Orient Express Day 20 Linz to Emmersdorf via Mauthausen - 116km

Breakfast at camp (Photo: Evlyn Benjamin)

We had all decided the previous evening to make the trip to Mauthausen Concentration Camp so the mood at breakfast was rather sombre.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauthausen-Gusen_concentration_camp

http://www.jewishgen.org/ForgottenCamps/Camps/MauthausenEng.html

I visited Poland with March of the Living in 2005 on the 60th anniversary of the liberation from the Nazi terror and was at Auschwitz - Birkenau for the commemorations. I have since then expressed the view that, although the Jewish people were decimated in the holocaust, Jews should not lose sight of the fact that many other minorities, and nationalities, were cold bloodedly murdered. The memorials and exhibits at Mauthausen demonstrate that point.

We spent around 90 minutes at Mauthausen and then cycled off into the breaking sunshine for the long haul to Emmersdorf. Alf and Evlyn sent word that they would be ahead and we met up in around 15km. Evlyn kindly lent me her camera at the Camp as my battery went flat and I returned the camera to her for the rest of the day.

The usual stops for drinks and food and we had quite a pleasant lunch where I was introduced to the Austrian soft drink Almdudler to which I have become addicted!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almdudler 

Edna had chicken schnizel and I had pancakes.. We shared :)

 

I think Edna also managed a schnekke somewhere in the day...

We hit camp at Emmersdorf around 4.30pm and tents were pitched in light rain which miraculously cleared to sunshine quite quickly. No hot showers available until "the token lady" arrived around 7pm so we ate our Miles' special mild chicken curry and rested up until shower time.

It was Alf and Evlyn's last ride day so they packed up their bikes and tent and checked in at the hotel across the road from camp where we joined them for farewell drinks (Almdudler for me..) and some Kaiserschmarn which is a delicious pancakey desert with apricot jam. Tasted like matzah bra but without the matzah.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiserschmarrn

I particularly liked this sign I spotted during the day. Reminds me of the sign I saw in an Italian cafe in Melbourne: "If you ask for a latte you'll get a cup of hot milk"...