My Donauradweg Bicycle Ride 2025
NAVIGATION
Finish
The Sign to Follow for the Donauradweg
Passau
Thursday, September 25, 2025
I was planning to go to the train station, take a train to Salzburg, and ride around some lakes before returning to Passau the next day to return my rental bike. Upon waking, it was pouring rain (about the only rainy day of my ride) and I just did not feel like riding in the rain. After having the hotel's breakfast buffet, I went to the front desk and arranged to stay and extra night. After taking a long nap, I woke to find that the weather had cleared and was sunny. I regretted not going to Salzburg but was OK with riding there on a future trip.
For dinner, I walked back to the Rewe grocery store that was across the street from the Korean noodle stand. The Rewe had a take-out salad bar so I made a salad, bought some cooked shrimp to add to the salad, and added a jug of blood orange juice and some chips. I brought everything back to the hotel and had dinner while watching BBC News on the TV.
Friday, September 26, 2025
I was scheduled to return my bike to Fahrrad Klinik on Saturday but decided to return it a day early and take the train back to Munich. At the hotel, I transferred all my belongings from the bicycle paniers to my backpack. I then rode my last 5 km of the Donauradweg into the center of Passau and to the Fahrrad Klinik. I just completed a 600 km bike ride. I took a couple of selfies, with Passau's Veste Oberhaus castle in the background, to commemorate my ride. At the Fahrrad Klinik, I returned the bike to Cristian, the fellow who arranged my rental. He gave me back 10 Euro for bringing the bike back early. I told him he did not need to do that but he said to take the 10 Euro and go have a beer to celebrate.
Passau - St Johannis Stift (Abbey) |
Passau - Me at the End of the Bike Trip |
After returning the bike I walked back to the train station and hopped on the next train towards Munich. I got off the train in Freising, the town just north of the airport that was the closest stop to my hotel in Erding, the town just south of the airport. As Freising is the home of the Weihenstephan beer brewery, the oldest brewery in Europe, I decided to take a bus from the train station up the hill to the brewery and have my celebratory beer. The brewery has a restaurant so I had tasty early dinner of Beer Goulasch along with my beer(s). Then it was 3 bus rides to my hotel, the Ibis Budget, in Erding.
Freising - A Celebratory Beer at Weihnstephan
Erding
Saturday, September 27, 2025
About 2.5 km south of my hotel in Erding is the huge Hot Spring and Spa complex of Therme Erding. It claims to be the largest spa complex in the world or, at least, Europe. The city bus service to Therme Erding does not run on weekends so I had to walk the 2.5 km (1.6 miles) down to the complex. I enjoyed multiple pools and saunas all afternoon and ended up walking back to the hotel in the dark.
Munich - Oktoberfest
Sunday, September 28, 2025
From a bus stop in front of the hotel, I was able to take a bus to the Erding train station where I took the S2 S-Bahn train to downtown Munich. A quick two stops on the U4 subway brought me to the Theresienwiesse, the fairgrounds of the Oktoberfest. After looking over the games and rides of the midway, I headed over to the Paulaner Festzelt beer tent. Having been to Oktoberfest a few times, this was my favorite beer tent and favorite beer.
Munich - Oktoberfest at the Paulaner Festzelt
After some walking through the crowds inside the tent, I was able to find a space at a table. As usual, everyone was singing and dancing at all the tables, including mine. I ordered the normal liter mug of beer and joined in the festivities. At the table we all finished our beers around the same time and all ordered a second round. Much to our dismay, we were all told that around 30 tables in our section of the tent were reserved and we all had to leave the section. We had just started our beers but could not see any open seats. I was barely able to slurp down my beer in the aisle before being told there was no beer drinking in the aisles and I had to find a table. Being a bit disgusted with the situation, I told myself to just be happy that I got 2 beers and caught the U-Bahn and train back to Erding and a bus back to my hotel. Maybe Monday would be less crowded.
Erding - Hot Spring Day 2
Monday, September 29, 2025
Monday was my last day in Germany before flying home the next day. My choice was either another day at Oktoberfest or a day at the hot spring spa. I had had enough beer and did not want to do the 1.5 our train ride back to the Oktoberfest. The city bus was running so I did not have to walk to the springs. Besides, I could always get a beer at the many swim-up bars at the Therme Erding complex. I had a great time at the hot springs so there were no regrets about making that choice. Oktoberfest can wait for another trip. As I had a morning flight back to Denver, I booked a room at the airport Novotel, which is on the airport grounds and a quick shuttle bus ride to the terminal.
Videos
Sunday afternoon at Oktoberfest.