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Published: August 21st 2013
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Back through the long Karawenken Tunnel (7,000 plus meters) to Austria. We have now spent all of our Kunas (Croatian currency) and are back to Euros and a need to update our Go-Box for continued travel on the motorways in Austria. We have found that using the motorways is direct and very helpful, but expensive. So on toward Lake Bled for a 4 hour drive. What a beautiful and crowded place at this time of the summer. We had read in another traveler's blog that the campsite, Camp Bled, had at times been able to stretch to accommodate camper travelers and so we traveled slowly around the lake, enjoying all the famous and fabulous scenes, until we got to Camp Bled. SURPRISE! Absolutely FULL! Guy did a marvelous 10 point U-turn in front of reception and started back along the lake: looking for the shots that he had hoped to get. We then attempted, with Richard's assist, to find the Campground where we had made reservations.
No big surprise that HE tried to get us into and thru the aforementioned K. Tunnel. After paying the hefty toll, we opted for a U-turn at the toll booths and eventually found,
without any GPS assist, the Kamne campground.. The views of the surrounding mountains, were awesome and unfortunately that was the only saving grace. It was absolutely jam-packed without rtime or reason, all campers are charged for hot water if you could get any in showers, they provided no TP and we lost power intermittently. We left early the next morning along with many others and then headed for THE Tunnel to enter Austria. We have been attempting to fill-up with LPG since being in Croatia, but do not have the magic adapter needed in those countries. Hopefully, when we enter Germany, we will have success. We are using LPG for cooking, and to supplement power for the refrigerator and freezer, we are traveling or at a site without power. No need for our furnace on this trip!!!
We have found a wonderful campground, at the end of Zell am See. this area has been developed as a resort area: summer and winter, since the time of Empress Elisabeth, (Elisabeth Von Carl Haschke). The SEECAMP, our campground is large, well run with wonderful central, secure facilities, a wonderful restaurant and on walking and bicycling paths that encircle the See
(lake).
On our first day in Zell am See, we decided to walk into Zell on the walking path along the lake. It looked so close, the weather was wonderfully cool and we had shopping to do and places to see. By the time we reached town and did a little shopping and a lot of people watching, we decided that a beer and a mexican lunch was in order. In talking to our waitress, we found out that this a a favorite vacation site for many people from Saudi Arabia and the women in their native dress gave that information credibility. Many come here to go u to the mountain to touch snow for the first time and the cool to cold temperatures are magnetic for them. The long walk back to the campground was lovely but tiring. since then our shopping excursions have been by motor scooter and much quicker.
The Shmittenhorne Experience has been here and available since 1873. The railway, bus lines, highway and lake transport boats have all expanded over the years and bring in visitors from all over the word to enjoy the cable car rides to two incredibly high
mountain peaks: the Schmittenhohe and the Klitzsteinhorn mountain and glacier. The Klitzsheinhorne Glacier is the only one in Austria. Hikers take the Schmittenhohre cable car to the 2000 meter peak and then can hike down on grassy outlined paths as they wish. We took the cable car in both directions, thoroughly enjoying the views while having a picnic lunch in the brilliant sunshine Paragliders take off from certain areas adjacent to the hiking paths and can soar from 20 minutes to 2 1/2 hours in the right weather conditions. There is a paragliding competition here in July that is a world wide event. Many of the paragliders that we spoke to had Go-Pro cameras on their helmets and they and their equipment are whisked to the mountain top on the TREX EXPRESS, a separate cable car transport system. We also learned that the cable cars were designed by the Porsche Design Group and can hold at least 20 people and dogs for the 7 minute ride each way.
From here we will head toward Salzburg for several days, using the highly recommended Tourist Card and will have lots to share from there.
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Bob Rounds
non-member comment
Beautiful