There was not a lot organised in our next stop of Bratislava, (not a cycling day, as such) other than free time wandering the drizzly streets in the morning, so we took advantage of this to find a laundromat and deal to a couple of weeks’ worth of washing and then exploring the areas around the city centre. We were a little underwhelmed after the beauty of Budapest, but it was good to see a different place without needing to be somewhere at a certain time to meet the boat.

Chris had been suffering a head cold since Mexico, and unfortunately, I was starting to display symptoms myself now. Because of that, I decided not to take part in the casual afternoon ride to an island downstream and back again, but Chris and the Canadians braved the drizzle and windy ride, glad to get out but it wasn’t the delightful ride it may have been on a sunny day.

The following day was probably the prettiest and most interesting riding day, starting at Krems. The sun was out, I was feeling slightly better and we enjoyed riding beautiful trails in the Wachau Valley with delightful villages and traditional celebrations happening around us. Then on to a final climb up to the magnificent Melk Abbey. I had missed the turn for easy access to the Abbey, and so, we climbed up a very sharp ascent to approach Melk from above, poor Chris , still suffering some breathlessness from his cold, was absolutely shattered by the time we reached the top, I was breathing hard too but my e-bike took the worst of the effort away. Time to pause in the gardens for lunch and then wander this beautiful Abbey and then a cold drink in town. Met some fellow kiwis sitting at a cafe (wearing a NZ flag always makes us ask) and had a catch-up as you do . Then back for our final night on the boat packing and getting ready for the next part of our adventure.

Would we recommend this trip – absolutely… we had a fantastic experience, met new friends, saw amazing scenery and enjoyed not living out of suitcases on the ship, comfortable bed, hot showers and delicious food. The only downside was the strong German-language focus of the cruise, but that was a minor irritation we lived with. We sadly disembarked back at our starting point in Passau, ready to transfer to our onwards adventures.