EURO TOUR 2023 - Stage 15 - Innsbruck (Austria)

 

Stage 15 - Innsbruck - Austria - 17th October to 18th

It wasn’t far in distance from my campsite to Innsbruck, but I can only assume there was a major accident on the motorway because on the inside lane there were miles of lorries, and on the outside it wasn’t moving too quickly either (the practice in Austria is to leave the middle lane open for emergency vehicles).

My Google Maps took me off the motorway, but unfortunately so did a high proportion of other vehicles. Only 7km to Innsbruck centre but it was very slow…I nearly bailed at one point…but finally made a car park right in the centre.

A quick pint, and advice from the waitress on what I could do in three hours….so off I went, checking out the old town, river area, but failed in finding the train to a high viewpoint…I didn’t try very hard. Yes, it was very nice, I do find architecture interesting but at the same time, I’m always looking and prioritising the mountain skyline (which was a tremendous surround of the city).

Innsbruck is the capital of Tyrol and is on the River Inn, a tributary of the Danube.

So that was it! 😎

I’d got a hotel, just a few kilometres out of town, I didn’t want to freeze again for a second night….and England were playing Italy in footy, and thought it be nice to watch in comfort. (for ref : €53).

The car park perhaps not surprisingly had several campervans, owned no doubt by others who tried to sleep that previous night in sub zero temperatures ! In fact it was confirmed by one, a Swiss snowboarder guy at reception…who couldn’t believe I’d been in a tent! He also thought that at the weekend there could be snow, and was alarmed I didn’t have “Winter tyres!”.

England won 3-1 👏😊 (but Southgate should’ve had Madison on from the start instead of the defensive rusty Phillips!).

EURO TOUR 2023 - Stage 14 - Hohe Tauern National Park (Austria)

Stage 14 - Hohe Tauern National Park - Austria - 16th October to….

So I left Salzburg in glorious sunshine, but the temperature had dropped, this was autumn now! Google Maps said nearly two hours to my destination, but almost immediately I was driving through Alpine landscapes, and immediately realised there was an awful lot to discover in Austria (combined with the Bavarian Alps), I flagged a future trip but much more dedicated to just this area…(country!).

Several tunnels later (I was heading due south towards Slovenia) but eventually took a diversion, as the plan was to scale and experience the Grosglocken Pass….the highest paved road pass in Austria, at 2504m. However at the toll gates (yes!) they were closed, unless you had snow chains! There had been heavy snow higher up, as witnessed by the live feed in the Information Centre…so about turn I went! Shame, the views are supposed to be brilliant from the tops. 🤷‍♂️

I was going to Mittersill anyway, and the advice at the IC was to head that way too….it seemed a thriving large village / small town….but the nearest camping was 12km away, down the valley at a very small place called Wald just down from Krimml.

The campsite looked closed, but a mobile home pulled up, with a nice German couple….who confirmed it was open, and although it was defo much colder the sun was shining and made a difference, in the sun!  (For ref: €17, and a Euro back on the lukewarm shower!).

I went out on the bike, with some guidance from the lady at the reception. Which included a track off the valley through, yes a deep forest….the aim was to view the alpine skyline, above the forest. But I gave up! It went on and on, and at one point was 25%….and the temperature was 0C, so I returned to the valley, and followed the cycle trail signs to the Krimml Waterfalls, the highest in Austria.

However, they wouldn’t let me in, with a bike! And it was €8 - I saw the last part of the fall from the other bank, and from a distance….and yes, for a waterfall it looked impressive.

It was all downhill from there, literally, 500m back to camp! By which time the sun was going down, as was the temperature! Even the friggin shower was cold, but the welcome from my German neighbours was warm…they invited me to join them for a beer! Probably in their 70s, the following morning they were cycling up the old road above the valley, dumping their bikes then hiking to a nearby lofty peak. They told me they’d done the same in Slovenia, up Triglav the highest mountain, including a necessary refuge sleepover….well impressed!

I struggled but eventually found a very local restaurant in a nearby village run by an elderly couple, with no English…and some interesting German music on the radio! I chose another local dish, and yes more dumplings and sauerkraut with pork again, I think….and applestrudel again!

Returning to my pitch, I stayed in the car a while because it really was cold! While I completed my social media etc gubbins….and fvck it was cold, a seriously clear star lit sky was a bonus, but it ended there…my night was very restless, it was soooo cold! 

There was frost everywhere, of course, the following morning….and I had no hesitation in deciding not to do a second night! Although once I got sorted in all my gear, and the sun started to shine, breakie was quite nice….it was very clear again….but cold. I had a lovely chat with Becky….then set off towards Innsbruck via the old road that climbed over 700m above the valley. 

I decidedly had an end of trip head on, I wasn’t as enthused about finding cycle routes nor hiking….but happy to car trip and site see….bloody tourist. As stated before I would really like to return and spend much more time in this region!

Becky said I must visit Innsbruck….but that’s a city, and I don’t get enthused by them….unless they are special…🤷‍♂️

EURO TOUR 2023 - Stage 13 - Salzburg (Austria)

 

Stage 13 - Salzburg - Austria - 15th to 16th October 

Finally leaving Vienna and John, on the Sunday morning. Although I waited until nearly 11am, John was still with the fairies (these working people)…so I quietly (as possible) made my move, west, affectively heading home….well in the right kind of direction.

Vienna is located in the relative flatlands of eastern Austria…so according to Google Maps, it was 4.5 hours to my next destination, the Hohe Tauern National Park.

However, for the first time, I drove through some intensive rain…and after a quality restaurant pit stop (McDonalds 😜)….I checked the forecast, which was rain all day….and being only 20km from Salzburg, I decided a city stop on this occasion was justified….and Salzburg is supposed to be the nicest Austrian City?

