After the quiet of the past few days it surprised us how busy the traffic was this morning in the Zillertal Valley, the sounds of lorries, motorbikes and cars echoing loudly from the early hours. After a cup of tea, we set up the bikes and headed off for the day.
We picked up things for a picnic from a nearby supermarket and followed the valley until we reached the Inn River. This is the river which gives Innsbruck its name (brücke means bridge in German). It may not look so in the photos, but the river is known as ‘the green river’ due to the particles of limestone which reflect the light from the sun.
Fields of sweet corn line the pathway, overlooked by mountains
Alongside the river is the Inn River Cycleway which runs 520km from the river’s source in Swizerland, through the Tirol region of Austria and finishing up in Germany. We were doing a short section of the river ride to make up a 65km return trip from camp.
The first castle of our morning, Schloss Matzen, looking like a fairytale palace
Our destination for the day was Austria’s smallest town, the medieval settlement of Rattenberg. The town has just 400 permanent residents but that is substantially bolstered by visitors – long distance cyclists, people on day rides like us and day trippers. It’s famous for its well preserved medieval buildings as well as the craft of glass blowing – there are several shops there.
The ride was just lovely – the river route is set up for ebikers and manual cyclists alike, with several break areas offering charging facilities, picnic tables, water, and inner-tube vending machines. The route is very gently undulating – we barely moved off the ‘eco’ setting on our bikes all day.
It’s an interesting route too, with little chapels, castles and villages dotting the landscape as we rode, giving the opportunity for a change of scenery or a break at any stage.
Rattenberg sits in the shadow of Rat Mountain and receives no sunlight for much of the winterMr A riding along an apple tree lined pathwayCrossing the fast moving waters of the Inn River
We rode through the cobbled streets of Rattenberg, evidence of its medieval history evident on every corner.
Colourful houses with coats of armsUnknown story told in art on a street corner
We saw a steep lane way leading up to the castle and powered on up for a look.
The castle these days is used as an outdoor theatre
The views from the castle ruins are fabulous. This building dates back to the 10th century and only one tower remains today.
Looking out over the town towards the river and mountainsThe one remaining building, the Bienerturm Tower – named after Chancellor Biener who was beheaded thereA couple of happy cyclists
We enjoyed a drink in a cafe in the town square, before heading back to camp. Well worth a look around if you’re in the area, especially if you’re on two wheels!
Location: Saint Ulrich am Pillersee & Kaltenbach, Zillertal Valley, Tirol, Austria
Saturday: Our final day in the Kitzbühel region was very wet. We had been invited over to Maayke and her husband Simon’s house for lunch so we could get some cat-time and some ideas for places to visit during our next couple of weeks. We donned our waterproofs and hiked the 4.5km over to their house.
Raining cats and dogs on our walk over….
We arrived rather damp, but soon warmed up with a fabulous feast for lunch and shared a bottle of delicious wine while stroking their gorgeous Persian cats and getting some tips for further exploration in the Tirol area.
Adorable cats gave us our feline fix Maayke, Mrs A, Simon and Mr A…the cats refused to pose
Sunday: It was time to pack up Truffy our motorhome and drive deeper into the mountainous Tirol region. We had been given a few suggestions about where to head and finally settled on the Zillertal Valley. It lies around 40km east of Innsbruck, and is well known for its network of cycling trails. But first we had to get there, and decided to take a bit of a detour on the way to see the Krimml Waterfalls, the highest in waterfalls in Europe – the fifth highest in the world. Their backdrop is the snow covered mountains of the Hohe Tauern National Park, containing their highest peaks.
We parked up and paid our fee, then we paid another fee to see the waterfalls. I must admit that’s a first for us, paying to see a natural landscape. Anyway it was quite spectacular, if you could look past the rows of cafes and streams of other visitors!
The force of the water is massive, sending a spray over everyone. Look to the right to see the scale – yes, those are people!Getting a refreshing shower stood hereMrs A trying not to slip into the raging torrent belowThe view from the cafe where we stopped for refreshments
We moved on and followed a route that would take us over a high pass to the Zillertal Valley. Well that was quite an adventure, with the first part of the route being via a single track road with occasional passing places, sheer drops and largely no fencing! Of course we met two motorhomes coming the other way on the narrowest section. All breathe in! I’m so glad that we went for a left hand drive vehicle, as most of our challenging driving will be in Europe where I can see a little better what’s coming round the tight bends.
