So we were just three bikes now - for the first little bit it felt weird. One upside was that it was now so easy to do a headcount of the bikes behind me! But soon our rhythm settled and we were back in the groove. We retraced our steps along the 210 back to Kranjska Gora and then headed for the Wurzen Pass. We stopped by the Russian Tank and got the obligatory photos before heading on to the Bunker Museum on the Austrian side of the pass.
It's a wee trek up to the museum entrance from the road, but it was well worth the effort. We stayed for over a hour looking at the different weaponry and battlements after getting a very informative introduction to the history of the area.
Artillery bits
Tanks and stuff
This section had been constructed to house the various weaponry
View of bunker
View from inside the same bunker
These guys were placed to block roads and generally annoy the invaders
Can I have go please sir?
We set off with a bit of pace as we'd spent quite a while at the museum. The weather was warming up big time again but sure it was way better than riding in the rain. As we rode through the long sweeping Austrian valleys we passed through some really lovely little towns with great names like Kleinkirchheim and Hinterkoflach. Quite often you'd see a most impressive church spire rising above the roofs of the other buildings.
The heat had us boiling over yet again so we stopped in Reichenau for lunch. Turned out to be a lovely spot with quite delicious food on offer. swanky coffees were had as well - sure we were on holidays!
Yummy food building in Riechenau aka. Gasthaus Lax
Cant beat a of al fresco dining
The infamous schnitzel - perfect for the hungry biker!
Savage coffees with a water chaser
We even found little pictures of Brian and Derek!
One thing we'd all noticed whilst we sat for lunch - more bikes than cars drove by as we ate. This had to be a really popular biking road and that's always a good sign!
We saw more bikers than cars on this stretch of road!
Back on the bikes and we headed for our next treat of the day - the Nockalmstrasse. The road is a joy to ride - great surface, tons of lovely bends and great scenery all around too. Just keep an eye out for the cattle grids - one or two of them are located on corners...interesting in the wet no doubt.
We rode up through the alpine forest to the Eisentalhohe and pulled over to admire the views. Oh, and to have a snuggle with the mountain cows! Sexy devils every last one of them! :-) The air up here was so crisp and fresh. Each breath filled your lungs with unspoilt air that you couldn't get enough of.
Our Nockalmstrasse reception party!
The setup for bikers is pretty good - there are free lockers available for your bike kit in case you want to change into some walking gear and go trekking on the hills. Don't see that sort of thing back home, or maybe that's the purpose of all the potholes we have in Ireland...storage space!
Bikes properly parked (sort of) with the lockers behind
Do we have space for just one...do we, do we?
The views down into the far valleys were stunning...shame we didn't have our hill walking gear with us.
Beautiful view...and the mountains are nice too!
Just can't bring me anywhere really...
Pauline's latest hobby - jax photography
There were small bits of snow along the roadside, not much, but enough to maybe start a snowball fight! :-) Isn't that right Aynsley? ;-)
A sign of things to come later...
Back on the bikes we headed for the B99 and then onto the B106. It was roasting hot once again so we pulled over in Obervellach for a much needed break, a wee bite to eat and something to drink. Nothing adds class to a place like a bunch of bikers huddled under a tree munching away! :-)
Picnic in the shade by the side of the road in Obervellach
So now we were onto the last leg of the day's riding - once onto the B107 we were heading up towards the Grossglockner Pass. Long before the twisty bits, the road is a real joy to ride. Nice long sweeping bends coupled with lovely surface ensure you enjoy every inch of it. I love the way the Austrians don't bother with hedges along the side of the road. The grass in the fields comes right up to the edge of the tarmac which means you can see out of almost every corner even before you enter it.
I must admit, even after hearing so much and watching endless YouTube videos about the pass, nothing prepares you for just how incredible the place is.
The evening sun was getting lower now which made it a little harder to see ahead at times...
As we climbed out of the valley the mountain views started to open up. It was difficult not to let my gaze wander over the vistas, but multiple hairpin bends and drop offs with no barrier will keep your mind on the road!
Up and up we went and even more snow appeared along the side of the road. The temperature started to drop too - only a wee while ago we'd been sweltering in the heat and now the temp gauge was showing a chilly 9 degrees C!
We passed a few cyclists on the way up. Now, I'm keen on a wee bit of cycling myself, but this was ridiculous - 'twas hard enough getting up the pass even with the assistance of 1200cc!!
