Thursday, June 27, 2013

Cycling on the Danube

I had the chance to cycle from Passau, Germany to Vienna, Austria along the Danube River recently. I found some dual inductive loop detectors at about a dozen locations, keeping track of the cycle traffic. It was fascinating to see the impressive repair and recovery work just a few weeks after a major flood. The roads, railways and cycle path were all clear, clean, and open. One could see the dramatic devastation to many homes and businesses due to the flooding but most were being repaired, dried and cleaned up. Fire trucks were spraying down the path, fire boats were in the river clearing debris, and teams were removing, cutting and stacking trees up for later removal. Large piles of trash were awaiting disposal. Despite the trauma, the trip was beautiful and interesting.