Sheer relief to be up safe and soundHow’s that for another fine view?
The view from the top of the pass was just breathtaking. We decided it would make a top lunch spot and settled down for a calming cuppa and a sandwich. Heart rate settled, it was time to tackle the route down, which thankfully was mostly on two lane roads. I just had to avert my eyes from the precipitous drop to my right. Catherine was as cool as a cucumber of course enjoying the views.
Another blind bend…this is a wide bit of road with white lines!A bird’s-eye view over the valley as we come down the switchback roads
The bottom of the wide valley floor was reached and our campsite located. Nowhere near as nice as our previous one, crammed in next to a main road, but it will suffice as a base.
Off we headed next on the bikes down the valley, along with half of Austria it seems also cycling! It’s great to see so many different ages enjoying a ride on a glorious Sunday afternoon. Families towing trailers with nodding off children, mountain bikers wearing big grins and mud streaks, and of course the odd roadie with a serious game face on.
Not tired of the mountainous views yetMr A looking tiny
The valley is populated with a string of small villages nestled on the bright green slopes, the cycle path cutting through fields of corn, with jagged mountains piercing the sky in the distance. Not a bad ride at all!
Flowers line the banks of the Ziller River we cycle alongside for much of the ride
As all the shops are closed on Sundays, like most countries in Europe (frustrating) and supplies were low, we had an early dinner, and once again had to pay cash as no cards were accepted.
A glass of wine turned into dinner tooIs this the Austrian banks not supporting small business?
This was sixth time in as many days this has happened, and every time I have asked the merchant “Why no cards?”. The answers have ranged from “All our customers want to pay with cash” (when I was left wondering “Am I not a customer then, as I don’t?”) to “It’s too difficult as we are a small business” (I fight the urge to smile, remembering so many market stalls in other countries where I see traders using their phones or tablets to transact).
Austria appears to be a country that is very conservative in its culture, with its traditional food, dress and customs. Their approach to tourism it seems therefore is to offer what they always have, hearty food of meat and dairy dishes, chosen from a menu with no other language other than Austrian.
The incredible natural beauty of the country, and its seemingly endless options for outdoor activities, will keep bringing more and more tourists, with diverse expectations about what they want to eat and how they want to pay. Last year Chinese visitors to Austria were up by 25% for instance, and they. like me, will expect the convenience of paying by card, phone or watch, shopping when they want to, and seeing a variety of food options on a menu. They all seem to be sticking to the big cities though as we have only met a handful of non-Europeans since arriving here.
It will be interesting to watch how and if the Austrians adapt, hopefully without losing the traditional culture that is part of its charm and attraction. The government is certainly innovative in how it has invested in cycling though, even providing e-bike charging points along some of the paths!
The sun setting over the valley
We rode back to Truffy as the sun set, completing our 25km ride safe in the knowledge we were unlikely to meet a car on our path.
Thursday: Our journey out of Salzburg took us past lovely views of the castle, gleaming in the sunshine after yesterday’s torrential rain. Before long we were heading out of Austria and into Germany for about 20 kilometres, before returning to Austria, upping our 2019 country count to nine (if tiptoeing across a little corner counts!).
Farewell to Salzburg View from our windscreen as we cross the country
Our destination was a little campground close to the village of Hochfilzen. The drive across was gorgeous, as rocky peaks revealed themselves, the land around us seemingly lifting up above our heads with incredible scenery. In the winter, this region is full of skiers with several resorts servicing the slopes, but as was evident as we drove in, summer is all about cycling. Our first impression as we drove the final few kilometres of our journey was that there are way more bicycles here than cars – fantastic!
We’re on a great campsite, surrounded by the mountains, hiking and biking paths starting right on our doorstep (and apparently in winter, the cross country skiing starts right here too). There are only about 20 sites on this family run campground, and it’s very friendly.
