Were on our way back - almost

We have now booked our return to the UK. We will be returning via the Euro
Tunnel on the 29th September. It seems strange now having a 'deadline' only
9 weeks away. Oh well just have to start the next trip sooner rather than
later!
We are still at Lofer, and still enjoying the morning cycling and the
afternoon relaxation. It has been a bit wet for the last day or so with the
odd thunderstorm thrown in for good measure, but it is now warming up again.
It is just so difficult to decide where to head to from here. This is a very
nice site and not too busy, but others places may well be very full and
noisy depending on where you head to. If we decided to head west into the
Tyrol then we might do a day trip over to Salzburg before we leave here but
it probably would take more than a day to see all that there is to see. It
is also very busy there now for the next few weeks as the Salzburg Festival
has just started which is nice if you can both afford and get tickets to the
events. I think we will probably choose not to do it in a day and either
find a campsite near the city to allow us plenty of time to see the sights,
or leave if for another time.

Anyway, that's about all for now. Time for a nice cup of tea I think.

Cheers

M&S

Apparently we are a 'couple of Lofers'

We are still at the site in the town of Lofer and will stay here for
probably another week or so. There are so many cycling and walking routes to
make the most of, all of which are well marked, and the weather is great,
sunny and temps up in the 30s. We tend to do our cycling or walking early
morning and then chill out for the rest of the day. It does make things
easier as the showers tend to be busy in the morning, but by the time we
have got back and had a bite to eat they are free. The rest of the day is
then spent idling around and hopping from one patch of shade to another.
There is a nice big tree next to us that give us shade on Noddy for most of
the midday sun and also gives us some nice shade to sit out in.
Our idling time is spent making plans for the future and basically coming up
with as many options for travelling as possible so that we can avoid having
to work. I think we have enough to keep us busy until we 'officially
retire'.
While we are here we will probably pop over the border into Germany for a
day out and see what life is like on the other side of the fence, not much
difference I would think, and we might also head over to Salzburg for the
day. Apart from that we are just content with enjoying our surroundings and
relaxing.

Cheers

M&S

The Grossglockner Experience

We have now moved on from Heiligenblut and its wonderful surroundings and
are now at the small town of Lofer in the Salzburg province of Austria. We
had a great last few days at Heiligenblut making the most of the walking,
cycling, and amazing scenery.
On Saturday I decided to go for broke and went on another wee mountain bike
tour. My destination was Franz-Josefs-Hohe where you get the best views of
the Grossglockner mountain range and also the Pasterze glacier. The cycle
route was most stunning. The total climb on the route was from 1200 at site
level to 2370 up at the top of the route. The initial ride was up through
forest on a rough trail, and then the final ascent was on the main road. It
was not an easy climb by any means and at some points on the final stretch
you look ahead to see what is coming and you think 'oh my god'. After all
the effort and once you finally arrive the view is just breathtaking, and
the adrenalin from the ride and the achievement keeps you pumped up for a
while. It was a bit chilly compared to down in the valley and I was glad I
had taken my fleece with me. I had decided on this trip to take the camera
as I had my backpack with essentials in it, so I managed to take many a
picture on route and at the top, and also on the way down, the odd video
clip or two. I managed at one point to get up to 43mph on the descent on the
road, crazy but brilliant. It took 1hr45 to get up and only 20mins to get
back, 11 miles each way. Sunday, funnily enough, was a day of rest, although
I didn't feel tired after the thrill of it all.
On Monday we went off first thing for a short run and a walk just down the
road from the site. We ended up getting carried away with ourselves and
headed much further down the valley than we had intended. We climbed up a
while and then dropped back down, jogging some of the way. I had thought we
could do a round trip but in the end we could not seem to find where the
return path started, so we had to back track all the way. We did however see
hundreds of butterflies of many a variety, and also a nesting pair of
falcons of some sort up in the pinewoods. We did not have our binoculars
with us so we could not hope to identify them.
We had originally planned to go for a hike if the weather was good, which it
was, so we took the ski gondola from Heiligenblut up to the top station for
the ski area at Schareck, 2552m. Wow, mind blowing views set off by the
crystal clear blue sky. After a few snaps and a wander about we made the
descent on foot, back down to 1200m. The alpine flowers up there and on the
way down were more beautiful than words, or even the many pictures we took,
can do justice to. The descent was quite a long hack, just over 31/2 hours,
and very trying especially on certain areas of the leg as it was pretty
steep in places and you cant help but pound down as you walk. We weren't
tired by the time we got back to camp, but our legs we a bit sore from the
pounding, and also the morning 'short' run / walk!
Tuesday, pardon my French, but bloody hell our legs were sore. I know we are
not as fit as we should be but even getting in and out of the van was
painful as our leg muscles were very tight, silly fools!
After hobbling around for a day and resting up we took to the paths again on
Wednesday and went on a hike up the other side of the valley to Briccius'
Chapel. This is where Saint Briccius was apparently killed in an avalanche
on route from Byzantium bringing with him a vial purporting to hold the
blood of Christ. The vial after is recovery now resides in the church built
in Heiligenblut, which is where the town gets its name from, translated as
'Holy Blood'. Anyway, the walk was again quite steep at points on the ascent
but eventually once you get to the chapel at 1600m it levels off into a
lovely alpine meadow. The route was a circular one, so after a quick look at
the very small chapel we headed off and ended up having yet another very
steep but beautiful climb trough the pinewoods up to the highest point on
the walk at just over 1900m. Our legs were just about keeping up with us
even after the descent back to the valley, which stretched them out a wee
bit. All in all quite a long walk at about 41/2 hours, but well worth it for
the views you get.
We left Heiligenblut yesterday and came through the Grossglockner pass.
First off we went to Franz-Josefs-Hohe so that Sue could see the views for
herself. We got there very early, just after 08h00, and it was blissfully
quite unlike when I had cycled on the Saturday. Apart from the fantastic
views we also saw many a Marmot and also a few mountain Ibex. After leaving
Franz-Josef-Hohe we then made the main climb up the pass. Noddy managed with
out a problem although it was quite steep in places and we made good use of
2nd gear, the highest point on the pass being at 2571m. We stopped off for a
while at one of the many lay-bys and had our breakfast surrounded by
magnificent views. It was lovely and peaceful apart from the maniacs on
motorbikes and in cars who seem to think it is a great challenge to race up
and down the pass taking risks and generally peeing everyone else off, and
not really seeing anything of the scenery but a blur as they try and stay on
the tarmac. It is amazing how many people cycle up and through the pass,
both on day trips and also cycling tours with all their panniers etc.
clinging to the bikes, full of admiration for them unlike the aforementioned
maniacs.
Noddy's brakes were most definitely feeling the strain on the descent, as it
is very long with many a hairpin bend. We stopped off occasionally to give
him a rest and also to make the most of the fantastic scenery. The road
through the pass is a toll road and cost us 26€, but on the whole it is
worth it especially if you make a long day of it and do some walking etc. up
in the heights of the mountains.
Now we are at Lofer and the site here is very nice. We are in the 'no kids'
area, so it is nice and quiet. There is plenty of walking and cycling to be
done here also, so we will stop off for a week or two, or perhaps three, and
enjoy the warm weather, mostly in the mid 30s at the moment.

