Slovenia & Austria

Two days have passed, as have two countries.

Its a blur, yesterday morning feels like a week ago.

*227 miles: Bee Happy Farmstay, Stellplatz, Slovenia, to K2 Brunnen Haus, Kötschach-Mauthen, Austria*

It rained heavily in the night, two or three times. Thankfully, the lightweight tent held up. More rain and storms were forecast for the following days. Gulp!

I woke at 5:20 to make coffee, and surprisingly, the weather wasn’t the problem, but slugs were. I had to flick them off the inner tent before venturing out.

 It was like a scene from a low-budget horror movie. Hundreds surrounded the tent. Every step taken whilst packing, popped the hapless gastropods underfoot.

It’s Sunday, and we’re in Slovenia. My previous experience highlighted its not busy in the countryside, but today, the world is totally ours..

Wow. Slovenia is incredibly beautiful. If elves and hobbits lived anywhere in Europe, it would be here, our very own Middle Earth

The country is crisscrossed with gravel tracks through forests. The roads we traveled this day turned to gravel as we ascended into the wooded hills.

Three times we made wrong turns, the path like an enduro track, and had to backtrack. THe heavens had opened above and the tracks turned to streams underfoot. I saw the danger in our predicament, Sarah was grinning like a Cheshire cat. 

With wet boots and wraped like enchiladas in waterproofs, we found a road and continued our route northwest toward England, still four countries away.

Above, a lunch stop. The cafe didn't make food, so the owner went upstairs to her flat and brought us toasties. I guess we looked pretty desperate and close to drowning. 

By late lunchtime we reached the Austrian border. The weather finally broke, allowing us to enjoy some sun and the Austrian vistas.

Our hastily booked home for the night (bad weather on the horizon) is K2 Brunnen Haus in Kötschach-Mauthen, Austria.

We dried everything in the room, leaving it looking like a sweatshop, before wandering out in search of beer and food.

Dinner was served at Kirchenwirt Engl, a biker-friendly Austrian dining hall. We were surrounded by middle-aged kindred spirits and enjoyed too many beers and strudel pancakes.

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*200 miles: Kötschach-Mauthen → Grossglockner → Mittenwald, Bavaria, Germany*

It rained so hard last night it woke me, pounding on the roof of the hotel. You can imagine the enthusiasm I had for riding a couple of hundred miles to the next border.

Grossglockner is one of those “must-ride” mountain passes, like the Transfăgărășan or the Stelvio Alpine Strasse. I had planned to ride it this trip in Austria, but it snowed last night and its July!

So, the road was closed. No worries, at least I didn’t travel through five countries to get here. What on earth is going on with the weather?

In Sarah's own words "i think the rest of Austria was great, just a shame I couldn’t see it through the fog". 

Cake stop in the moutains after respite in the tunnel. €24 euro for 2 bike on the 108 road through Austria. Bloody Dick Turpins. 

By 3pm we were still soaked and freezing, so stopped for coffee near Innsbruck. Sarah looked like a toddler who couldn’t stay awake, her head bobbing like theirs do in a car seat. Problem was, she still had her helmet on (in the cafe at the table) and nearly broke the table headbutting it!

Seemed like a good time to find somewhere to rest. Tonight’s home is in Mittenwald, just over the German border, at Gästehaus Lärchenhang.

Just as we turned off the main road into the village, there was a little brewery and beerhaus. I practically jumped off the bike while it was still moving, leaving it to park itself. Steins and schnitzel. Gotta love Germany.

There’s a sauna in the hotel. We went to defrost, and I mentioned the local tendency for nudity. I wasn’t believed until “Hiking Heidi” walked in, as unencumbered by clothing as a newborn. Gotta love Germany.

Above, view from the appartment window.