We had just finished lunch with my friend Maayke arrived. She’s another friend I have made through the support group I run for people with rare breathing disease idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS). We had a brief catch up before all jumping on our ebikes for a tour of the area
Most of the routes we took are shared paths…Having lived in relatively flat Australia the past 20 years we’re blown away by the majesty of these mountainsReally enjoying this!Hard to stop smiling – Maayke tour guide extraordinaire and I at the start of our ride
And what a tour she gave us! Originally from the Netherlands, she has lived here in Austria for fifteen years and knows the cycling and hiking trails like the back of her hand. She and her husband are extremely active, as always making the curse of developing iSGS all the more painful. Thankfully Maayke found an excellent surgeon in Vienna who has hopefully removed the stenosis, and so far she’s doing really well and is back to a high level of fitness.
It was hard not to constantly stop our ride to take photographs, the scenery so stunning. After about 15km we reached the village of Waidring and Erika Schmid‘s cafe. It is famous among locals for its delicious and huge slices of cake and giant cups of tea. Everything in the cafe is home made, and upon hearing I was dairy free and hence unable to sample the cake, Erika whipped me up a fresh raspberry sorbet – delicious!
Takes some muscles to lift these cups of tea!And as for that slice of cake!! (Maayke helped Mr A out a little)
After that feast, and given it was still such a beautiful evening, we decided to continue our cycle making it a just over 50km circuit.
Temperatures dropping a little as the day progressesMore photos as the sun starts to dropThe sun setting over the Lofer Range – 2,510 metres (8,238 ft) of rugged alpine mountainsThe fields look unreal with the long afternoon shadowsAmazing skies as the sun sinks low
We toasted the end of our ride with a glass of Italian Rosata before retiring for the day.
Friday: It was a slightly disturbed night as a thunder storm roared over us in the early hours, echoing around the mountains and the rain sounding loud on Truffy’s roof just half a metre above our heads.
Maayke arrived just after 9am to take us on our next cycle tour, the scenery very different post-storm.
Mark and Maayke cycle off towards the mountainsVillages with viewsAn ever changing scene with the clouds hanging low
Friday morning is market day in the village of St Johann in Tirol, so we jumped on the bikes again to ride the 22km over there. We had purchased fresh bread from the baker delivering to our campground, so bought some additional ingredients at the market – an heirloom tomato, some freshly made dips, smoked fish, and added a cucumber from Maayke’s garden and we had ourselves a picnic. We enjoyed that in a nearby park, before continuing our exploration.
The endless search for sheep cheeseSmoked fish – a Mr A dream come true!Mr A and I have honed our picnicking skills over the years – can prepare food on any surface!
Before long, the sky was darkening and our mountain views were rapidly disappearing. We decided it might not be wise to be cycling when the storm hit, and so rode to the nearby train station. As tourists, on arrival we were presented with personalised tickets allowing us (and our bikes) free travel on all buses and trains in the area – fabulous.
The train stopped a couple of kilometres from our campground, so it was a short ride back to camp for a cup of tea and showers.
Maayke was back again at 6pm, this time in her car, to take us to dinner. She took us to a local favourite, Gasthof Adolari in St Ulrich am Pillersee, beside a fifteenth century church and overlooking Lake Pillersee.
The 1404 St Adolari church is on a pilgrimage routeAn ornate interiorFrescoes coat the walls and portraits of archbishops overlook the alter
We tried some delicious local dishes we probably wouldn’t have tried by ourselves, including a dessert – Kaiserschmarren, which was like a baked broken up pancake with apple sauce – made dairy-free especially so I could try it.
Delicious food and wine…as you can tell by our empty glasses!Dessert unlike any we have tried before – Kaiserschmarren
A fabulous evening….we’re really enjoying getting to see Austria from a local perspective.
Neither of us had ever been to Salzburg, so with no expectations we caught the bus in to the city, via Mrs A getting a hair cut, and me getting passed Prosecco at regular intervals while waiting. A man can drink a lot of that stuff in nearly three hours.
A beautiful evening for a stroll along the Salzach RiverOur first view of Fortress Hohensalzburg, the magnificent castle overlooking the city The late afternoon sun shining through the water on the 16th century Residence Fountain in Residenzplatz Square
The city immediately dazzled us even with the low cloud hiding the tops of the mountains that surround the city. A wander round revealed a baroque lovers dream, so beautifully restored after being pretty much razed to the ground during World War 2.
