Austria and Switzerland

Our cycle trip is done, we are back in the UK where we can go to ridiculously cheap supermarkets, sleep under a roof and understand every conversation we hear!
Our last leg of the trip was fantastic, perhaps the most enjoyable cycling of the whole tour. Through Austria, Bavaria and Switzerland we traveled, keeping mostly to riverside cycle paths.

We took a train from Pula, Croatia through Slovenia, stopping just to make a change in ljubljana and arrived in Salzburg, Austria at 4am. Looking at the map it looked like it would have been spectacular scenery but alas being dark we didn’t see a thing except way too many ticket collectors/border patrollers interrupting our sleep. This train journey also signaled the end of the music as Ross’ mandolin was stolen from our carriage!

Salzburg was amazing, grey skies, rain, mountains, Mozart, just the change we needed from the month of sun, sky and sea. We rode out of town (and Austria) all on cycle ways and as it was a little confusing we made friends with a fellow cyclist and she guided us into germany while we chatted about things. We said goodbye to our first friendly german and made our way to the campground to meet more. Amazingly peaceful campground on a lake and run by a couple with absolutely no English and as it was our first day in a german speaking country, we had no deutsh. So obvious hilarity ensued. We met an English speaking German couple (campground veterans of 30 years) and they and the owners invited us into this room where we drank schnapps and looked at photos of the campground. An awesome experience.

The next couple of days were really about getting lost. This wasn’t our intended plan but it worked out so hey. The cycle paths were so plentiful that it actually impeded our progress. We basically were biking round in circles trying to follow these little pictogram signposts. We did eventually get a lot better at it but as this was our first day it was a bit of a disaster, although beautiful biking. Our 2nd day was a lot better, we had only got lost a couple of times when we got lost pretty properly. Luckily we met this old guy cyclist and he guided us all the way to the river inn (maybe 30mins biking) through an absolute maze of country roads. He didn’t speak any English, he only knew that we wanted the river Inn. When we got there we thanked him profusely and he simply smiled and turned to cycle back. Germany was good to us.

Now on the river Inn we were to follow it first into Austria in the next couple of hours and eventually Switzerland. It was such beautiful riding. A dedicated cycle path mostly alongside the river which would occasionally criss-cross through the valley and its villages. It was flat riding with towering mountains on either side. This continued to Innsbruck where we spent half a day. An old city set on the river with old streets and a palace with a gold roof. A lunch of pizza and cinnamon rolls and ross got his broken gear cable fixed.
Continuing on, the valley narrowed, it became a gorge then a wide valley again and we continued slowly up. Austria was excellent, the cheese was cheap (in fact so was everything), the strudel was good and the soundtrack of continuous cowbell clanging very harmonious. The riding became more hilly, more up then down and after a short climb high above the now mountainous river Inn we crossed into Swtizerland! After 6 days in Austria/Bavaria it was very exciting to be in the country we were finishing in.

The plan in Switzerland was to follow the Inn until it reached a tunnel where we would take a train through a big mountain, descend down a valley and reach the Rhine river. We would follow the Rhine to it’s source along the national cycle route 2. Then we would meet up with route #1 at the Rhone Glacier and follow the Rhone river to lake Leman and Geneva! Our end.

Our first day was very strenuous with a climb up to 1800m. It took us (me more) a bit by surprise. We were still following the river and the road went through villages so I hadn’t thought much of it but it was pretty full on. Steep zigzags and such cold that I think it could have snowed. This climb though is one of my most proud ones. I gritted my teeth, stayed in my second lowest gear and didn’t stop. My legs were burning, shaking at the top and for the first and only time I was first up!! Ross says it was because he was taking photos but I think he couldn’t catch me!  These high villages were beautiful in their location plus their houses were all artistically and traditionally painted on the outside.

We said goodbye to the Inn and took the train through the mountain. Meeting up with the Rhine we were once again in a big open valley with mountains on either side (the inn valley had gotten very narrow, high, mountainous). We had a day of spectacular weather, the first completely clear day since Croatia. The riding, first boring beside the big motorway turned into amazing riding on a narrow windy road high above the Rhone Gorge. More steep climbs but great views and very satisfying riding. Number 2 got a little crazy and began to be more off road than on and more up than down. We took a day off in Disentis to rest and get ready for our 2 days climbing the passes. First Oberalp pass at 2044 m, then Furka Pass at 2436 m. A little side note, apparently there is a car chase scene in the bond film goldfinger that was filmed on furka pass.

A ways up the Oberalp climb we met a friendly man with a tractor. He had traveled 2500ks with his tractor at 20kph towing a covered wagon that he had made with his 13yr old son. He was from Belgium and very friendly, he showed us the inside and talked to us about his trip and asked about ours. Great to share experiences with someone you would otherwise never meet.
The Oberalp pass was fine. Just another climb really, a good amount of zig zags but the beginning had been quite gradual and long so made it a lot easier.

Andermatt was an awesome little town set in the heart of the alps. Here we met up with the number 1 route and began the climb to Furka Pass. The morning of the climb was beautiful, clear blue skies. We shared a hot chocolate with a dutch cycle tourer whom we had talked with a lot the previous night and 2 german campers, and we were off. This was the toughest climb yet. Steep zigzags in the beginning then a long curve up with our destination always in sight. Patience really is a virtue. You just have to know that it will take you a long time and accept it. After about 3 hours and a strong headwind we reached the top. It was very windy and very cold so we didn’t dwell and headed down almost immediately. Amazing views of glaciers and really high snow covered mountains. Very happy with the achievement.

The next 5 days we spent cycling down the Rhone river to the lake. We had rain, fog, sun, more mountains, a few small climbs and mounting excitement at being so close to our destination. On reaching the lake we visited the beautiful Chateau Chillon and saw part of a free music festival in Laussane. On the 20th September we arrived in Geneva!

Geneva was great. We went to a different café each day (3 days) and had a dinner out at a traditional style restaurant. We also saw some live jazz at a jazz club. The city is set right on the water and our last day was spent lying on the grass reading with our bikes and their boxes beside. A bit of a mission getting our bikes to the train station and in boxes for the plane but after talking to quite a few people on the subject, our experience seems quite an easy one. We flew out at 7.30pm on the 22nd.

So now we are back in Brighton. We got our old jobs back at the hotel in Scotland and head up that way this coming Wednesday to start work on Friday.

The cycle trip was such a fantastic experience!!!!!! We are very lucky to have had the chance to do something like this.

And sorry if this blog has been a little long, it was nice to have the time to write it for once. I will post photos on my facebook page that will go along with this and I plan to put another blog up of numbers, statistics and what not of the trip.


Nicki and Ross