Am der Donau May 2023 : Louis Rubenstein's version

 AM DER DONAU May 2023 : Louis Rubenstein's version

The spring ’23 bike trip was a memorable excursion attended by athletes coming together from Portugal, Montreal, and Victoria: Louis Rubenstein, GT Bishop, Birdie Munger, Laura Snowball, Frankie Nelson, and Jean. All went from Passau to Vienna by bike, followed by a few days without bikes in Vienna. Then some went home or to other adventures, such as Bratislava, Prague and Berlin, Hamburg...

Each one of us has special recollections and photos to express our own version of various events.  Herein is in the Louis Rubenstein version:

1)  We never got lost either on the road or at the stops. Apart from the history we relived and the castles churches abbeys museums and concentration/prison camps - that was what impressed me the most and that was on account of Ron aka GT who led us for three (3) weeks before setting off on his own for 6 more.  You are the man Ronaldo!

Here are some more highlights:

2) It was rainy and cold with the wind in our face (2nd day on the road I think) but we persevered.

3) Louis Rubenstein did not "mind the gap" and sank suddenly twixt the wharf and the ferry - an incident, that has since given me nightmares, could easily have abbreviated the trip.  These last negative experiences all had happy endings and, in fact, added excitement and drama to the adventure.

4) Another day there was a relentless climb up to Schloss Greinburg where we sorta crashed a wedding party:

5) Mädchen Volleyballmannschaft motivated us to carry on:

6) Karikaturemuseum with comic book characters, political humour and one ex-govenor of California by the name of “Ahnold” Schwartzenegger:

7) Bike museum where several members tried out the historic equipment:

8) Royal Bankok Symphony Orchestra at the MUSIKVEREIN in Vienna, where the orchestra included an unusual instrument:

9)  American University Chamber Singers, a DC choir playing at a church in Bratislava, Slovakia:

At this point the group disbanded: Laura Snowball to Portugal for rafting, Birdie and Jean to Victoria, GT and Frankie back to Vienna and 

10) solo to Prague for Louis for three days, more about that later... 

11) and then Berlin where GT and Louis remet 

12) to discover the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate as well as students from Italy and Brazil who are attending university in Berlin:

Louis Rubenstein, 6 June 2023