363 to Krems 18.7.2019

My evening was not too long and so it was no surprise that I woke up at 5:30, even without being nervous and of course without any good reason else. I can use that additional time as always, with “working” on my PC. There are 12 videos left to cut (the videos of today and tomorrow included) and tomorrow, with day 364, my diary will be finished. There are some other trip-related tasks I want to finish and maybe I will prepare a presentation, but the next project, Uganda 2025, grows bigger in my head every day and needs structures, procedures and most important: fellows, supporters and cooperating companies. I guess that after the first days after returning home and resuming my daily life and meeting my friends and relatives, I will try to concentrate on this utopia.
At the hotel AsiaWok, I got breakfast at 8:30 and it was partly very typical Austrian with rolls, butter and jam, but I also got sliced apple and banana because there was no cheese or vegetarian alternatives to sliced sausage.
On this trip, I had used booking platforms more often than most people within a year, but just at my last booking I made a mistake. In another case in Vietnam, I had supposed that my booking was paid by credit card, but I should have paid cash and this time, the host wanted to get paid cash but only later I saw that I had done the already by card. Between those two bookings, I managed to check in advance and always made a note on paper with booking number, address, telephone number and the way of payment.
It was no big deal, I got back my money and for me it is no big surprise that that happened to me, I always have moments of inattention (in fact daily life is a row of such moments) and so things MUST happen and every day is a good day when those things are not (too) bad.
It is interesting, if I must go 120km, 60km feels just like what it is, half of the complete tour and not worth mentioning. But if 60km is the goal, it becomes bigger! Let’s call that Cycology.
Cycling more than 100km on so many days last year hadn’t made me much stronger or more enduring, I only know that it is possible and then I do it. One year ago, I thought  it is possible and did it. The result is the same, you are tired and a bit proud or satisfied and appreciate a shower.
On the way there was an impressive border between the sunny side where I came from and a thunderstorm in front of me. You could see curtains of rain under black clouds and the sun shone a bit into that scenery. It felt a bit silly to look for protection while the sun was shining on me, but it was clear that heavy rain would come soon. I went on and luckily there was a shelter 3m besides me when it started. And 3m was short enough to get into the dry. I could enjoy that natural spectacle and after 10min go on as a dry Martin(i). I was a bit shy to take photos of lower Austria, just 100km from home and was not sure if it is indeed equally nice as so many other places in this world or if it is a matter of prejudices. It is high season of the Wachau apricots and at least here I can say that a ripe apricot in Austria is simply delicious.

When I reached the campground, – my last night in a tent before reaching home, that is good dramaturgy – it was about to rain again and only a few minutes after setting up the tent and protecting everything, it rained, not like before but enough.

I bought some food in a nearby supermarket and read in the lonely planet for Uganda and when the rain stopped, I made a little tour through Krems.

And then I had my last evening before ending the trip with business as usual, but a slightly different feelings – excitement is the clearest of them.