Austria

Austria

Early the next morning  we got up and headed towards the border for Austria arriving first at a duty free shop and car park. We stopped here as there was a walk that you could do up an old pass, that is no longer used, to the border. After reassuring me we were walking the right way we headed up the hill for 15 minutes, Rich then checked the phone and we were walking in the opposite direction so we turned around and went back down the hill, crossed the road and started up an equally steep hill. It took 45 minutes to reach the top where we could cross the bored (unmanned) and walk into Austria. After admiring the views for a little while we headed back down and did a little bit of shopping in the duty free store before heading for the border which we managed to cross without any issues. We then continued on to a town called Klangefurt, stopping on the way at a strange large tower which was made of wood and metal and was perched upon the hill. Having looked up at it we decided we didn’t really fancy walking the steps up there so took some pictures and headed back down to the town.

The following morning we hoped on our bikes and headed into the town centre where we found the dragon fountain which was being slayed by the guy with the weird moustache. The old square was very nice as well but we sound found out that as it was a Sunday all shops were closed and the place was deserted but this did make cycling around a lot easier. However after an hour or so the rain started and it was a very wet cycle back to Pierre. Once back we headed out to a castle which was situated on top of a hill nearby, called Burg Hochosterwitz. This required another walk up hill but as it was a Sunday it was very quiet and we managed to walk around in solitude. At the top of the hill, in the main court yard there was a little museum and a tour started just as we arrived, however we quickly realised it was in German with no English so we wondered off on our own. The museum had a lot of interesting items including an set of amour worn by a giant called Burghauptmann Schenk who was 7ft 4. We then stumbled across an art show down in the cellar which had some “interesting” paintings.  We then headed towards Graz which was is one the major cities to explore in the country. We wild camped 14km outside of Graz with a plan to cycle into the city the next day.   We are doing most of the cities first before spending time in the mountains. 

After oversleeping we decided to drive part of the way into Graz the next day but when we got to the first car park it was full so we pretty much had to drive into the centre of the city. We eventually found parking and we got the bikes out so we could cycle around the city. We soon dumped the bikes and began walking aournd the city as it was a lot busier than the last town. We managed to see most of the sites before lunch time and then decided before walking up yet another hill (to the clock tower) that we would have some lunch and collect the bikes. As I have been craving fish and chips we managed to find a fresh shop which did just that so it was an easy choice for lunch. Once full we headed up the hill to the clock tower which gave great views over the city. After that we headed back to the van and headed north towards Vienna where we planned to spend the next two days.

We found a camper stop not far outside Vienna centre which was at a train station and meant it was a quick 20 minute journey into the centre. The first morning there we jumped on a train with the bikes for a day exploring the city. We first went to the church of St Peter which is the pride and joy of Vienna and I have to agree that it was stunning as it was very gothic. Next we went to the place which is in the centre and to Museumquater where all the museums are. After this we headed to see the clock which is supposed to show the faces of all the important Austrians at noon but it appears it was broken so we didn’t get to see the full show. As it was lunch time we headed to the food market and were spoilt for choice, we could have eaten there all the time and never eaten the same thing twice although hummus and falafel appeared to be popular. After lunch we rode out to Schonbrunn which is a huge palace a couple of km outside central Vienna. I wasn’t prepared for how large the palace would be and we soon realised you could spend a whole day here. We didn’t do the tour of the palace but we walked around the gardens which were stunning and contained a labyrinth, a huge fountain, beautiful flower beds and an entire zoo.  We walked around the garden for a couple of hours before we had to head back to Vienna and back to the van for the evening. 

The next day was my birthday so we had the whole day planned out. As standard we had to have French toast for breakfast and seeing as Rich hasn’t fully succeeded in the past couple of years he thought he would play it safe and take me out for French toast. We went to a little café in the heart of Vienna for our breakfast then headed 14 km out to a nature reserve where there are wild deer and boar. We weren’t sure what we would see but thought it would be nice for a short walk. Well our walk ended up being 6km and mostly uphill but we did manage to see both deer and boar, although the deer were fenced off.  Afterwards we headed back into the centre for some tea and cake which was well deserved before walking around the centre a little more, having a cocktail and some dinner before going to the opera for the evening. The opera was a comedy opera and it was entertaining but we had no idea what was going on and even though we had enjoyed it we decided to leave at the intermission. We decided to try out luck at the casino in the centre before heading home but it appeared that we are still unlucky. 

The following morning we let Vienna and headed towards west towards Linz but we stopped for the evening in a remote camper stop, which was essentially someone’s back yard in Oostentijk. We arrived here mid afternoon and decided that Pierre needed a really good clean and organisation so we set about doing that all day and I made sure that there was no climbing of hills as I needed a day off!  

The next day we drove to Linz which is one of the other major cities  and again we cycled from the car park into the centre. We had a good look around the old town, including the old churches before buying some sausages at the local market and buying some lunch. We then went into the museum of arts and electronic which is really a technological museum and showcased an 8k cinema, a level purely based on the internet and a level which looked at technology and medicine. It was so interesting. We were disappointed we only had a couple of hours in there as we could have spent so much more time there. Rich enjoyed a quick go on the VR headsets and we had a picture of our retinas taken (apparently mine are like that of a 25-30 year old).  After that we had to fnd smeway to stay so we headed to a lakeside carpark in Toscanpark. The next morning we explored the area which has a weird castle thingy called Schloss ort full of Chinese tourist. We made a hasty retreat and headed to Salzburg. We finally found some free parking near the centre. We were unsure from the way we entered Salzburg whether it was going to be worth the visit but once we headed up the river towards the historic centre we were not disappointed. Fantastic scenery and beautiful architecture (Although very touristy). We explored and walked to the large castle to the point where you have to pay which gave us great views. The afternoon went quickly and we were rushed back to Pierre so we could get to our Camperstop in Bishofhshofen  before dark.

