme trying to call me to see where the hotel was. He just arrived in Tulln after a ferry and train ride....pretty good timing hey.

Can’t believe tomorrow is our last day riding ....bottom’s looking forward to handing back the bike but the rest of me’s not.

We’ve once again found ourselves right next to loud loud music. Last night there was a festival In Melk and a band was right under our window and that finished at around midnight and then at four the young uns where singing away quite happily. Tonight they’ve set up stands along the Danube and are playing. There’s no air con so It’s a catch 22, either open the window and put the pillow over our head or leave it shut and boil at night...am I sounding old.....I’m just tired...ok maybe I’m getting old too.

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Castles

Churches

Vineyards and castle ruins on hill

Sun flowers

Our Hotel on the Denube

Grein to Melk

50km

31°C

I finally managed to get my GPS working on the phone so I was able to map our ride. It can be viewed in Google maps here: http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/0001/0be1/4b71/24cb/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20100710-1037.kml

I’m watching the Tour de France live on TV, their on the mountain section today, it makes my Bobbin Head achievment pretty lame doesn’t it. Bit hard to follow as it’s in German but occasionally I pick up a name like Rob McEwan or Caddel Evens. We thought we’d be able to follow it more, but we haven’t been able to pick up it in English. Even if we can’t understand it though it seems so apt given our holiday.

Our ride was uneventful and not as interesting as the past few days riding. We did pass through a beautiful town called Ybbs. All the towns have cobblestones which again reminds me how hard the Tour de France is. After riding through the various Markts I feel all buzzy and I’m only going 10kms hr approx. How in the world do they do it. Our ride today followed the Denube with no detours and we stayed on the South Bank the whole way.

There’s been heaps of bugs on this trip and you can see them flying towards you constantly. Quite a few need to be spat out, ughhhh. Some hit you and really hurt. Today however I was stung on the lip, it felt like I was walloped by something. I panicked as there are lots of bees around. Never being bitten by a bee I’ve become paranoid as I worry that I’d react badly given how I am with Mozzies and fleas. All I could think of was...”I’m in the middle of nowhere, it’s on my lip...I’m gonna die” Obviously not, I’m here typing. My lip is still a little swollen and sore though.

Speaking to the maitre de this morning at Grein. She had a ornate old grand piano and I was talking to her about it. She told me how it was a pain to move when it floods. She went on to tell how in 2002 the Denube flooded and rose to the windows of the2nd floor (where we were staying). I find it hard to comprehend how much extra water must be flowing down the Denube for this to happen.

I felt really good on the ride today ... felt in the zone. :) Tomorrow will sort me out as it’s our long day - around 90kms I think.

We plan to leave around 7.30 - 8am to try and beat the heat tomorrow. It seems to get hotter here in the afternoon around 3-4. It got hotter this afternoon then around midday. It rose from 30 to 32°C at 5.30 today.

Beautiful Ybbs

Denube view from Ybbs

A short break to take in Ybbs. Our trusty bikes.

Monastry towers above the village of Melk