We rode from Sopron to the Heron Castle in the Fertő-Hanság National Park. There we heard a lecture on efforts to preserve the unigue species of animal and plant life that exist at the southern end of the Neusiedler See, a region where three major weather systems interact -- one originating in the steppes of Russia and Ukraine, one from the Mediterranean Sea, and one from central Europe.

After a picnic lunch, we rode on to the Esterhazy Palace (which turned out to be unavailable because it was currently being used for a film shoot) and then on to our elegant lodging at Szidonia Manor House, where a swim was welcome after the heat of the day's ride.