Refreshing sprinkles from the fountainMr A is spat on by a horseMeanwhile real horses wait for tourists to hire them to trot them on a tour of the streetsA grand entrance to Cathedral squareA fountain depicts Hercules fighting a dragon.White buildings and green roofs dominate the cityA lovely atmosphere as we amble through the city’s many squares…this one boasting a statue of Mozart, complete with a string quartet busking…and doing quite well!Strolling the cobbled streets to find some fine wineTwo glasses of Weingut Elizabeth Aurora 2015…very approachable…
We visited a wine bar where the waiters knew nothing about the wine they were recommending, and then ate a traditional Austrian dish from the menu of a random place I picked. Worst meal of the whole trip. In fact one of the worst meals I ever remember eating. Just a huge plate of pork, roast potatoes, a dumpling and some coleslaw. Not a single flavoursome part to it. Ah well…might be skipping meat for a while as it has put me right off!
Finishing off our evening with a stroll around the shopping streets, blissfully quiet as they are mostly pedestrianised (bikes allowed)
Today we had arranged to get our bikes serviced, so we rode over to the shop from our campsite, dropped them off and hit the sights again, this time going up to Fortress Hohensalzburg, the castle that sits perched overlooking the city.
A cool grey day, but the city still looks lovely from up at the fortressThe old fortified walls still remain in some parts of the city – visible in the wooded area opposite
We did the whole audio tour and are so glad we did. It revealed a fascinating tale of religious and secular power being so closely wed and of course exploiting the masses. Those masses rose up during the German Peasants’ War in 1525, when a group of miners, farmers and townspeople tried to oust Prince-Archbishop Matthäus Lang, fed up with their lot watching the rich getting richer and they barely fed.
Each archbishop had a coat of arms displayed on their specific amendments to the castle…this one had a turnip to reflect his family’s landowner statusSitting at an altitude of 506 metres the cannons could shoot balls a substantial distance
History has a way of repeating itself and the current trend towards the concentration of money into ever fewer hands should be heeded. Australia for instance just had a near 10% rise in those living under the poverty line.
So the peasants were put down, and the archbishops continued to fortify against further threats, both domestic and international. They clearly commissioned well as there is no record of the castle having ever been breached. It was surrendered though on one occasion….to Napoleon. Well if you were going to surrender to anyone it probably should be him.
Now, that’s a pile of cannon balls….!The benefit of getting to the castle early – avoiding the crowdsStop us taking photos of the view, please!The magnificent living quarters which house the museumGlimmers of medieval history Back down in the city, St Peter’s Monastery, cemetery and catacombs The catacombs date back to 1178…fans of The Sound of Music may recognise this…Bikes galore throughout the town
Our stomachs finally having recovered enough from our meal last night, it was off to my favourite food franchise…Nordsee!
Celebration!
They sell raw and smoked seafood, including my all time favourite thing in a bun – herrings and onions! Yum…Catherine joined as her Fear-Of-Missing-Out syndrome predictably kicked in. None too impressed, I was tasked with finding her a non-dairy hot chocolate. No easy task in this country let me tell you. In fact I failed, most cafe staff just looked at me horrified and I scuttled off. A pot of herbal tea had to suffice, although in my favour a vegan apple strudel was eventually located.
The rain threatened once again so we headed back to collect our bikes. A good job done by the shop. I think given the high level of cycling participation in the city it seems to breed a better standard of bike care. We now even have wing mirrors to stop having to crane round to see if the other is still in pursuit.
The rain thundered down and what is a couple supposed to do with time on their hands? Correct….Thank goodness for the BBC and its iPlayer providing the entertainment we needed to pass a wet afternoon in the 2 square metres of living space we are proud to call home.
Location: Moosham Castle, Unternberg and Altenmarkt im Pongau, Austria
As we departed from Murau the cloud dropped, hiding all the views we had enjoyed over the past couple of days. Along with the cloud, the rain soon started, and instead of temperatures in the mid 20s, the day struggled to top out at 18°C. This is the coolest weather we have had since the east coast of Italy, back in May.
We drove east about 40 minutes, pulling up at a castle I had read about – Castle Moosham (Schloss Moosham).