After rounding one of the corners we were instantly reminded of home when we came across a herd of sheep deep in discussion right in front of us. Unlike the clever Irish sheep back home, these guys proceeded to trot up the road staying in our way instead of running off to one side. Maybe they don't like snow around these parts!
As we rode through and came out the other side of the Hochtor tunnel the vista that greeted us was amazing. Snow lined mountains stretched away into the distance in every direction. We were lucky - the crisp clear air meant we could see way into the distance and wow, what a view. If you're ever in this neck of the woods, don't miss this place.
View back to the Hochtor Tunnel
We turned right off the main road and wound our way up the cobbled hair-pinned road to the Edelweisshutte, our lodgings for the night. Our host Kurt had kindly held the kitchen open for us (we arrived just after 7pm) so we headed straight to the restaurant before checking in etc. Lucky for us, because there's not exactly a plethora of choice when it comes to restaurant options up here!
Our mountaintop lodgings
Family business that's been going for a while now, especially when you add on 12 more years!
Stuart nipped outside with his pint to enjoy the setting sun - it's not everyday you get a photo opportunity like this one!
The perfect pint!
After a fine meal, half of which was spent ogling at the view out the window, we parked up the bikes, unloaded our gear and headed for our rooms.
Nice sheltered secure parking for the bikes
Our rooms were very comfy and spacious and the views blew you away. Being Irish, once we heard the bar was closing, we ordered two drinks each and Kurt kindly let us take them back to our rooms. He even threw in a kettle of water so I could indulge in a cup of tae before hitting the pillow. Champion!
Before heading to bed I took a couple of pics of the mountains lit only by the moonlight. This place was only magical!
Nighttime view of the mountains from our bedroom
But not much later I was tucked up and welded to my pillow as I wanted to get up early and catch the sunrise...
After last nights beer soaked shenanigans, it was a wee struggle to get up and see the boys off. But it would have been rude not to...and miss out on the hungover heads peering out from their lids! :-)
We waited a few minutes for them to come back around after fuelling up...and noticed they'd traded up for a faster model! :-)
But then they did eventually pass by again...and that was the last time we saw them before home.
A few minutes later Jim popped his head out the window and we agreed to head out soon so as to make the most of the day. The weather was looking to be great and we had a list of things we wanted to do. Whether we'd have enough time was another story!
Top of our list was a visit to the island in the middle of the lake. And the best way to get there - renting our own wee boat and rowing out ourselves. Much laughter ensued as we slagged each other over our considerable lack of rowing skills!
Jim was afraid of the water and needed a comforting touch! :-)
Jim holds on for dear life!
The views from the lake were lovely - the day had turned out to be a cracker and it really is a lovely wee spot.
Bled Castle
We parked up on the island just like proper bikers do!
Think ours was third from left...
The island hosts a church which you reach via a set of steps - all very picturesque and peaceful if it wasn't for the masses of babbling tourists everywhere.
Steps up to the church
We didn't bother paying in to see the church - twas nicer just to spend time outdoors in the nice weather.
Church tower
Church tower selfie
Cool keyhole and handle
Statue stuff
Great views in pretty much every direction from the island - there was even a wee bit of snow left on the top of the hills. This had me wondering about the others as the Grossglockner Pass website was showing it as still closed when they headed off earlier. Later on we got an update from them to say it had reopened in time. Happy days.
Sneachta on the hills
Even more steps!
One of the group boats
We hopped back on our trusty boat and made our way towards the shore - it was Jim's turn to row so I played around with the camera settings for the laugh. Watch Jim row like the clappers while Pauline calmly takes in the scenery!
Jim doesn't know his own strength and actually rowed himself backwards off the seat! I was raging I didn't catch it on camera. :-)
Once we found our land legs, we headed for the summer toboggan run. Basically it's a wee seat on rails that brings you down the side of the hill. Getting the ski lift up we got great views of Bled and its surrounds...
Jim gives us a cheery wave!
Selfie time again!
Tis a lovely setting
Coming down the hill in the toboggan my hat flew off so after getting off at the bottom Pauline and I trekked back up the hill to retrieve it. Jim waited at the bottom and laughed as I scarpered up the hill trying to hide from the guys working there. After lots of searching Pauline spotted the hat and I pegged it out into the open to retrieve it, hoping I hadn't been spotted.
