Driving through Austria and Bavaria

 

We left Reifnitz early this morning at the end of our ten day holiday there for the Ironman Austria that marked Steve’s 31^st Ironman race. We hit the road at 7.20am with a 450 mile drive in front of us. Austria if so very pretty; wherever you drive there are mountains all around you to feast your eyes upon. The first few miles today was over the early stages of the Austrian Ironman bike course and then turning off towards Villach, then turning towards Salzburg, where all around then scenery is fairy tale beautiful and put me in mind of the very elaborate train sets you see in exhibitions that have little farm houses and fluffy trees, artistically placed over green matting except this is true. Every mountain side is dotted with perfectly placed houses and tiny villages and the little trees that you can see from the vehicle window, looking so tiny in the distance are in reality 60’ high fir trees and spreads of orchards. Everything is laid out with immaculate precision and all kept in scrupulously neat and tidy condition and it is that that looks so unreal yet exquisite in its perfection. 

Although the sky was not as clear and blue as it has been the clouds were something special today with several snake clouds sliding through the sides of valleys along our route, just like the famous one that creeps up the Maloja Pass and into the upper Engadine Valley into St Moritz and featured in a film last year that I loved, called, The Clouds of Sils-Maria. These snakes today were exactly the same and really did look like giant fat white and grey snakes, miles long; such a treat that we were so thrilled to see as we were driving along.

 

 

Approaching Salzburg the road passes near to Berchtesgaden where we made a day trip to a couple of years ago, we had taken flights to Munich and hired a car for a change instead of driving the whole way. We stayed a few nights in Salzburg. Salzburg is such and interesting city with a splendid old town and some fabulous places to visit. We drove to Berchtesgaden, then and took a tour bus up to The Eagles Nest, that is so interesting but quite depressing with the WWII Exhibition there. In Salzburg we had visited Mozart’s house that was divine for me. I loved wandering around that house defying DO Not Touch signs. We also enjoyed an evening with a string quartet; that might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I nearly melted with pleasure. So much to see there, that we must go back again some time before we shuffle off this mortal coil. Life is far too short and there is so much to do and see.

 

Now Hear This……. It is only a few days since the selfish ‘Leave’ voter’s, who were thinking only about immigration, and don’t try to tell me otherwise, voted us out of the UE. When we reached the border with Germany, vehicles from the UK were being stopped. I saw this ahead and dug out our passports and had them at the ready. We were asked where we had been and where we were going and for how long, before being waved through. That is the first time in……. I don’t know….. What?... Twenty years? Back into the dark ages. 

Bavaria is also extremely pretty and we loved seeing the beautiful expanse of the Cheimsee from the road south of Munich. Munich is huge and seems to take forever to pass by as we drove on to Nuremburg and then on to Würzburg before hitting the major traffic jams that always seem to hinder travellers on the way to Frankfurt. We got to Frankfurt in 7 hours.45 minutes which was actually pretty good time considering all the traffic.