Letter 20
Tuesday 09.08.11
Today the sun is shining. Until now from a clear blue sky. I take the
tent to the yard again. There are some violent winds, so I can't leave
it be, but it was also almost dry.
With the help of Berni I succeed attaching the inner tent without
putting it up properly. But I have to mount one stick to make it happen.
I go downtown, but another route today. Again I end at the museum area
and choose to take the same trip as yesterday. Everything looks better
in the sunshine, but there are a LOT of people = tourists.
Have to send the final postcard for the Maier family. Find a little shop
with postcards for 0,50€, but stamps they don't have. The main post
office lies around the corner and some hundred meters ahead. Outside a
japanese looking woman adresses me - in french! She stands with a map in
despair. Has found out where she is, but which direction will she have
to go to get to the Dom? I can help her - can you believe it?
On my way I passed a café, where they serve nice cakes. It's called Café
Diglas. I, normally for chocolate, have gone mad about fruit cakes.
And when they don't have Pflaumenkuchen one with currant, black currant
and raspberries will have to do.
Then I find Schweden Platz, at the Donau Canal from where the tour boats
leave, with no problems. I buy the red cruise where I will be let off at
the Donau and will have to take the U-bahn back again to my bike. It's
50 min until leave, so I roll down the path along the canal and remember
the scattered spots where you can go up and down to the canal. I cross
the canal and come back at another street. That's the usual. You have be
familiar with the cycle tracks, to be able to use them efficient. Now I
get back only 10 min before departure and people have started entering
the ship.
Now I'm a real tourist among tourists. A lot of them slovaks I think,
due to their language. Bratislava is only a mere 70 km away. We have to
go all the way south of the "island" which is cut off by the canal.
![](Fiskerhus.jpg") |
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| One of many fishermans houses on the left bank | Young man on the river |
It doesn't take long before it's green along the river even the blocks can be vaguely made out behind. Up comes some industry to the right and after that all the fishermens houses built on pillars, to the left - one after the other. 10 at least. With square nets that can be lowered into the water. The pillars must be due to different levels of the water through out the year.
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| On our way into the sluice | The mooring is done |
The sluice is the most interesting in the tour. It comes after we've
rounded the southern point and have entered the Donau. Right now the
moorings disappear, they're inside hemispheres above each other. The
water rises! What about out mooring? It must be somewhere down there?
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| The doors close behind us | And the water rises |
I go to the stern to have a look. Ah, in front there's a mooring that
follows the water. But what about the barrier in front? To the rear
there were sluice doors, but the barrier goes all the way from one side
to the other.
In the end the water has the same level on both sides of the barrier -
it takes a while, then sounds a "duut"... And soon after the sailor let
go and the engine accelerates. The barrier seems to have been moved
deeper into the water, so we can sail across?
The sky has long darkened to the north. I wonder if I reach back home
before the rain?
There are a few drips while I'm still on the boat, but strangely enough
not any more. Markus later tells me it rained for hours where he works.
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| Neither Berni nor Markus knew of this pagoda | Trams - the yellow is not normal - they're red |
I have invited them to a restaurant in the evening. The indian one we're
heading for is closed, but Markus asks his way to another. Maximillian
has fallen asleep in the folding pram and sleeps his way through the
meal.
It's UNBELIEVABLE! Fabulous. The meal is normally for two people. The
roasted lamb has maybe been added because we're three? I can't describe
it properly. It's not only the taste, but also the consistency I never
met before. It's the usual spicies: cardemom capsules, cinnamon, clove...
but you'll never get that taste by yourself - that takes an expert....
It's also more expensive than I'd expected, but it's worth every euro.