So Salzburg it was…but I’m not sure you can compare it with Vienna, they are very different. For one Vienna is a much larger city…and as nice Salzburg was, I’d easily rate my “tourist walk” that I did around Vienna well above Salzburg.

In Salzburg’s defence, it was grey and rainy…still nice , with the river Salzach and the old town, with medieval and baroque buildings, and of course 🤷‍♂️, it is where some geezer called Mozart was born!

My walk lasted over four hours, but 90 mins of it I was in O’Malleys Irish Bar….it was in the historic old town!

A basic but adequate hotel for the night (for ref: €53), Hotel Flair! My room had no kettle, so for breakie, I put a plastic bag around the smoke detector, and used my camping gas cooker to make a couple of cuppas! And fortunately there was no need for a hotel evacuation due to the fire alarms going off, but just as I walked outside, a fire engine pulled up with the guys in full breathing equipment. I thought shit, but then realised their focus was on next door, I think?

Anyhow, I quietly and quickly loaded my car, and swiftly exited Salzburg, and finally headed into those big mountains, on what was a contrasting morning…blue sky and sunshine!

EURO TOUR 2023 - Stage 12 - Vienna (Austria)

Stage 12 - Vienna - Austria - 12th to 15th October 

Quite interesting driving the rural roads north towards Vienna, from Lake Balaton, until I reached the freeway…very arable, crops galore to the horizon, a real food basket! Interesting…

That serenity was broken though on the motorway at rush hour, especially the closer I got to the city centre….very difficult negotiating what Google Maps was instructing, as the GPS was lost in the multiple tunnels…but somehow I went straight to John’s without a hitch! And there was John welcoming me on the roadside (I did invoke “Live Location” on WhatsApp!).

I hadn’t seen John in over 4 years, who used to live in Sheffield but now firmly ensconced in central Vienna. And you can’t blame him!

I spent 4 days with him, and although that’s a short time to gain a full understanding of anywhere, I was suitably impressed to how his lifestyle has been improved (oh, except a decent pint, unless you count Guinness!). The city centre is fairly compact, we went into the centre every night for food and liquid refreshment, but I also spent a chunk of a day walking around all the historical areas, which were very impressive (coming from me, that says a lot!).

Included the City Hall, Parliament, Theatres, Museums, Churches and the Cathedral, see photos.

And then there is the weather! Mid October and it’s sunny and in the low 20s, and invariably dry (rain shadow from the Alps to the west)….and John stated this is normal!

I did a spin on the island where the Danube was dammed, so on one side is an affective lake, and the redirected flowing Danube on the other side. Created relatively recently, in the 80s, to alleviate any flooding?

However on the Saturday, John lent me a road bike, and we did 100k plus / 4 hours riding, with three significant climbs and a few “blips”…first road ride for me for months, and certainly not that long…I survived just, but with some lower back pain. I thought Vienna was at the flat end of Austria!!

It made the evening pasta and Guinness taste that much better of course! Aided by a tremendous atmosphere in an Irish pub watching the Ireland vs NZ rugby quarter final…packed to the rafters….but most went home unhappy, but a classic frenetic top level game of that rugger! 

All in all, 4 great days, it flew by, and the combo of John’s company and the city itself, I really enjoyed it….and…I had a bed! Lol.😂

But John was flying to Zurich on business on the Sunday, so head west young man? Vienna being the furthest point east on my trip (or was Hungary?)….so affectively heading back now, and getting back on the original itinerary to the Austrian Alps but it was pouring down as I approached Salzburg, with two hours more driving to go….what do I do? 🤷‍♂️😊

EURO TOUR 2023 - Stage 11 - Lake Balaton - (Hungary)

Stage 11 - Lake Balaton - Hungary - 11th to 12th October 

I awoke at Kranjska to blazing sun with not a cloud in the sky, it was so tempting to stay, the Alpine skyline was at its best, but I’d already decided to leave and head to Lake Balaton. 4.5 hours drive, but soon I was leaving those Alpine vistas behind, although on the approach there was some variation and more appealing landscapes, but mainly in Slovenia.

Arriving on the shores of the Lake, I stopped to conduct some local research; which part of the lake is nicest and where are the campsites? Whilst doing so, I noticed a pair of Bearded Reedlings feeding quite confidently, despite my presence, on the mudflats. See photos, very nice, first time I think, I’ve seen them.

It turned out I had another hour to drive towards the eastern end of the lake, but even still struggled to find a place to pitch my tent. The sites were closed, out of season, but they were more like holiday camps anyway. For a short time I struggled, also, I wasn’t impressed with the general environment. However on checking AirBnB I found a hotel in one of the recommended villages, Tihany. Sited on a historically protected peninsula. The hotel was nice, all oldie worldly and thatched roofs, and next to a nature reserve. 

(For ref: £51 plus €6 for parking!)

In the evening after photographing a Syrian Woodpecker, I went in search of an eaterie. In the dark, the village looked nice, and planned to revisit the following morning. I requested an Hungarian dish, and was presented with beef cheek, in red wine sauce and potato dumplings! Very nice!

With no expectation on a planned bike circuit, after my first impressions yesterday, I was really pleasantly surprised. I did visit the village first, which was nice, with elevated views over the lake, and prime position given to the Benedictine Abbey. The lakeside dedicated path was a little monotonous, but once I climbed up into the hinterland it was very nice, with pleasant villages, quiet lanes, vineyards, forest trails and deer! A real mix.

Within an hour of arriving back at the hotel, I was heading almost due north, as planned, to visit a pal in Vienna….noticing how rural that part of Hungary is, through miles and miles of arable land.

But in less than three hours all that was forgotten, as I negotiated the crazy freeways at rush hour heading into Vienna.