Author: travellingkathy

So where is it? About 80km directly west of Basel (but about 100 km drive to the border).

The old town is nestled in the crook of the small river, overlooked by the citadel on the high ground on the ‘neck of the crook’. And higher hountry pretty much all around.

i took a short river cruise – a circuit possible because a river tunnel was cut under the citadel in the 1880s. Small locks to avoid a couple of low weirs on the river.

My hotel is on higher ground a couple of km north of the centre/river. Seems like it was once an area of big houses with fine gardens and tall stone walls. Some of the walls and gardens remain, though not so many of the houses. Now mainly multi-storey apartment blocks – unremarkable, in various levels of upkeep. But maybe some of the planning permissions required that the old gardens and trees be kept as public parks.

One of my main purposes for the day was to buy some Blutak (to use as mapboard markers). But where? Papers and magazines are sold with tobacco, not stationery.  Why can’t I find an Officeworks on the next corner? I trudged and trudged. Finally there was a ‘stationery’ sighting in the window of a bookshop.  I scanned the shelves. Didn’t look too hopeful. But I asked. After much description of the original purpose of Blutak, he produced Patafix. Seems like the same thing, but white.  Will see how it goes …

Having decided I needed a couple of quiet days, I pretty much put a pin on the map and consulted booking.com with the filter on car parking and free wifi. Then looked for a reasonable sized room where I could happily hang out …

And here I am in suburban Besançon. Quite suitably in a Retirement Home! Seems like it’s fairly new – I guess they’re renting out rooms until they fill it with ‘proper’ residents. (Though apart from my lack of French, I almost fit the demographic.)  I arrived yesterday dressed in bike gear (the planned bike ride got washed out by persistent rain) and made a couple of trips with bags and shopping etc through the foyer past residents at Happy Hour. Many bemused looks!

So far living up to expectations: little kitchen, automatic night light!, sunny balcony when the sun comes out, indoor pool, listening to the ABC on internet radio. Not sure that lounging in my bathrobe is quite my scene though. (There is a photo but I think my camera must think it’s tomorrow and the iPad doesn’t like that. Maybe add it tomorrow.) yeah well the camera doesn’t want to give it up. I’m persistent but very hard to take one-handed photos with the iPad in its case! And just in case you’re wondering, I did mean to cut off my head!

Now what was I going to do apart from sleeping in and happily frittering the day away?

 

(For my Chorus following – that could be the line in a song …)

Germany to Czech was seamless. You know you’ve reached CZE by the numerous Casino signs.

Czech to Slovakia was confusing. I knew I had to buy a motorway pass at the border. Stopped at the signed office – only to find I was still in CZE and they wanted Czech money. A further 5 km farther on (and I don’t recall seeing a border sign) there was the Slovak office so I could pay in Euros.

Slovakia to Austria. Again I needed to buy a motorway pass … but hang on, I’m in Austria already. Where was the border? (As it turned out I didn’t need the pass that first day anyway.)

Austria to Germany.  Now we’re getting more serious. Long slow queues and a chicane of barriers and myriad police but no one actually being stopped.

Germany to France. A half-hearted chicane and a sign for police but none in attendance.

But hey! I’m in France. Not really prepared for this. I’ve been pretty comfortable with 3 weeks of German (in Czech if they don’t speak English then they could manage German). Should have brushed up on my non-existent French. The motorway signage is a mystery. Hardly ever accompanied by pictures. And the receptionist at my hotel-apartment place had less English than I have French! It’s going to be an interesting 2 weeks.

No,  I hasten to reassure you, I did not take a Sounds of Music tour in Salzburg! Reading the blurb, it visits the locations used in the movie (most of which are not in Salzburg, and not even all in Austria). But I have now left Austria.

But I get ahead. Yesterday I drove to St Gilgen at the western end of the Wolfgangsee (lake) and caught a ferry then the cog railway that climbs 1200m in 5.85 km to the summit of Schafberg. That’s pretty steep in places – though more scary coming down than going up. We had a steam engine though there are also new Diesel engines.

There were no sheep, but a few cattle on the meadow just above the tree line.

The restaurant is on the summit at 1782m. No flat land up there. That’s the Mondsee below.

Sheer cliffs to the north and very steep to the south. You can walk down to St Wolfgang on rough stony paths. Or through the window and cling to the wire around the base of the cliff and then very steep down to the Mondsee on the NW side.

I chose to sidle around towards the second summit – but thankfully didn’t have enough time to go to the top! (Select a departure train time when you get to the top.)

Over there to the left of the Attersee somewhere is the wooded hill where yesterday’s photo of the Schafberg was taken.

After all that, I found my hotel in Salzburg, all prepared to put my feet up. But the receptionist had other ideas: you must walk down to the old town. It’s not very big but beautiful. (It’s certainly very pretty, sitting on the River Salzach and cradled between two high and steep plateaux which provided natural protection.) and you must visit the old cemetery – here let me mark it on your map or you won’t find it. And if you walk even further here is a very good restaurant …

So I dutifully took myself off. Noted several potential and closer eating places, and by the time I’d reached the Old Square I was fading fast. Need food now!

i did visit the cemetery – catacombs built into the cliff, and family crypts with fancy iron fences.

