Did I mention that the day I took a train it was sunny? By the same iron logic of psuedo-irony (Is “It’s like rain/on your wedding day” actually ironic?) attendant to all travel, Day 5 began with rain. My generous host said I could stay as long as I wished but I had to proceed like a free ride/when you’ve already paid.

The rain, at least, caused the general mass of geriatric leisure bikers and walkers of small dogs to evacuate the Danube trail, their typical habitat. Past Grossmehring, legions of snails took their places.

There was a (I’m assuming) replica of some Niebelungenliedish saga scene, which would by one of a host of Germano-Romanto-Mythological warrior shenanigans witnessed this day.

Past this factory, it started to rain again, laying down a 5 kilometer stretch of the worst mud I have ever had the misfortune of needing to slog through. It took a half-hour to clean off the worst of it in Vohburg, waterbottle-full by waterbottle-full. Large remnants of this mud made it back to Vienna. Small flecks are still there.

After a hazy detour through once-Roman thermal bath towns (Didn’t take the luxury of a bath, myself, of course), I ended up near Kloster Weltenburg.

The Monastery had one of the best beers I’ve ever tasted. The next section was through a narrow, deep valley of huddled rock called the Donaudurchbruch. There is no bike path, as it’s just sheer cliff faces for a few kilometers. While waiting on the boat, I went inside the monastery.

St. George was saving Marie Antoinette from some roguish Wurm. Met and talked with an Australian married couple while waiting on the boat. Both parties were pleased to find a fellow English speaker to share stories with.

Boat.

Durchbruch from inside the ship. Probably the Danube’s narrowest point?

At the end of the ship ride through the valley, the Liberation Hall (Befreiungshalle) was visible. After quite a bit of huffing and puffing, past a dying Germanic warrior:

I made it up to the monument, enjoying a few of the heady monkish beers before going in.

The Hall was built by Crazy Ol’ King Ludwig of Bavaria of Neuschwanstein fame to celebrate the “liberation of the German peoples” from Mean Mr. Bonaparte. The outside is festooned with busty Brunhildas representing the various Germanic allies. Inside was:

a daisy chain of Victory Goddesses. Sweet.

Nobody else was there. Could I resist?

But victory lay 20 or 30km farther that day. I made it to Regensburg as the sun was on its downward way. My host was kind enough to give me a midnight bike.

Sleep.