Cheers

M&S

What goes up must come down

We have now moved on into central Austria and the Hohe Tauern National Park.
We are at the small town of Heiligenblut just south of the Grossglockner
Pass. It really is a very pretty place to be staying. The campsite is very
nice and is set in the valley just below the town itself, and is surrounded
by tree-covered mountains and hills. We have a great view of the peak of
Grossglockner (the highest peak in Austria at 3798m) in the distance and it
is still covered in snow. We will drive over the pass when we leave here and
head to the northern parts of Austria.
The only problem here is that it is mountainous, i.e. the cycling is a bit
more difficult. I have done one of the marked MTB routes so far and climbed
up to 1700m at the highest point. The site is at about 1200m so it is not as
bad as it sounds, but it was still pretty hard going as I only covered about
5 miles zigzagging back and forth up the mountain roads and tracks to gain
the 500m or so. The views were quite breathtaking and I did at one point
wish I had taken the camera with me, but I knew it was not an essential
piece of equipment (i.e. weight). The downhill was another thing, on mostly
dirt tracks and then finally tarmac. That is the real reason for not having
the camera with me, as it would most likely get shaken to bits on the very
bumpy and rocky dirt track at +20mph. There are several harder rides to do
and I will attempt them over the next week or so. Sue has also been getting
in the miles on the bike. She did 13 miles the other day before we left
Hermagor and she is also keen to try some of the smaller climbs around and
about the campsite.
There is plenty of walking to do around here. A ski lift from the town goes
up the to one of the nearby peaks, Schareck 2552m, and we will go up that
one day and walk back down. I think the walk is about 31/2 hours.
One of the new big things here is the sport of Nordic Walking. It is a
similar thing to Nordic Skiing, same arm and leg action, but without the
skis. You still have poles and use those as you stride out. It is meant to
be a total body workout as well as a great cardiovascular workout. You never
know we might even give it a go sometime.
Other than that there is not much else to report at the moment. We are still
very much enjoying ourselves, especially the not working part.

Ich habe mich verlaufen.

M&S

Future Projects - any takers?

Just in case you think we sit around all day snoozing I can tell you that
you are most wrong. We spend a fair amount of time trying to work out what
happens after we have finished travelling. Well the answer is simple, travel
some more.

Our current list includes the following options:

- more travelling around Europe in Noddy
- driving down all the way down through Africa to SA
- touring the USA in a camper for a year
- buying a yacht and sailing the Caribbean for 6 months or so
- touring New Zealand and Australia in a camper

At the moment we have not delved too deep into any of the options but we
will do so once back in the UK with cheap Internet access on the mobile.

