I’ve heard it said that true luxury is about choice. Whether or not that’s true, I do know that as a traveler, I appreciate choice. One of the arguments against cruising, in fact, is that it can be too confining, too restrictive, too few choices, especially when it comes to river cruises. The herd is forced to follow the lollipop (the signage that the tour guide holds up to keep the group together), and the pace of the tour becomes as fast (or more often, as slow) as its lowest common denominator. I’m an active 57-year-old, and the pace of such tours often is too slow for me.

                                                                       Scenic Jasper arriving this morning in Durnstein

Today, our 20-mile bike ride from Durnstein to Melk was anything but slow. We weren’t breaking records, but for the 20-plus of us who pedaled, the ride was exhilarating and fun. Along the way, we stopped several times for photographs, bathroom breaks and to check out noteworthy sites. Scenic’s electric-assist bicycles made the going easy as we pedaled along mostly dedicated bike roads through the beautiful Wachau Valley, a wine-producing region in Austria.

                        Preparing Scenic’s electric-assist bikes for a ride from Durnstein to Melk, a distance of about 20 miles along the river.

                                                         Leaving Dunstein (Scenic Jasper is ahead of us on the left).

                                                           Cycling through the Wachau Valley, wine-producing country.

                                                               At times, we caught up with and rode alongside Scenic Jasper

                                                                  Our group of cyclists. The April weather was chilly but not cold.

                                                                                Having a wonderful day cycling.

                                                                       We pedaled through charming villages along the way.

During our ride, Scenic Jasper sailed toward Melk. We pedaled alongside her at times and at other times would lose her as we veered away from the river toward charming villages that looked as though they may have been movie sets for the “Sound of Music” (tomorrow, in fact, one Scenic tour takes guests to locations where the classic film was produced).

                                                                            Scenic Jasper rounds the bend.

We reached Melk in a little less than three hours after we had left Durnstein. I would highly recommend this tour for anyone who is moderately active and comfortable on a bicycle. Our guides were excellent, a father-daughter pair from the Wachau region, with the daughter leading the way and the father following up at the rear to make sure that no one took an unintended detour.

                                                                                  Melk Abbey in the distance.

The guided bike tour was one of three tours that Scenic Jasper guests could experience today. The other tours were a visit to the Melk Abbey and afterward a Scenic Sundowner, a new program for 2015 that takes guests to a special location to toast the end of the day. Our Scenic Sundowner took us to Burgruine Aggstein, 12th-century castle ruins that sit high above the right bank of the Danube and is one of lower Austria’s most popular attractions. By coincidence, a Medieval festival was taking place at the castle on the evening we were there.

                              Ruine Aggstein 02” by Uoaei1 – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 at via Wikimedia Commons.