The next day we were only a few miles from the largest Ice caves in Europe which was a must. It was a long mountain climb for Pierre followed by a 20 minute steep walk to the cable car, followed for what seemed like 20 minutes of Catherine nearly breaking my hand on the cable car, followed by another 20 minute steep walk to the entrance to the cave – needless to say this was tiring but we had a little while to rest before the English tour started. A very odd looking Austrian (odd as in looked like he lived in an Ice cave) was hilarious to listen to as the emphasis he placed on certain words gave him a willy wonka-esk. The cave was 700 steps up and then 700 down and considering how bored we were of caves by this point it was actually pretty amazing. They used no artificial light and we were all given open flame lanterns which was a nice touch. Nearer the top the Ice was amazing – unfortunately they had a strict no photo policy but again that was nice so you didn’t get held up by photo snapping tourist like ourselves. A long way back down and it was already mid afternoon – we found a cheap farm camp nearby in Palfen where there was very cheap laundry so we jumped on that.

 Next day was GrossGlockner day which involved paying an ridiculous amount (£30) to drive on the high alpine road. In fairness it was worth it. Driving mostly over 2000m which mountains all round we were constantly pulling over to take photos. We made our way over to the other side of the road where we could walk down (a long way down) to the Pasterze Glacier where you could see how far it had receded over the last 30 years. Let’s just say it’s a good argument that Global warming is real! We walked past the signs which said ‘At your own risk’ and hoped the floor beneath us held. The icy Glacier water as you can imagine would have killed us within minutes so we treaded with care until we chickened out at the sign that said do not  carry on without ropes. The hike back up was hell. The walk itself was challenging but at 2000m you really feel it. We stayed nearby on the high alpine road with another British motorhome for what was a very chilly night (Sleeping bags were needed as well as our duvet).

The next morning the weather as forecasted had turned and at that height it’s no fun so we left and headed towards Leinz. This turned out to be a pretty boring town but was surprisingly close to Europe’s largest waterfall – Krimmi. We waited for the weather to settle and started yet another high altitude hike. We just about managed the whole walk up the 380 meter waterfall which disappointingly wasn’t one solid fall but made up of multiple falls. The views at the top were stunning but we knew we had to get back down before it got dark and we still had to find somewhere to stay. We ended up staying at a guesthouse/restaurant in the hills where we had a nice traditional Austrian 3 course dinner. 

The next day we tried to get out of this area and towards the termal spa where we would be spending the next day but little did we know how difficult this area was to leave. As our vignette has run out we are not using motorways so the tom tom tried to take us up a mountain road. Very quickly we saw a sign that said nothing over 2.5tonnes allowed (or something like that, it was in German so we didn’t get all the writing underneath). We continued past this sign with the hope it meant one of the off road but after almost 10 minutes we saw another one and could see that the left hand side of the road appeared to be falling away. Getting a bit more concerned we passed the sign and once past the crumbling road we thought we could continue but then we saw another sign and decided that perhaps we should turn back and find alternative route. So back down we headed and found that the only alternative was the toll road but we needed to by the vignette so we went to the petrol station and they didn’t sell them which was odd. No where else was open as it was lunchtime but someone told us you could buy it at the toll booths (this seemed odd as most toll roads were camera controlled) but we went anyway and soon realised why. This was another high alpine road, not the standard toll road so we paid the toll and continued on, admiring the views along the way. All this confusion and this additional high alpine road meant that the journey, which looked relatively short on the map, actually took over 4 hours. We arrived in the spa town late so we just headed for a camper spot by the fast flowing river and settled in for the night.

The next morning we got up and headed to the spa called Aqua Dome. Rich had done the research on this and given me the appropriate warnings but off we headed anyway. It’s not a cheap spa (at around £70 just for the two of us, before food or anything.  We decided to enjoy the thermal pools first and managed to swim in the 2 indoor pools which were both very warm and in the 5 outdoor pools and little lazy river. There were different pools, including mineral and salt water pools, and they were all different temperatures, including a cool/cold pool which I was not a fan of.   After a relax and another swim we had some lunch in the café before preparing ourselves (well just me really, Rich was fine with it all) for the next part which was the saunas. You might not know this but Austrian and German saunas are naked areas, like fully naked! To access you basically have to remove your swimwear and walk around in a towel, which you then sit on in the saunas and leave outside the steam rooms but there isn’t any instructions to tell you this, you have to pick it up as you go along. Also in this area is a naked swimming pool and some nice seating areas.  I wasn’t sure what I would be able to do but we went into the first sauna and I sat on my towel while keeping my towel tightly wrapped around me and purposely not looking around me at the naked men and women. Next we stumbled into the steam room and soon realised you had to leave your towel outside so we had two options, retreat back outside or remove our towels. I was all for the first option but Rich convinced me to stay and ran away with my towel before I could argue. At least it was steamy in the room so no one could see anything. Next we headed another cooler sauna, which was empty and so Rich stripped off again, while I was still trying to work up to it. However after a little bit more time even I got a little more comfortable with it, although everywhere you looked there were naked people which was a little distracting (it was hard to find somewhere to look where there wasn’t a naked penis, breast or arse).  We ended up spending the rest of the afternoon in the sauna section,  even swimming in the outdoor pool (which was rather weird) and standing under their indoor waterfall.  We left in the early evening and decided after a hard day of relaxing we were too tired to drive far so we headed back to the river for the night.