17th September 2013
Reichenberg, Germany to Admont,
Austria
A day of rain and showers. I
managed to stay dry and now realise that if there is any possibility of rain
then it is best to suit up with all of your weather gear. There is a strong
temptation not to bother and to chance it because the gear is cumbersome and
restrictive. The over gloves are 3 fingered… and not perfect for riding. The
over boots are fragile, I am very aware that if I let my feet drag on the road
they will hole. The over trousers have their own challenges, in particular of
the toilet type….Finally if it looks like rain wear it all, after all just 5
minutes in heavy rain and you will be soaking.
My destination for the day was
Admont in the Austrian Alps. As I entered Austria I needed to buy a Vignette,
effectively motorway tax. I am now
building up a collection of these on my panniers. Austria is truly the land of
tunnels. I judge Austria to be the masters of tunnel digging… they seem to
choose tunnels over any other possible solution. Today I travelled through 30
or so tunnels and I was quickly reminded how terrifying they are. Austrians
will laugh! The roar of trucks, the wind blast from on-coming vehicles, the low
light, the claustrophobia….
Finally I reached my hotel,
Schloss Rothelstein. Nestled amongst trees on a steep valley side, this is an
ancient castle. Very impressive stuff. I am sharing it with about 40 Austrian
school kids… they are as noisy as any school kids but I have to say far better behaved than their British counterparts.
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| Schloss Rothelstein |
 |
view from my window  |
Admont mileometer 16983
( 325 miles ridden)
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