Looking grand up on the hillsideBuilt in the 1100s, Castle Moosham sits high up on a hillTruffy’s first visit to a castle
The castle had exchanged hands many times over its 900 year lifespan, and was purchased by Count Hans Nepomuk Wilczek in 1886. He was a great collector of antiques, and made it his life’s work to restore the building and to furnish it as a museum. He was an important figure in Austrian history, a researcher funding expeditions to the North Pole among other achievements. He built another castle near Vienna, Kreuzenstein Castle, in order to house his art collection in the 1800s.
His grandson Alexander was the tour guide for my visit (which I enjoyed while Mark chilled out with a cuppa soup and a good book!). His father (Count Hans Heinrich Wilczek) spent much of his childhood growing up in this castle, and now owns this and the castle near Vienna. Our guide lives in another castle nearby…hah we have our camper, who needs a castle?
I was not allowed to take photos inside, which was full of antiques, artwork and collectables from as far back as the 15th century. Alexander was particularly proud of portraits of famous Austrians such as Mozart, as well as extensive collections of suits of armour, weapons, prints and ancient texts in a library.
A fifty metre deep well is the centrepiece to the castle courtyard
This castle has featured in a number of documentaries, boasting to be one of the most haunted castles in all of Europe. It certainly has a gruesome history to go with it.
The history dates back to Roman settlement, where a fort was built at this location. There are a few relics left from Roman times – bits of pillar here and there, stones reused in walls, a tombstone encompassed into a wall.
During a period of 228 years ( between 1534 and 1762) , this castle was the location of 66 executions, of which 44 were attributed to persons accused of sorcery and witchcraft. The dungeons were cold and dark, and full of torture implements – collected from the world over as well as Austrian.
You can almost imagine having to await trial in these cages, terrified for your fate
Tour over, I rejoined Mr A and we continued to our next destination, Altenmarkt im Pongau. About 70km south of Salzburg, it was a random selection on the map, with somewhere to camp which had space! There are many places we have been recommended, but with overflowing campgrounds, bad reviews, and a minimum of three or four nights’ booking, we chose to avoid them this time. The issue with travelling in peak season, I guess.
The rain closed in, and we bunkered down for the afternoon, enjoying the cooler temperatures and an excuse to not do anything for once!
Monday morning dawned drizzling and grey, so we set about trying to find some storage for Truffy between November and March when we’ll be heading to Australia. It seems every single place in the south-east of England (we’re talking Brighton to Milton Keynes here, so quite a big chunk of country!) is fully booked out! One place said they had one space for us, but we would have to start paying the monthly fee immediately to secure it.
Feeling dejected, we put on our rain coats and decided to walk into town for some fresh air.
The cloud hanging low over the hills…it’s hard to believe this is a ski resort!
We got into town at midday, just as most of the shops were closing for a two plus hour break! The town was busy with people walking around, trying door handles, clearly with money burning a hole in their pockets, but unable to spend it.
The Roman Catholic Church, Maria Gebert can be seen for miles, particularly the golden cross on top of the spireCloisters opposite the church offer a peaceful respite from the rain
We enjoyed a hot chocolate in a local cafe, before having an amble around some of the shops which opened earlier than others. The early bird catches the worm as they say, and those shops which decided not to close, or opened sooner than others got our valuable euros.
The town predominantly lives for the winter season, servicing the Ski Amade ski area. Many of the shops sell hiking and skiing gear – Mr A’s favourite stores – he left with two tee-shirts and a pair of shorts. A successful visit!
We headed east from Ferlach and drove just 45 minutes to the small settlement of Pirkdorf. We then spent two days and 55km exploring the R1D, a signposted cycle trail through some of the quieter lanes and roads through sleepy hamlets and villages.
Setting off down a quiet lane – heading for the hills!
One of the reasons we enjoy cycling so much is the ability to see and experience things at a slower pace to the car. Yes, we are on electric bikes, which essentially give us the option to smooth out the hills, but we also get some exercise too – after all our legs keep on moving and we choose how much the motors help us.
The cycle route took us past houses and gardens, through picturesque agricultural lands – the wind whispering through fields of corn, the sunshine gleaming off the smiling faces of sunflowers, the lush green of fields of carrots, potatoes, pumpkins, all ripening in the summer weather.
