pics #329 - #353

Saturday December 18th - White Resonant Wizard
The sisters room-mates of Richard, give me a lift to the city center and the day starts sightseeing from the main street of Linz. Climbing to the castle gives a nice view on the Donau valley. Compared to the wonders of the previous cities, Linz is not exceptional. The city has been bombed during World War II, because having strategic industries. There is a fun small demonstration, denunciating the economic growth cult, which is especially pronounced at approaching Christmas.

          Linz: main square, Trinity column, Christmas Market

          Linz: the Donau

          Demonstrators catching a consumer during a Saturday-shopping-before-Christmas

I spend the afternoon in the Ars Electronica Museum, an interactive visit, where the guards are knowledge-ables guides, ready to explain or help trying the objects exposed. It is a collection of amazing new technologies: artificial intelligence, robotics, multi-media, genetics, medicine... They are supposed to help us “face the challenges of tomorrow”: over-population, lack of resources. I have a critic about the statements quoted above, technology is certainly helpful TO THE CONDITION that it is used wisely. To my opinion, having it solve the troubles we are causing nowadays, in other words having true technological progress needs moral, mind, mental progress first. Example: the car makes travel easier, so instead of walking one hour to go to work, people take ten minutes to drive there, but nowadays, people drive one hour to work, so what's the point? Is this progress? I am certain that the challenges of tomorrow are not outside, but inside of us: stupidity, greed, power. We will face them by developing human values, change our consciousness focus, quit “I, Me, Mine" to work for “All, One, Us”, develop compassion, let the power of love make this planet a paradise, where we will run free and naked...

           Linz: Ars Electronica Museum

The museum closes while a guide explains me in a very good French the functioning of electronic microscope. It is 18.00, I need groceries, unfortunately for me, there are no exceptions during fest days, shops will stay closed all week-end.

Sunday December 19th - Blue Galactic Eagle
One day of rest in Linz with a walk in the park where kids play on their slay.

Monday December 20th - Yellow Solar Warrior
I am leaving Richard's appartment while he is still busy on his studies, he has exams on Tuesday and I appreciate that he took the time to host me during this period. It is a rather long step to Amstetten, mainly on a flat road. It follows the Donau, but the bicycle track is snowy. I am reminded of the horror that invaded Europe 70 years ago by passing the locality of Mauthausen where a concentration camp was established. Today it is sunny, I cook on the snow and go on along the fields. It is a bit difficult to find the sluice and bridge over the Donau. I am waiting for the light to turn green while admiring a beautiful sunset, showing the crest of distant mountains in front of orange light.
It is now night and poor indications on the road. There are many small villages, icy and steep roads. I am not comfortable in cycling on that surface in the dark. After a time I find the national road that reaches Amstetten, free of snow. I arrive in the city past 18h, so no chance to do groceries again. I look for an internet-cafe to have confirmation and address of tonight’s host. But I see none of these in the city center, so I look for it away, in suburban areas where eventually emigrants would live, who are most users of internet-cafes. Seeing me pushing my bicycle a man approaches me and after some talk, he invites me to check internet at his home. On the way, his wife explains that they are also cycling on holidays: they went in pilgrimage to Jerusalem once, to Assisi last year. On the couchsurfing website, there is no answer from my host, and to that news the couple of cyclo-pilgrims offers me to stay at their home: an offer I can't refuse! Soon I am refreshed by a shower, sitting in front of a delicious soup with lever dumpling, a speciality called Knödelsup.
As I get to bed, tired, I feel blessed for opportunely crossing those hospitable people.

Tuesday December 21st - Red Planetary Earth
During breakfast, we have nice talks with Traude and Willi, busy preparing Christmas celebration. The distance today is short. I only have to follow a list of villages that Willi kindly printed me.

          Amstetten

In the city center, I can finally do groceries after a frew days missing it due to the strict opening times. With enough to survive for a few more days, I finally get to ride closing to the Danube. going down from Ybbs, I hear regularly drivers honking at me, because I am not on the bicycle path I think. Which I won’t ride because it has still frost or is sometimes covered by a layer of snow. Driving a car doesn’t elevate intelligence of people I noticed many times. And when respecting the law at all cost is strongly imprinted in mentality, there is no questioning about the validity of them. We follow rules and laws because that is what they are made for. Wait... how did camps like Mauthausen ended up existing?

          Persenbeug: Sluice on the Donau and castle

There is again a bridge over a sluice on the Donau, which is more than 500m large now. Lunch break and then following the Donauradweg - the Donau cycling path- As it is still hardly ridable, I prefer the regular road whcih owes me to be greeted by more honking. The last 4kms are an ascension of nearly 250m to Maria Taferl and its basilica on a rock.

          Maria Taferl: Basilica

When finally reaching up there, the view embraces a wide panorama on the Donau valley and the Alps. Then relaxing in a café where my host Timea picks me up when back from her work. We go for a safe ride on snowy, frosty roads before enjoying a tasty Hungarian dish and chatting about the different cultures we know.

Wednesday December 22nd - White Electric Mirror
Timea goes early to work, I wake up early enough to meditate, practice some yoga and have muesli before leaving. Once outside, I have a few slices of bread with almond paste to finish breakfast. It is early for a very short distance today. The road is still a mix of gravel, frost and snow and becomes very steep: 15%, I don’t take any risk with these conditions and walk down, pressing the brakes.

          Written: "Cyclist should be able to stop immediately"

I cross the river once more to head to Melk and its Monastery on a rock. At the market, people answer me in Italian as hearing my foreign accent.

          Melk: Benedictins monastery

Crossing the Donau again to get to Weitenegg, then following the Weitenbach river to Weiten where my host lives. Actually that’s the only indication of location I have, no phone, no address. It does not seem easy to meet but I deliberately rely on my good star which already put nice people on my way to help me when I needed. Reaching Weiten, I stop the bicycle and go for a walk in the village, in quest of an indication, a sign. I am going to cross the road, while a car pulls, a window goes down and I hear my name. This is Leila, my host! I follow her car to her house. The luck, coincidence or so, that makes us meet is a sign to me that I am in synchronicity, in a natural rhythm where I am given what is necessary.
Before long I am greeted by dogs, cats, meeting Tania volunteering here since July, and Yannic the son, then devouring lunch. In the afternoon I work in the sauna, putting up a wall. In the evening, the father, Hartwig, joins in the construction work and gives me instructions in French. At diner, I meet the two other members of the family, their daughter Hanna and the grandmother Shnovu.