We decided to head out for a wee spin on the bikes - destination was a wee waterfall and gorge just over the Austrian border. After riding through some lovely little villages we arrived at the border checkpoint. At this moment we all realised that our passports were back at the apartment. Bummer. All week we'd been crossing borders without even stopping and the one time we don't have our papers is when we need them! So about turn and back the way we came. We decided to go have a look at Bled Castle - we rode up to the parking area and it was 11 euro each to go in. We'd already seen better views from the toboggan hill so we cried shy.
Jim headed off for a spin but Pauline and I were booked in for a Thai massage so we headed back to the apartment. The health spa place was a 15min walk away and it was another chance to see the non-touristy bits of Bled. After only a couple of minutes walking we were right into the countryside. Awesome!
We spotted this cool looking barn and ended up chatting to the owner over his hedge. Lovely man and we would have stayed for ages only we were on our way to our massage.
How cool is this barn?
Loved this place
Only a few minutes walk from the hustle and bustle
Stunning views
We passed by lots of vegetable plots and non of it is segregated or fenced off - makes for a lovely open feeling to the place.
Love the way nothing's fenced off
Winter's coming!
In Slovenia they don't bale their hay, instead they stack in on these racks to dry out - we had noticed loads of them as we rode through the countryside on the way to Bled.
Check out the hay racks
The massage was awesome. At one stage I actually had someone walking down my back as it made all sorts of creaks and groans!
Afterwards we headed back to town and met up with Jim, Stuart and Aynsley for some dins dins. We had a reasonably early night as tomorrow we were back on the bikes again. Wo hoo! :-)
Well, this was a pretty wet day all in. But that didn't stop us from doing some proper sightseeing! For most of us this was the first of two days break in Bled. But for Wayne, Brian and Derek, this was their only rest day as the were making tracks for Memmingen the next morning.
After a nice slow lazy morning. we headed out from the apartment towards the lakeside. It was a pleasant 10min walk despite some drizzle from the grey sky above. Even in the wet weather, the lake front was quite pretty and not overly touristy at all.
During our shop browsing Pauline and I both purchased hats - hers to keep the rain off her hair, mine to act like hair and keep the rain off my head!
Rain? What rain? :-)
There were some nice food stalls along the waterfront so we decided we'd walk up an appetite and then stop somewhere along the way for a bite to eat.
Could do with one of these in the back garden at home!
Lots of tasty options available
There were some pretty cool sights along the way as we strolled along the lakeside...
These lilies floating on the lakeside were mesmerising!
Model of Lake Bled - all it needed was a 'you are here' arrow
Just imagine the size of the wine bottles these guys came from!
How cool are these wee bar stools?
Super freaky chess set
Don't mess with these guys!
Slovenian parenting explained in one simple poster...
Thou shalt not cover thine ice cream!
Even the public loos were quite impressive! Not wanting to be arrested, I didn't take any pictures inside but did get this one of the electronic turnstile as I was leaving...
I was hoping for a jackpot win but no joy
We came across this derelict house hidden in the trees - spooky looking and we wondered what sort of history was behind the building...turns out it was the home of a Swiss chap called Arnold Rikli who moved to Bled to help with his illness. He stayed for 52 years and opened a health institute. He wasn't mad keen on the locals though (feeling was kind of mutual) and in all that time he never even learned to speak Slovenian! The house is protected but it's falling apart which is a shame...
Lovely tree-lined paths
Derelict house...
...where ghosts regularly appear!
Must have been quite some place in it's heyday
So after our stolling about it was time to settle down for a bite to eat. Back to the food stalls by the lakeside and I opted for some chicken and spuds - yummy nom noms! Followed of course by the obligatory holiday beverage!
Delish-balls!
You can see the toboggan slope right in the middle...
We spent the rest of the day pottering about planning what we'd do tomorrow. Walking the backstreets of Bled we came across some lovely houses and gardens - it really is a pretty town, especially when you leave the more touristy areas...
Their other car must be huge! :-)
Even the window bars are pretty
Wish my garage looked this nice
Amityville or the Bates hotel...?
Curtains with no windows - ye'd never see that back home!
Wayne, Derek and Brian would be heading off first thing as they were flying home two days before us. The weather forecast was looking good - so the rest of us would get to do some of the proper touristy stuff on our second day off.
For our final night as a complete group, we headed back to the pub we first went to. It was a great oul night with plenty of laughs and giggles. Pauline and Aynsley pulled a troop of older gentlemen in Lederhosen - I don't think the girls were able to resist the sexy leather shorts and dulcet tones of the German gents!