Then a quick turn around the town and headed home as the rain started.

i think I’m over being a tourist.

A couple of days ago, with a poor weather forecast for early this week, I decided to skip the plans for more forays into the alps and head straight to France. Spend the wet days driving and look for somewhere picturesque to continue the explorations. But I’m Over It. All I want to do is vegetate for a couple of days. So I’ve booked a hotel in Besançon Tues-Friday. Mild and some rain forecast for that period.

So tonight I’m in a village south of Stuttgart. A longer than expected drive – Mrs SatNav gave me a long but pretty detour east of Munich to avoid a 6 km hold up on the autobahn. And then rain and more roadworks and big queues near Stuttgart. But this far safely. So much for southern Germany. I’ve driven 2200 km since leaving Munich 3 weeks ago.

“Salz” = salt. There has been salt mining in this area, specifically near Hallstatt, for 7000 years. Highly desired in earlier times and brought wealth to the area.  Salt is a preservative, and archaeologists have found and examined traces of very old life and work in the area.  Yesterday I went to Hallstatt. (There are a couple of other places offering similar experiences.)

Well organised and informative tours of the old mine, utilising a couple of levels of the mine. Salt mining still continues in other levels of the mine. Miners used to go down levels on wooden slides  so we had to do that. Twice. The second 65m long. A bit scary. We all had to wear protective outer clothing with leather seat/legs. And exiting the mine on ‘wooden-form carriages towed by a small engine through a tunnel just big enough for seated miners. 60 people per tour group. And 30 minutes later, another group.

in the olden days, the men and boys dug the salt. Women and girls filled back packs with the stone and carried them out of the mine. Younger children carried the flaming torches to provide light.  Since the 18th century, the salt has been dissolved in water and the highly salty solution travels by pipeline 40 km to the processing works at Ebensee.

Old Hallstatt is a pretty village on the lake shore squashed between the lake and the steep hill behind. I got there early before it got too busy. By the time I left mid afternoon, cars were waiting for others to leave to get into the car parks. Many arrived by coach or ferry.

 

 

i reckon you could just about go about your whole life in this large village and not have to go elsewhere. A good range of small shops – decent supermarket, cheap clothes, expensive clothes, buy a car or motorbike, get the car/ bike services, buy a decent bike. Choice of doctors. Two vets. Dentist and spectacles and hearing aids. Nice looking handmade leather and wooden toys for presents. Farming equipment. Etc etc.  Lots of eating options. And beer drinking. Summer programs of concerts and theatre. Last night the church was packed for a string ensemble playing Verdi. Tonight the Main Street was closed for ‘duelling’ brass bands. Two bands actually far enough apart that they had separate audiences. One from this town, one from a small village down by the lake.

Not only here, but several towns have vending machines for bicycle tubes!

the right photo below – wooden blocks building a castle with jousting toys.

Today I started to ride (but then realised that the climb would be ridiculous so took a 20km round trip and came home for the car. The nearby hill has a tall,lookout tower with 360deg views. That’s the Schafberg in the distance where I’m aiming for tomorrow.

I’ve often said that a sign of a good holiday is to arrive home with wet bathers. Well I’m not yet ready to come home, but certainly wet tonight…

but first … Bad Vöslau is a spa town. You got a photo of the central Thermalbad in an earlier blog. But ‘thermal’ doesn’t necessarily mean hot.  Unless of course the temperature of the water stays the same through winter? After the Austrian event finished on Sunday, several of us went to the Bad.  Two pools – quite large  one at 19 deg, the other at 25. The others (mainly New Zealanders) went in the cooler pool. I’m definitely a Queenslander when it comes to swimming. I did the warmer. I reckon it’s the first time I’ve ever been in a ‘tin’ pool.  Quite an odd feeling with metal and metal joins underfoot.  Didn’t take my camera so can’t show you an inside pic. Quite a large expanse of pool with small box-changing rooms surrounding the concourse. And ‘Victorian’  motel-style rooms overlooking on the upper 2 stories, all around.

So here I am now, 200+ km further west in St Georgen im Attergau. A bit east of Salzburg. St G is a small village in the hills above the Attersee, one of the larger lakes in the Lakes District of Austria. (Free range chooks in the Main Street!)