A typical village scene with the church taking centre stageAlways we are accompanied by breathtaking views of the alpine peaksSunflowers and corn add a splash of yellow to the countryside’s palette And always wildflowers by the roadside
It was midweek in the middle of what is the European school summer holidays, but there were few people around. The occasional person gardening, but otherwise all seemed deserted. There was not even a pub open for us to have refreshments.
Mr A cycles though another picturesque village
Every village has at least one little chapel-shrine (small buildings by the side of the road), often in the centre of the village, but also often on long country lanes, far from houses, probably for the workers to tick off a prayer or two while they’re labouring.
The other thing we noticed was the Austrians’ love of colour. Very rarely would we see a bright red or blue house in the UK or Australia, or two toned colourful shades, but it is frequent here. And they are all newly painted – every village looks affluent and smart, with not a scrap of graffiti or rubbish to be seen.
Schloss Elberstein (Castle Elberstein) built by a local artist in the village of Globasnitz during the 1970sMr A checks whether anyone is home…they’re not…when it is open, the public can explore the ornate interior and artworkJust a few of the colourful houses we encountered on our ride…a veritable rainbow…Even the local fire station is beautifully painted with a mural on the wall
My bike ticked over to 1,000km since we first purchased it (1 April) meaning we’re averaging more than 250km per month. They have definitely been a great investment. Mr A’s ticked over to 1.000km a couple of weeks ago – he had my surgery time to tick up a few bonus kilometres.
A thousand kilometres in four months…
It’s been a great introduction to Austria. Our only challenge has been the lack of English spoken by anyone. It gets a little lonely only talking to each other, we’re dying for someone else to converse with!
Tomorrow we start heading north. We’re expecting it to get a little busier the closer to the cities we get, but we know there will be more adventures and great scenery ahead.
Our stay in Pirkdorf concluded with a fabulous dramatic thunderstorm, followed by a beautiful sunset. Just lovely.
Our view from our lakeside campTruffy under the sunset
We were in the region of southern Austria called Corinthia – nope I’d never heard of either! Lonely Planet doesn’t often come up trumps, it on this occasion we liked the sound of the “lesser known” description, and judging by the nice quiet roads it does seem to be off the usual routes of the global tourist, but well frequented by Northern Europeans judging by the number plates (Germany, Belgium, Netherlands in particular).
We rode off once again to explore a section of the 510m Drau Cycleway (R1) that runs along the river of the same name from Italy’s Tirol region to Maribor in Slovenia. Nope, not heard of that either!
A perfectly still morning as we set off on our rideAn empty path framed by mountains a typical viewRiding through fields of sweet corn
Well the section we did was an absolute delight, with the mountains framing our view one one side, and the glistening river on the other. Even on a Tuesday there were a few other riders about, but nothing like the crowds we had seen in other areas.
Mirror like perfection on the riverA shady part of the cycle – we spotted a red squirrel here…sadly he spotted us first and scuttled away into the treesBeautiful flowers line the pathway…after photographing this a young deer bounded out of the woods, eyed us suspiciously for a few seconds then bounded away…no photos sorry!
We ended up completing all of this section (50km/32 miles), riding out and back, then swinging by a “bathing lake” as they call them here. Again we only saw locals, and that was nice. Catherine had a swim across, I had a more urgent matter to attend to of a nap.
The swimming lake – the mountains made a great goal when swimming
We had noticed this rather posh and traditional looking restaurant yesterday, and today decided to give it a go for late lunch.
A glass of Gruner Veltliner with lunch
We struck lucky, they made a lot of their own meat products, served a delicious cooling beer for me, local wine for madam, and the whole meal cost less then a Sydney breakfast.
Back at camp I took our chairs and sun umbrella (we don’t have an awning so brought one of these to help provide some shade…it looks ridiculous so no photos!) , and set everything up next to our very own mountain stream that flowed along our car park home. The water was ice cold from the mountains and was so refreshing, its been mid 30s (centigrade) again today.
All in all a cracking day….yet again. Riding a trail away from cars, eating and drinking local fare, then getting our spice kick from one of Catherine ‘s concoctions in the evening. Bliss…
Location: Kranjska Gora, Slovenia and Ferlach, Austria
Another fine morning dawned so we decided to don the hiking shoes and explore a new dimension of Kranjska Gora, heading up into the mountains via the chair lift.
Mr A enjoys the journey up
Once up the top though, the walks were pretty much all up, and on a 30 degrees day it was hard going.
