Highs of the Lows European Tour

Monday 18 June and we are travelling to Salzburg. The quickest way to Salzburg from Innsbruck is to cut through Germany. We had a small panic because we kept seeing signs to get a vignette for the motorways, which we thought meant the German motorways, so we stopped at a big service station that was advertising them for sale. We then realised that it was the same vignette that we had already bought and that you don’t need them in Germany, they just fleece you at the toll booth instead. Arrived at Camping Sam in Salzburg quite late in the afternoon, as we had had to sit in a traffic jam for over an hour. First thing we did was book the Sound of Music Tour for the next day. Kev had not seen the film the whole way through so we borrowed a copy from the site owner to watch in the evening. After watching all the extras Kev is now an expert on the Family Von Trapp. I’m going to put him forward for Mastermind.

Tuesday we had a really good day, in the morning we did the Sound of Music Tour and in the afternoon we went down a salt mine.

Wednesday started out good, the sun was shining and all was well with the world. I spotted a black squirrel looking so cute and called Kev over to have a look, you can hear the soothing music playing as we watched the little squirrel nibbling his nuts when out of nowhere came a big ginger cat which killed the squirrel. That was the start of the day of doom when I nearly died, that may be a slight exaggeration. Anyhoo off we went for a nice cycle into Salzburg, only 4k along a lovely riverside cycle path. Went to more Sound of Music sights and a wander round the old town then onto the highlight of the day the Augustiner Bier gardens. The beer was great and the selection of food available was from whole trout to pork hocks, rotisserie chickens, prawns in batter 40 different salad accompaniments, various sausages and so it goes on. After our second beer the thunder started and then the heavens opened. Salzburg had the worst rainfall in an hour since records began. Most of the cellars in Salzberg were flooded and water was coming back up the toilets. Funnily enough I had asked at reception where we should go should we get lost “no problem there just follow the cycle path” I was told. We waited an hour at the beer garden with no sign of the rain stopping so we decided we would just have to get wet on the cycle home. Off we set laughing to start with at how wet we were and how funny it was cycling through huge puddles of warm water. We got so far on the cycle path and then we came to a barrier blocking the path but because we didn’t know any other way to get back we thought it couldn’t be that bad so we started along the path. Now I know you’re all saying “that was a stupid thing to do when the barrier was down”. Well yes I do agree with you in hind sight it was really really stupid. When I had cycled up to my waist in water and then couldn’t peddle anymore, and also couldn’t see the cycle track, I decided that we might be in serious danger of being washed away, so I quickly turned my bike round shouting to Kev not to come any further. Yes notice I had to go into the water first. As I got off my bike to turn it round I lost my flip flop but managed to catch it as it came to the surface and floated by. Still lashing rain, thunder and lightning we continued onto a road but had no idea where we were or how to get back to the campsite. Now remember I did ask in case we got lost how to get back. We stopped at a hotel and dripped puddles all over the reception and a really nice carpet, there were 3 people telling us different ways which was not very helpful. So we carried on, in the rain, thunder and lightning until we came to a service station where again we dripped puddles everywhere. Again their directions seemed to be useless to two people on bicycles. We made a decision to leave the bikes at the garage and get a taxi but a very nice lady gave us a lift back, also the nice man at the garage gave me a dry t-shirt as I looked like I had just won the wet t-shirt competition. And no it doesn’t end there!!!!! I had left a roof window open when we left in the morning as the temperature was 32 degrees but that was the least of our worries because when we got back to the campsite where we were parked was flooded. It was about 18 inches deep and almost into Blossom. So we unplugged the electricity cable in all that water and moved Blossom to higher ground. I have a basin which I keep my plants in and it was floating about the pitch. We then had to mop up all the water inside put the soaking carpets outside and eventually have a cuppa and off to bed. That was some day.

TTFN

Leaving Italy behind we crossed the border into Austria at Brenner and headed for Innsbruck. The weather was again really unkind to us and as we were heading through the mountains Kev had to tape up the roof light to keep the torrential rain out.

When we arrived at the site at Natters the staff couldn’t have been more helpful providing us with silicone and a ladder to repair the roof light. This site is fantastic, I think I have been away too long now as I get excited about really nice shower blocks and if there’s a good washing machine. The showers are the nicest we have seen, so far, so nice you want to stay in them for ages instead of the usual hurry in and out again. There is a cinema room which opens up so that it is open air, a viewing deck where you can sit and watch the sunset over the Alps also a free bus service to Innsbruck. Our pitch has a view over the lake which is stocked with huge carp, catfish, terrapins, tadpoles and other fish. There is also another swimming lake but it is also full of tadpoles and not sure what else so I won’t be going for a dip here.

On Thursday we took the bus to Innsbruck and went to the old town for a wander about. The most famous landmark here is the Goldenes Dachl, a building with a golden roof, but of course it was covered up for renovations, typical. For lunch I had to try the Wiener schnitzel and Kev had the pork hock accompanied by some really nice beer. After lunch we took a cable car to the top of Hafelekarspitze, a mere 2334m above the city of Innsbruck. The views were stunning. There was still some snow at the top so I didn’t manage to go right to the top as my trainers kept slipping. Kev carried on up to the summit in his crocks, shorts and t-shirt after all it was like a summers day in Aberdeen at the top, 15degrees. While I was waiting for Kev a glider came round the corner of the mountain only about 50 feet away at the same height as I was standing. The sound it made was really weird as the wind passed over the wings, quite earie as that was all you could hear up there apart from the bells on the mountain goats.

We had only planned to stay for 2 nights but we are enjoying the peace and quiet and facilities on this site and have decided to stay until Monday and then we are heading for Salzburg. The weather has changed and it has been about 30 degrees on Friday, Saturday and today so we are topping up the tans.

TTFN