The lady at the Info Centre suggested I could ride down to the town of Attersee which is on the lake, have a swim, and catch the train back up the hill.  Sounded like a great idea so that was the plan for this afternoon.

at least 2 options for swimming. The one I picked seemed to charge by the hour. Lots of people streaming out as the hand neared the top of the clock.  “If you wait 3 minutes I can give you a better price.” And at 4pm, 2.40 EU got me until until closing time.  Large expanse of nicely mown grass. Changing facilities of course. Several interlocked swimming pools with a circular-type slide mainly inhabited  by children. The Info lady said they were heated but I didn’t try them out. And of course the lake with two piers. One pier had a diving board and I guess they must have hollowed out a deeper area there because the rest of the lake area there was quite shallow. And rocky/stoney at first, so going in/out via the stairs on the piers was a good idea. I went out a fair way but it didn’t go over my head. The Info lady had said the temperature was 25. It was ok.  I swam down to the neighbouring enclosure. They didn’t have as much lake-front but probably more grass. I reckon mine was better! But after a total of nearly an hour I’d had enough. Just too late for the 5 pm train, so the plan was to check out the town, find then find the station.

But look at those clouds!  My breakfast companions had said there would be thunderstorms at midday. That didn’t happen until 5:10pm. Thankfully the station was right there. The trains on this short route are like large trams (with tram-type articulation) and the station shed was just long enough for one train. Me and my bike sheltering from the impending storm. Soon joined by others and as the Blitzen and Donner increased and the wind and rain got quite severe, more drowned rats joined us. And waited for the 6 pm train. Only 7 min to St G and I rode home in sheets of rain and flooded streets. The little stream near the chooks was a strong torrent.  And now more than my bathers are wet!

I’ve got to go out to find dinner but 90min later it’s still raining though less severely. The first pic is my first glimpse of the lake on the ride down. The alps are quite close on the other side.

In the Chorus, we often pick adjectives to describe how the song should be portrayed and sung at certain points. I’ve been thinking of words to describe the cities I’ve visited. Prague: Elegant.

Struggling to find a word for Bratislava. Petite? ‘trying to keep up with its richer neighbours’? What is that in a word? (Megan suggests ‘unassuming’. Hmm not sure.)

Munich? J and A could probably provide a word. I didn’t really see enough of it to get a good impression.

Vienna: definitely ‘Grand’. All a bit much to take in really.

Large churches. This the nave of Stephansdom. Huge statues and grand buildings. Marie Therese monument with the Art History Museum in background.

A bit of an aimless wander yesterday and all of a sudden there was the old Imperial Palace and the Spanish Riding School. I already knew that the SRS was in abeyance for the summer holidays – turns out that the horses need a paddock holiday after being cooped up in Vienna all year. But they do have tours of the facilities and I found that very interesting to get insights on how it all works. 25 riders in total at any time, with many of those still at apprentice level. 70 active horses.

Each horse has its own custom made saddle and own bridle. And the Winter Riding School – built so the emperor could watch training in winter without getting wet outside!

Today I spent time in the park at the Schönbrunn Schloss. More ‘grand’ and some fun in the maze and labyrinth. The first is the Gloriette (sort of a folly) on the hill east of the castle and the castle itself with formal gardens.

A nice day weatherwise. Even a bit hot sitting in the sun waiting for the presentations. (No parking at the event centre so we had to ride up there and then a further 3 km uphill to the start. Didn’t occur to me to put a hat in the bag with the spare clothes. It’s been overcast the last few days.) but by the time we got back to the Thermal Baths (which might be ‘thermal’ in winter but not hot pools for summer) the wind was again a bit cool.

Anyway … Long race  for W60+ (w70 riding the same courses as W60) that meant c.9.5 km but it took me 85 min which was long enough  All courses had at ,east one very long leg  the longer courses had 2 or 3.

how would you have gone 6-7? The smart money said to climb early but I was over climbing and looked to delay the inevitable climb so I was seduced by the big road through the middle.

My only competition is much faster than me but not so good navigationally. She beat me on every leg except 6-7-8 and overall only by 3 min so I was pretty pleased with that. But with her DNF yesterday, I won the 2 days overall.  Bit weary tonight though.

I haven’t taken many photos of the town. Someone today said it’s very “Victorian” but of course being inAustria I guess that’s not right. Typical spa bath town though.

 

Off to Vienna tomorrow. Bike is packed away for a bit.

Just a quick report on today.

There were training maps for the Sprint that I didn’t get to earlier in the week. Lots of open space in old military camps. This morning was the Sprint. Also in an old but very overgrown military installation. Concrete ruins among the jungle. We were allowed to ride anywhere on the map. Just as well – so couldn’t get out of bounds when trying to follow a dotty track in the green.

Just as I was about to start the heavens opened. Very heavy rain. There had just been a few showers earlier. Very hard to see what I was doing for the first couple of controls. Then things improved and I was going well. Had left my rival scratching her head a while back. Then I rode over a spike or something. Immediate flat back tyre. About 1.5 km from the finish. Walking now on a flat area. Decided to cut a corner and risk finding a way through the green. Not a great  idea.  I was second by less than a minute. Bugger!

Middle distance this afternoon. 3 km ride and a fair climb to get to the start. Some rough tracks had me walking almost everywhere there was an uphill. Some very tricky areas with lots of tracks. Lots of standing and looking at the map. My rival missed a control so it’s 1-1 for the day. She’s much better on the hills than I am so I expect she’ll win tomorrow on the same hill provided she manages the navigation.