Mark finding his leg muscles wondering what’s happenedThe pathway becomes very steep and largely washed out by the winter’s snowmeltMrs A pleased her airway is nice and wide right now – breathing well!
We walked a couple of kilometres up to a great viewing spot, and enjoyed the downhill a lot more than the up!
Looking out towards the Austrian border These craggy peaks still a great novelty for usYellow Foxgloves brighten up the woodlandShades of mauve (species unknown to us!) attract many butterflies The downward chair lift takes the pressure off still delicate toes! You can see the mountain bike park tracks beneath us, the town of Kranjska Gora and into the valley beyond…
We wandered into the pretty town of Kranjska Gora to find somewhere for lunch. Unlike many ski resort towns we have visited during summertime, this is busy and bustling, full of e-bikes for hire, busy cafes and interesting shops.
A very pretty town with cobbled streetsA brief moment with no cyclists on the pathway
It’s great to see a town being successful all year round – no doubt the cycleway passing through is a big drawcard, with many tourers stopping for the night in hotels and B&Bs here.
Our evening’s sosta with a view
Full of pizza, we returned to Truffy to move on to our next destination, out of Slovenia, and into Austria our eighth country this year (the others being New Zealand, Australia, UK, France, Italy, Croatia and Slovenia).
It was less than an hour’s drive to our next destination, Ferlach – Austria’s southernmost town. We took the Karawanks Tunnel, a nearly 8km tunnel beneath the Karawanks Alpine Range.
80km/hr through the tunnel…we’re through to Austria in no time at all!
We had a very loose plan on the other side, aiming for the region of Carinthia. There are a number of cycleways in the area, coupled with beautiful castles and mountainous scenery. We were keen to check it out.
We found ourselves a parking place in Ferlach, a town famous for its gunsmiths, making guns for hunting which are used worldwide. Behind us are the mountains we were the other side of this morning and beside us a babbling mountain creek.
Our nearby creek might get a workout tomorrow with 33°C forecast.A little further upstream are these lovely falls
We got the bikes out for an explore. The town is so pretty, and hardly a person around.
A lovely water feature surrounded by blossoms in the town squareMr A kindly demonstrates one of the many hanging arrangementsCycle friendly bridges over the creek
We had an explore locally before heading down to the 510km Drau Cycle Path which runs alongside the River Drava nearby. We did a small taster cycle as it was getting late in the day, but it has definitely encouraged us to come back and see some more tomorrow.
Beautiful reflections along the riverSchloss Hollenburg – medieval castle built in around 1100Heading back to camp through a local farming village
After riding 19km, a beer in the local pub completed our day before we headed back to camp for showers and dinner. A great introduction to Austria.
How any times have you said when setting off for a ride…”well we had better take our passports!” Thats what we did today when we set off from the small ski village of Kranjska Gora in Slovenia to ride along a short section of cycleway that joins to one of Europe’s most scenic long distance routes, the Alpe Adria trail.
We’re in love with this rugged scenery
At 477km in total, it runs from the city of Grado on the Italian Adriatic coast, to Salzburg in Austria, mostly on dedicated cycleways, with the odd bit of quite road and one section of main road near Salzburg.
Crossing into Italy…as you do….
It was a Sunday afternoon, and heaving with bikes, everyone from toddlers out with their parents and siblings, to grandads like me, all with big smiles. Then there were the Lycra clad road riders, with their long serious faces, clearly on a mission of some sort. We are all out there for our different reasons. For us it’s the sheer joy of zooming around these new places, breathing in today the fresh mountain air, and being awestruck with the views.
Lago di Fusine Inferiore, Tarvisio, Italy
We cycled up to a couple of lakes, after crossing the border into Italy. No security here of course, both countries are in the Schengen Zone. The view was just stunning up to the Julian Alps, still with some snow way above us on the north facing slopes.
Our fine steedsLago di Fusine Inferiore – when the cloud lifts the colours are incredibleDay trippers fill the car park at Lago di FusineThe mountains almost look unreal with their patches of snow remaining
With thunder rolling round the mountains, it was time to head back to our bedsit on wheels. After our few days of luxury in a hotel room we are back to quick showers in our cosy little Truffy, and a home made red Thai chicken curry to end the day. Not a bad trade for a different view out of our window whenever we fancy a change.
