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Published: September 22nd 2008
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From Lichtenstein we did a huge day of driving involving the passage through three countries to get to the lovely city of Salzburg in Austria. We did spend most of this in Austria seeing some of the countries beautiful landscape around Innsbruck.
We arrived in the late afternoon and after a quick bite headed into town on our bikes to see the city by night. Another pretty European city of course, set on a picturesque river we were again charmed. Concluded the night with a couple of steins at a somewhat touristy but tasty beer hall/restaurant accompanied with a hearty cholesterol loaded dish of meat to share.
We came back in for a last look in the morning, visiting a few more of the sites including the Convent out of the sound of music, the Katacomb cemetery and an 800 year old working monastic bakery where we bought the heaviest loaf of rye bread ever!
From here we drove a short way south to visit the amazing Ice Caves - Eisenriesenwelt Hohle, near Werfen. Although mightily expensive we had to admit by the end it was worth it. The caves are the world’s largest accessible ice caves which
to visit included a bus ride up a very steep winding road (Clancy got to dodge this one), a 15 min steep walk, a 5 min cable car, then another 15 min steep climb. The views from the outside were quite impressive but inside was amazing. We were taken on a hour or so walk through the caves, guided only by old oil lamps and the burning of magnesium by the guide. Unfortunately no photographs were allowed, however it would have been hard to do them justice in the poor light anyway.
By now the day was being closed in by a storm so we drove a little way down the road to the tiny village of Lusch where we set up for the night at a cute campsite by the road.
From here we headed off the next morning to do one of the most scenic roads in Europe, which happened to be the famous Grossglockner Alpine pass. After paying the exorbitant fee to do it, we were committed, and with rising doubts as to whether Clancy would make it (not helped by the toll booth guy asking us if the brakes and everything worked with a
concerned face) we set off. Well, we made it to the top eventually, albeit in 2nd gear the whole way and with stops every couple of hundred metres of altitude.
Needles to say we got amazing views the whole way, fuelled by the adrenaline rush of fear! There were also lots of information stops and museums along the way explaining the Alpine environment and the history of the road. With the highest point reached, we began our descent and the testing out of the brakes. They did get a bit hot, and the intermittent noise they make seems to have changed pitch, but we made it down in one piece.
Well done to Clancy - 48kms of high Alpine road with 36 bends and a highest point of 2504m!
A nice way to finish our brief time in Austria.
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