From Munich Germany, we took a train then bus to the small town of Passau, which is where we started our bicycling trip - over the border into Austria and across the country to Vienna.
We spent the first two nights in Passau just wandering about the cobblestone maze of alleys in Old Town, exploring the sights. Christine explored the shops, and I, with due diligence explored the array of flavorsome beers available … mandatory carbo-loading for the cycling!
A problem here is the names of street. They are so convoluted and complex that I almost herniated my tongue trying to pronounce them. I quickly realized that German was never going to be a second language for me!
Our cycling route was for the most part, a pancake flat path following the Danube River, and was relaxing, since the only cars we encountered were in the villages or towns where our accommodation was for the night. Our 5 consecutive bike days were rides of 83, 70, 71, 51, and 45 KM – which was quite easy given the terrain. Whilst biking, flat = good J!
While the Danube wasn't blue, our clear skies certainly were. The spectacular fall weather consisted of chilly crisp mornings, but warming consistently to 23 – 25 degrees in the afternoons. Apparently most unusual for the time of year, and we considered ourselves extremely fortunate to never have had to take the rain gear out of the panniers for the whole trip!
The countryside along this grand old river was spectacular. A bevy of swans around almost every bend. Countryside dappled in brilliant old churches, forts, and castles. Wonderful wooded areas with pheasants and rabbits darting about in front of us. Fishermen applying their craft along the banks. Delightful old villages strewn across the country, and gorgeous wine country in the Wachau Valley with the hillsides painted with vineyards, reminding us of the terraced emerald rice fields of Bali.
A neat part of the trip was each day we would ride into some different and funky little town. Procedure became to quickly shower, and head out to do some more exploring, before finding a suitable watering hole to rent some alcohol for a happy hour. One interesting point was that almost always the food menus were only in German, so on more than one occasion we had some rather unexpected servings. Just part of the experience. Other than Passau and Vienna, our cycling stops included, Linz, Grein, Pochlorn, and Krems – passing through so many delightful old villages in between.
We have decided that Austria is garden gnome center of the universe – never have we seen so many of these smirking little characters lurking about in yards. Other interesting memories include a wild boar dinner in the quaint village Pochlarn, the world heritage abbey at Melk, and a trainload of girls blowing me kisses in Krem (must be them sexy, sixty something legs J).
Our ride finished in Vienna, where we spent the next 3 nights. What a city! Trying to describe the cornucopia of ancient buildings and architecture is simply impossible. All I can say is that in my opinion, this should be on everybody's bucket list!
We slurped and munched our way along, visiting as many areas as we had time for using a combo of trains, trams, busses and the metro. Highlights included the Hundertwasser Hausa, Naschmarkt, Schonbrunn Palace, dinner at a local heuriger, drinking 'sturm' wine with Karl and Maria on their lovely wine covered balcony, and of course the magnificence of all that contained in the Ringstrasse area of District 1.
"Old Town" is superb for people watching – I especially appreciated all the foxy fraulines sensually strutting their stuff. One such beauty passes by on her bike – riding in four inch stilettos!! I love this town! (OK, you see why I am not eligible for monkhood)!!
For a change of pace we then flew into the Republic of Slovenia (former province of Yugoslavia). This is a tiny country with a rich history, but has somehow remained incognito - heck, before 1918 it wasn't even on the map! It really is a hidden gem with postcard perfect lakes, rivers, castles, and mountains.
Our base was Lake Bled which I must say, has fairytale scenery that is impossibly romantic. The stunning natural beauty of this crystal clear emerald green lake includes a 1000 year old medieval castle perched atop a dramatic cliff with the Julian Alps in the background. Also there is a 15th century church set on a small island in the middle of the lake with the occasional sound of church bells, while a bevy of swans paddle about. The town simply oozes charm - a true workout for the camera!