We had driven past Lake Bled on our way to Bohinj and it looked lovely, but totally booked out in terms of camping opportunities. We could have done a day trip, but were really keen to see it in depth, so instead booked a hotel room for a couple of nights.
We selected the Grand Hotel Toplice, one of the oldest and most spectacular hotels on the lake’s edge, with fabulous view across to Bled Castle and Bled Island. We have our 17 year wedding anniversary coming up next month and I will be in London for my next hospital appointment, meaning we won’t be together. So, what better excuse for a few days of luxury?
Breakfast at the hotel was an event in iteself, with the best spread of food either of us have seen in many years of staying in hotels.
Delicious breakfast of poached egg with avocado and salmon, with an amazing view
DIY museli with fresh nuts, seeds and fruit, cold meats and juices, cooked eggs, sausages and vegetables, cakes, buns and yoghurts – the choice was endless and meant there was no need for lunch! All this while sat on a balcony with arguably one of the best views in the world.
We set off after breakfast to Bled Island on which stands the Church of the Mother of God, Mr A valiantly rowing us over in a wooden boat.
Getting a post breakfast workoutLady muck
No motorised boats are allowed on the lake, keeping it serene. The church date back to the introduction of Christianity in this area (the year 745), with many adjustments over the years – mostly in the mid 1400s. Before this, there was a temple on the island dedicated to the Slavic goddess of love, Ziva.
Traditionally the groom has to carry the bride up these 99 steps before they can marry at the church!Looking back towards Bled CastleThe church as we approach the islandA shoal of fish under one of the rowing boatsVery fit rowers paddle boatloads of people to the island all day long
Humans have been settled in this area since the Stone Age, with numerous artefacts found and displayed in the Castle, which we walked up to on our return from the island. There we enjoyed more amazing views, and saw our first little Slovenian red squirrel.
A well deserved shady break after the climb upImpossible to do these views any justice…looking down towards Bled IslandBreathtaking…but breathing well (still hobbling with injured toes though)Looking east towards the Karawanks…some big hikes through here
After an hour or so enjoying the hotel’s spa we went back to the room to get ready for dinner…Mr A decided to see whether we could get an upgrade. Well, he was very successful – managing to get us room 501, the best lake view room in the hotel!
A room with a view – cheers! 17 years of marriage coming up on 16 August…Our hotel and new room as seen from the opposite shore, beneath the castleYet another photo of our ever changing view to the castle and island
Truffy was parked nearby so we picked up a bottle from our champagne stocks and cracked it open to celebrate with a glass of bubbles before going to dinner.
Dinner was at Restaurant Sova, which we had booked because of its fabulous reputation for both modern and delicious Slovenian food as well as having a wide selection of local wines and highly trained sommeliers. We were not disappointed.
Delicious local wines sampledThey allowed us to split a glass into two glasses to widen the sample tastedWe enjoyed a bottle of the middle wine – Starà Brajda Old Vineyard Red 2015Food was amazing too – this seafood risotto with a scallop with champagne foamMr A enjoyed a pasta with cheese and truffles
Our evening finished off with a free live concert as part of the ‘Taste Bled’ weekend event. A great band called Lumberjack entertained us with covers from Kings of Leon, Lenny Kravitz and Dire Straits among others, before a ‘famous in Slovenia’ band headlined playing their own music (which was great for the locals especially). A perfect end to a perfect celebration!
After sunset – the view out towards Bled Island, the church all lit upThe castle floodlights stay alight all nightThe twinkling lights of the township
I really did not expect to like Lake Bled as much as I have done. After Lake Bohinj, seeing big hotels, restaurants and a casino it all felt a little commercial. But in reality it has been far from it. The local people have been so friendly and welcoming, the hotel staff excellent, and everyone clearly loves Slovenia and is full of recommendations of what to see next. It has been more like being welcomed into a small town. This area will always have a place in our hearts.
Sunrise this morning
It’s so hard not keep looking at this ever changing scene, the chiming of church bells around the water (especially now as I write on Sunday morning, calling people to service). With a late checkout today I think we will treat ourselves to this view just a little bit longer before we jump back into our camper and continue our journey in Slovenia.
