Budapest by Bicycle Stage IV ..... The Danube and Transcontinental Shipping

If UNESCO is anything like the Olympics Committee, you should be able to recognise them by their very nice winter sea jackets. Only one ferry company is permitted to operate through the Donaudurchbruch between Kelheim and Kloster Weltenburg, and no private craft or canoes are permitted. The cost of world heritage.

Kelheim is where the Main-Donau canal joins and international shipping on the Danube starts, creating an east west link across Europe which is well used by cargo ships (they are too big to be called barges) from Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland and even Italy (lost? like their political leadership?).

There are many locks and hydro power stations taking advantage of the huge volumes of water and swift current.Best of all are the cable ferries: they have no engine, instead hanging off a pulley on a high overhead cable across the river and steered by a huge oar to keep the pointing 45 degrees into the current to propel them across the river.

Passau is an old city at the confluence of the Donau, the Inn and the Ilz, a busy passenger liner port. I am now 1200km into my bike ride and about 700km downstream of Donaueschingen, half way to Budapest.