For certain projects, especially Africa, we would take any serious offers of
fellow travellers seriously as on some trips safety in numbers is quite key.
So if you are getting itchy feet at work and spend more hours staring out of
the window than working, and wonder if there is a better way, then get in
touch. Matthew.goode@ukf.net

Cheers

M&S

Yes we are still alive

Hello, it has been a few days since last blog. Thanks for the reminders!
Not much to tell really. We are still at the site at Hermagor, but we are
leaving tomorrow morning. It has been so nice here just relaxing and
enjoying the wonderful outdoors, apart from the occasional thunderstorm. I
have been doing about an hours cycle a day and Sue has tried to do 30
minutes or so, and we are also still keeping up with the walking / running
programme. I did another organised MTB ride yesterday, was great. Climbed up
500m or so and had great views across the valley.
The footie is all done and dusted. Couldn't face doing another blog after
the England game, was too depressed. Was inevitable once it went to
penalties and most of the key penalty takers were off the pitch. Anyway, was
over it pretty soon especially after watching Germany get knocked out in a
room full of expectant German supporters. I tried to keep my cheers of
delight fairly restrained. Glad Italy won the final in the end. The French
were not really in the game, and after the 'Zidane' incident I don't think
it was going to be their day. We could almost hear the Italian celebrations
from over the mountains!
Austria has made it onto the provisional 'places to live' list. It is very
nice in this area and house prices are pretty cheap. It is also a great area
for all sports. In the summer there is all the walking and cycling along
with any number of waters ports on the many large lakes around. In winter
there is a pretty good ski area, Nassfeld, to make the most of as well as
ice-skating on the lakes, and probably snow machining. So watch this space,
you never know.
Sue is pleased as we now have some more guidebooks for her to read. We
didn't have anything on Austria, Germany and Switzerland, so we ordered some
Rough Guides on the Internet from Amazon. They only took a few days to
arrive, and we are now armed with the guides, a German phrase book, and
pocket German dictionary purchased in town. So no stopping us now.
Tomorrow we will be heading a bit further west and slowly doing some kind of
a route around Austria. Not too sure of where and when yet but if I get my
butt into gear and keep the blog updated more frequently you will know what
we are up to.
I guess that is probably all for now, except that you will be pleased to
hear that we have been out of work for over a year now, time has flown by,
and no we are not missing it or planning to do any again for a fair while,
if at all. We highly recommend it.

Ich glaube, ich habe ein bisschen zu viel getrunken.

M&S

Auf Wiedersein Pet

This is such a lovely place. The site, Schluga Camping, is in the small
village of Obervellach a few km east of Hermagor in Karnische region. We
have a great pitch with some shade for Noddy and from the van we look
straight at the mountains behind us. Spitzegel at 2119m high is mostly tree
covered but the peak is ragged and rocky with a cross on top to mark the
summit that you can just make out with the naked eye. The site is fairly
quiet at the moment but I am sure it will get much busier further into July
and August. There is a nice pool, apart from when the kids invade it, a
shop, a restaurant, and as previously mentioned the small cinema where they
are currently showing the footie games.
The area around is just a haven for walking and cycling in the summer, and
there is also a skiing area just down the road for the winter. Sue and I
have done some short cycles to town and back, and I have also been out doing
some longer rides. There are loads of well-marked cycle and walking routes,
and I have found a nice 20-mile route that I try and cycle most days, takes
about an hour. Also, the son of the family that owns the site takes people
out once or twice a week for a full on mountain bike ride. I did one on
Wednesday and I just about made it back alive. It was only about 20 miles
but we climbed about 650m at one point firstly up a steep tarmac road and
then up an even steeper rocky track. The views from viewpoint we reached
were amazing, and you could see mountains in both Slovenia and Italy. The
ride down was pretty heart stopping especially on the rocky track at 20+
mph. Hopefully there will be another this Wednesday also. We are also trying
to do a walking / running schedule in the morning. So the next time you see
us we will either be totally knackered or very fit.
A few km east of here is a lake, Pressegger See, where there are some
private beaches that you can pay to use. Schluga has its own which is of
course free to people staying on site, and there are all sort of facilities
there to use. We have not yet been to it as it looks very busy and quite
noisy as all the families tend to go down there but we will try and get
there this week.
As Hermagor is only a short ride away we have tried to cycle in to do the
shopping just getting supplies for 2 or 3 days at a go. On the whole things
don't seem to be much more expensive than Italy, and some things are
cheaper, but the fruit and vegetables that are available are not quite on a
par with Italy. I think they tend to eat more meat here than anything else.
Anyway COME ON ENGLAND, hope we can do the job on Portugal later, although I
am not looking forward to an England v Germany final as there are too many
partisan holidaymakers here!

Bratwurst and Sauerkraut

M&S

PS We have managed to find a supply of Rooibos tea here in Austria. If you
don't know, don't worry.