The first day we rode bikes up into the hills, stopping to hike the scenic Vintgar Gorge (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt4Suev-n_0 ). This is accomplished on the boardwalks and bridges constructed above the rushing Radovna River. The crystal clear pools along this narrow and dramatic ravine would be a fisherman's dream, with the abundance of big trout frolicking about. Leaving this gorgeous gorge, we headed back into town, we rode through the villages of Podhom and Zasip, on the way tackled a ride up a steep mountain to the chapel of St. Catherine for a view over the entire area of Bled.
On a separate occasion we hiked up the 756 m Velika Osojnica for some wonderful views looking down over Lake Bled. We felt like a couple of mountain goats scrambling up the steep tree rooted path, with the occasional assistance up the cliff of some wire hand holds, and the longest vertical ladder I have ever seen. Don't look down! Both our camera batteries died here.
Perhaps the most dramatic of all our highlights was a spectacular 9 hour day trip into the Triglav National Park, with a wonderful guide we hired (Tina Hiti) who we found out works for Rick Steeves. What a sensational day it was.
The day started off in the picturesque rolling green valleys adorned with grazing sheep. And from this starting point, we continually working our way skyward until we came upon a narrow dead-end military road which would lead us to the top. At the end of this white knuckle rode, which happens to be the highest road in Slovenia, we reached the dramatic Mount Mangart and savored the eagle eye views that were breath taking! Here's a clip of that road: ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ_A5OyX5ME ).
Tina whipped out a small flask of homemade pine schnapps and we toasted the beauty of the mountains. Being in these Julian Alps looking down over Slovenia and Italy was a very humbling experience not soon to be forgotten.
Down out of the mountains (whew), Tina decided we should stop for lunch, where she translated the menu for us and then proceeded to order a plate of bread and smoked lard! Now I know this girl has a sense of humor – but smoked lard - really? Better than peanut butter she claimed.
I start ribbing her about what to me was a bizarre, cookie tossing appy - and was getting good mileage out of it until Christine comes to her rescue, and tells her about my goat penis wine drinking episode in Vietnam. Suddenly the playing field is evenedJ! She did have one more surprise though – ice cream, covered in pumpkin seed oil. I am happy to report that the rest of our lunch was palatable, if not downright delicious!
Tina also entertained us with her wonderful knowledge of the country, and also shared some funny stories. The older Slovenians had a couple of interesting terms when they wanted to politely swear. Translated, one means '300 hairy bears', and the other translates to 'May a chicken kick you in the bum'! Can't wait to work these into a conversation. J
After our guffaw-full lunch, we stopped to do some hiking in the beautiful Soca Valley, and visited the aptly named Emerald River where a film crew happened to be shooting the world champion kayaker making his way through the gorge. From there we made our way back to Bled after a side trip through part of Italy. Again, we have been blessed with wonderful weather in Slovenia.
Back at the hotel, we sat on our flower filled balcony with a bottle of fine Merlot, reflecting on the magnificence of the day! For dinner, we strolled through the narrow paths to a little place called Rusticos to enjoy some wonderful food for our last meal in this truly memorable town.
On our last day we left Bled for Ljubliana. What's a Ljubliana – why, it's the capital of Slovenia of course. From the moment we left Bled the skies opened up and the wind and rains came – man did they come! Whilst wandering about town the rain became monsoonal, and we were completely soaked to the skin. Christine bought an umbrella, and had it snap upon opening it was so windy. Fortunately our flight was scheduled that day back to Vienna for our final night. Timing is everything!
In Vienna we had one final night on the town which included a superb dinner at a local pub/restaurant called Gasthaus Elsner, owned by a friend of the guy at our B & B. The manager's hobby is hunting Wild Boar which apparently are becoming a problem in Austria because they are so prolific. Interesting side note - In a contained and monitored area, 5 wild boar turned into 304 in 3 years! Prolific little porkers. I was very impressed with almost all the beer in Austria, and the beer in this pub was without question the best I have ever tasted (and that has been a few)! A most enjoyable night and a good one to end our trip on!
Although not as adventurous as many of our back of beyond trips over the last 25 years in Asia, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Can't wait to pick a few more countries and do it all again!
must go again!!
Mark Colegrave
2011
