Today is a rest day after many consecutive days of biking. The body is saying enough is enough but that doesn't mean doing nothing. We walked from Obertraun to the Hallstatt railway station which is about a 45minute walk. From the Schiffstation (ferry stop), we took the ferry across the lake to Hallstatt which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of it's unique position and history. It sits right on the lakeside between the water and the cliffs which doesn't allow for much room for a village which is essentially carless. Hallstatt is known for its production of salt dating back to prehistoric times, and gave its name to the Hallstatt Culture, a culture often linked to Early Iron Age Europe. It's human history appears to go back 7000 years still based on the trading ... read more

After getting thoroughly wet yesterday, today is a beautiful clear, sunny and warm day. What a contrast! Our fellow cyclists from Arizona have finished their cycling holiday and left this morning. They will be replaced by another 2 people who weare yet to meet, but it will be fleeting as we leave for Obertraun tomorrow. After yesterday's long distance we decided on something a little shorter today, but unfortunately all uphill for the first part (so much for easy). Since it was sunny and likely to be hot we decided to take the Seilbahn (Cable Car) up to the Feuerkogl in the morning, a peak at 1600m which was along our intended route. I gather the name Feure refers to fire or hell - not sure why. On arriving at the top and marvelling at the ... read more

After spending time Skyping my sister and getting all the Taranaki news, we set off for Gmunden which is down the other end of the Traunsee (Lake Traun). The weather was looking dicey so we loaded the pannier with our rain gear and lunches and a back pack for incidentals. It was also cold, much the same temps as we had been having at home before we left. On the way we passed the village of Traunkirchen which we visited 2 days ago and continued on the R2 bike path. It is a well marked biking path wide enough for 2 abreast on concrete or asphalt so it's pretty easy going. Close to Gmunden is a promontory covered with lovely trees and the building for Central Congress and the Land Castle Ort. Over a long wooden ... read more

Time to move on from Salzburg. It's another lovely day so we filled in the time until pickup by doing a circuit of the river and as we arrived back the driver taking us to Ebensee (Aybensee) had arrived. It was a hour and a half's journey in one very hot vehicle as the air conditioning only worked in the front. We thought that running the inside vehicle temperature at 35 would be a good practice for the Froudes going to Bangkok! However, despite the heat, the driver was friendly and informative. He eventually found the address at Ebensee and it seemed we wound our way through the whole town. On reflection, we did because we're at the back end from the lake. We're now settled into Gasthof Rosenhof which is a large modern guest house ... read more

We met at the Panorama Bus station at 8.30am for the half day trip to the Eagles Nest which is in Germany just out of Berchtesgaden and Obersalzburg. Most of us have heard of this notorious place because it was built for Hitler rather than because of the nature beauty of the area. We had a large and very comfortable bus take us through to Obersalzburg with a very able and amusing Tour Guide called Walter. He is Austrian, has lived in Australia and speaks several languages. He had many tales to tell and was a stickler for being on time at any particular place or you would be left behind. For example, one of his jokes was "What is the difference between a motorist and a pedestrian? Answer: Being two minutes late for the bus!" ... read more