Day 13: Wachau! Bless you

Pochlarn to Krems (43km)

Today would be my last day with the guys and would also see us pass through the famous Wachau valley, producing some of the most spectacular scenery so far. Once again we continued the trend of good periods of paddling, interspersed with breaks at regular intervals. We passed through Melk, Emmensdorf, Willendorf and many other small towns that line this picturesque section of river. The banks are lined with castles, churches and many other buildings of historical importance. The Wachau valley is a well-known wine producing region of Austria, the river pierces through mountains covered in vineyards, a lovely sight.

The guys had left a car in Mautern and from there would all go their separate ways. We arrived in the afternoon, had a beer and said our goodbyes. It’s been a real joy paddling with them the last few days, they made this spectacular section of the river even better, just truly nice guys.

Otto, Chris and Josef.

I continued on for another few kilometres to Krems, which has a campsite right on the river. After a bit of difficulty getting the kayak out of the water, I finally did so and made my way to the campsite. Today is a Sunday and tomorrow is a holiday here in Austria so the town was really busy with events on the river and on the banks. It had a nice feel to it and after setting up camp, I had a wander around. It’s been a really nice start to Austria, the river has been great and I’ve been very fortunate to once again benefit from the kindness of strangers.