Ripples of activity

For athletic-minded travelers, the Danube River stretches from Germany to the Black Sea and draws people looking for the picture-perfect backdrop for their outside endeavors.

By LARA WOZNIAK
Published June 5, 2005

[Photos: John Violett]

The pathways along the Danube River in Budapest provide a view of the city’s historical buildings.

	Running at night along the Danube River in Budapest offers an array of lighted architectural wonders.

Skip the hotel gym the next time you're in Europe. Hit the Danube.

Europe's khaki-colored river (Johann Strauss Jr. was either colorblind or awash in poetic license when he chose blue for his most famous waltz) is lined with biking trails that make it one of the best-known sporting secrets in the European Union.

The 1,770-mile-long Danube kicks off in western Germany's Black Forest and flows eastward through 10 countries to its mouth at the Black Sea. Once part of the Roman Empire's northern border against the barbarian world and a natural compass for soldiers during the two world wars, the Danube is now a more light-hearted arena, and a playground for Europeans.

On any given Sunday the river is abuzz with dog walkers, cyclists, horseback riders and joggers.

But keep that history of warfare mind: Planning out your course of action is the best way to attack the Danube, as sections of it run parallel to a screeching array of wanna-be Formula One drivers cruising the autobahn.

Seek out the river's isolated edges, where the trails are closed to cars. Take the flat, soft-soiled trail that runs along the northern edge of Dillingen, a southwestern German factory town of roughly 18,000, about a 45-minute drive west of Munich.

Dillingen features the requisite Danube (or Donau in German) touches: a palace, formally the residence of the bishops of Augsburg, and a history of counter-culture. At the end of the 16th century, when Martin Luther's reformation was in full swing, the Bishop Otto von Waldburg founded a Jesuit university in the town to foster debate.

Now the city's a tranquil town, but the trails are chock full of wildlife.

As you run, listening to the spluttering sound of diving ducks struggling to lift off the water before they splat back down for a fishing expedition takes one's mind off the pain. Be forewarned: You may get hungry - for fois gras, perhaps?

The fowl certainly drive the occasional Labrador retriever and other hunting dogs wild with instinctive desire that keep them pitching toward the river while their masters snarl"heel."

If you prefer urban wildlife, hit the pavement in Budapest. The Danube (or Duna in Hungarian) literally cuts the city in half.

The hilly Buda side boasts the 15th century royal palace, the 700-year-old Matthias Church (where royalty were once crowned) and more than a dozen museums. The flat Pest side features the market hall, hero's square and the neo-Gothic Parliament building. The latter was built between 1884 and 1902, making it a juvenile in this crowd of architectural seniors. However, its medieval-styled buttresses, spires and archways make it appear much older.

You don't have to choose which bank to run on, as you can zigzag across the three main bridges that connect the two sides. It's a tough call: running at dawn, when it's most quiet; running at midday, when the beautiful people are out in Lycra; or running at night when the city's architectural gems are alight.

Best upside: The city is flooded with medicinal bathhouses in which to soak yourself after a strenuous run. Two top picks include the neo-Romanesque Gellert Baths, which separate men and women, making it preferred among tourists; or the more local favorite, from college kids to grannies, the Lukacs Baths. They are both on the Buda side of town.

For the truly competitive: Train for Austria's Linz Marathon, which takes place along the Danube in the town famous for its Linzer tortes. The fourth annual marathon was April 17, with more than 10,000 competitors, but marathoning takes preparation, so start now for next year.

The wonders of running in Linz are that the trails are wide, so a cyclist, horseback rider and runner can pass one another without rubbing shoulders. And it is silent, so one can dream; for running without dreaming is merely pain, just as the Danube without dreams is merely a river.

- Former St. Petersburg Times reporter Lara Wozniak now lives in Hong Kong and writes on economic matters.

[Last modified June 3, 2005, 09:56:03]