Austrian Sojourn

Sunday 9th June 2013

I have always loved Austria - an affection garnered over many years skiing there and this trip’s experience met all my expectations and more. Austria just never fails to satisfy, irrespective of the weather!  Fantastic roads, gorgeous countryside, great food & drink and beautiful women!! what more could a young man want!

Left the Hotel Negele at Hohenfurch at about 11am, having spent an hour on the free wi-fi, checking emails, etc. It was a beautiful hot (temp gauge recorded 25C at 10am) sunny day and for the first time donned my snazzy (cheap, too cheap as it turned out) sunnies...
Making good time with some speedy roadwork found me approaching the turn-off for Füssen which  I stupidly missed! But what a lucky break as I then enjoyed some cracking roads, with some absolutely perfect bends - pure joy to ride - amongst some stunning scenery.

This blog is becoming more like a weather report...

On my way to Garmisch, I made a planned diversion to Plansee where there is a large lake (and a campsite I had noted as a possible stopover). On google maps I had spotted a small track that led to Garmisch making quite a shortcut and I wanted to see if it was passable. It wasn’t -  it was gated and looked like a track for bicycles & walkers only. 

So I carried on in a north-easterly direction for Oberammaergau (where I re-fuelled) - was a fabulous ride but have to say the famous Passion Play town did nowt for me - a bit touristy & tacky for my liking. The nearby village of Ettal looked far more interesting and devoid of grockles.

Turned south for Garmisch-Partenkirchen (to give the town its full name) where the heavens opened - soaked again!!and never stopped - at one stage I had to leave the road and take shelter in some woods (again!!).

The amended rain-soaked plan was to go south towards Italy via Innsbruck but after studying the map I thought that heading for Sölden and taking one of the Tirol alpine mountain passes would be best, thinking these would not be as high as the Brenner Pass etc.  Once again I was wrong!! eesh...

Despite the rain it was a great ride to Sölden and part of it was on the well-known Romantische Straße (in English the Romantic Road - see the Wiki link) and it really is such a photogenic region - well worth a visit - I sound like a travel agent!

Got to Sölden around 5pm and looked at some hotels, but most looked a bit pricey and posh, and with me now looking like an old drowned rat, I didn't feel great walking into these pristine halls of perfection dripping like a wet Wednesday....

so pushed on for a few more km where I spotted the splendid-looking Bruckenwirt Gasthof in the little village of Zwielsetstein.

Photo of the mountain stream running right past the guesthaus

The charming barmaid, who spoke perfect English, soon sorted me a room in their nearby family haus and I returned to her bar later to sample some delicious pizza and a couple of beers.

I was amused to note that Austrian efficiency is as prevalent as ever. I did a double-take when I went to use the bathroom handbasin - only one tap!! and not the usual continental type with a lever... No doubt my more astute readers will have realised how hot and cold water can be dispensed from only one tap....

... and drawing on my previous Austrian experiences, I note that the predeliction for examining one’s stools still remains an Austrian obsession - I won’t inflict any photographic evidence on you, dear reader, probably best left to the imagination!

Fruhstuck was at 8am where another Austrian fraulein looked after me and I was under way by 9.30am heading up the valley for Obergurgl & Hochgurgl and the Timmelsjoch pass into Italy.