I left Möllbrücke in the morning. It was a morning where it felt too cold to get out of the sleeping bag. I packed up my stuff and started towards Spittal. Möllbrücke was the intersection of all types of cycle ways. There was the possibility that I could reach Italy by the end of the day. It wasn't really a plan early in my trip, but it added some fuel to my legs.
The signage for the Alpe Adria Radweg was fairly clear during this part of the trip. I followed signs for R1 for the
Drauradweg, which is named for the Drau River. There was a designated cycle path most of the way to Villach.
The morning went quickly, and it was a little chilly to the point that I wished that I had gloves with me. Clouds were blocking the view of the mountains as I was riding through the valley.
I still didn't have a means to get more cash, so I hadn't bought gloves in my state of forced frugality since Salzburg. I reached Villach before I anticipated, maybe before noon. I sent some postcards and then went to the ATM. It worked! Suddenly I had Euros, so I bought some gloves, a map book, and bought myself a warm drink at a place with wifi. Villach was a cute town too that was situated close to where Italy, Austria, and Slovenia meet.
I was feeling good, and it was early, so I continued farther south with a goal of reaching Italy by nightfall. The path was crushed and smooth gravel once I left Villach. I was very much in nature, and found myself again pedaling alone in a beautiful place. It still was boggling why I didn't see any other cyclists on the path even though it was only early October. Apparently it was the end of the season, but it was such a sunny and temperate fall day here. The Drau River was clear. I hadn't thought about it, but I was probably breathing in some really clean air for long stretches of the trip through the Alps.
The mountains were changing shapes and colors. They were no longer green and rounded, but were starting to look like teeth protuding from the earth. The mountains looked balder and rougher than what they had looked a few days back around Bad Gastein. I felt like I had to be in constant motion to meet my goal of getting to Italy, but I did see the EU sign for Italy as it was starting to look darker.
After you cross into Italia, there's a switchback on a hill that you have to climb that's part of the Alpe Adria Radweg. I was impressed with the path that they had in Italy. It was fun and challenging, like they knew exactly what cyclists would like. Some fun curves and hills. I was able to make it to Tarvisio without a problem. Tarvisio is a ski town, and I was there in between seasons before they had any snow. I had a hard time finding a place to stay. It was a little chilly, and I was hoping for a guesthouse or pension house somewhere in town. While getting lost in my quest for a hotel, I ended up going into a building that said "hotel," but it was no longer a hotel. Right then as the office women shooed me out the door, I realized that, jeez I know no Italian whatsoever, and it's a problem. I went around the corner and while getting myself lost, I did find this amazing shop of garden gnomes. I saw the "no fotos" sign too late. They were blaring Disney music sung in Italian from the shop. I nosed around, and eventually a man came around the corner. He didn't speak English, but he did speak German. I told him in my awkward deutsch way that I was searching for a hotel, and he directed me in German to 2 streets where I could go.
I found a restaurant that also was a
hotel with simple rooms. The woman at the restaurant did not speak English either, but we got by with what little German I knew. She was very accommodating. There is the habit of showing you the room and giving you the choice of staying there. I followed her up 4 floors of stairs, and she never slowed down. I nodded when she showed me the simple and clean room, and then we ran back to the ground floor to the restaurant so that I could pay her. I was impressed with her fitness. I had a place, so I walked around Tarvisio a little bit and found a little Italian dictionary. Suddenly, there were Italian restaurants everywhere just by crossing a line somewhere in the mountains. All was well, and I felt very confident that I'd be able to reach the Adriatic Sea in a few days. The highest parts of the Alps were done, and I just needed to drift down to the coast.
I left Möllbrücke in the morning. It was a morning where it felt too cold to get out of the sleeping bag. I packed up my stuff and started towards Spittal. Möllbrücke was the intersection of all types of cycle ways. There was the possibility that I could reach Italy by the end of the day. It wasn't really a plan early in my trip, but it added some fuel to my legs.
The signage for the Alpe Adria Radweg was fairly clear during this part of the trip. I followed signs for R1 for the Drauradweg, which is named for the Drau River. There was a designated cycle path most of the way to Villach.
The morning went quickly, and it was a little chilly to the point that I wished that I had gloves with me. Clouds were blocking the view of the mountains as I was riding through the valley.
I still didn't have a means to get more cash, so I hadn't bought gloves in my state of forced frugality since Salzburg. I reached Villach before I anticipated, maybe before noon. I sent some postcards and then went to the ATM. It worked! Suddenly I had Euros, so I bought some gloves, a map book, and bought myself a warm drink at a place with wifi. Villach was a cute town too that was situated close to where Italy, Austria, and Slovenia meet.
I was feeling good, and it was early, so I continued farther south with a goal of reaching Italy by nightfall. The path was crushed and smooth gravel once I left Villach. I was very much in nature, and found myself again pedaling alone in a beautiful place. It still was boggling why I didn't see any other cyclists on the path even though it was only early October. Apparently it was the end of the season, but it was such a sunny and temperate fall day here. The Drau River was clear. I hadn't thought about it, but I was probably breathing in some really clean air for long stretches of the trip through the Alps.
The mountains were changing shapes and colors. They were no longer green and rounded, but were starting to look like teeth protuding from the earth. The mountains looked balder and rougher than what they had looked a few days back around Bad Gastein. I felt like I had to be in constant motion to meet my goal of getting to Italy, but I did see the EU sign for Italy as it was starting to look darker.
After you cross into Italia, there's a switchback on a hill that you have to climb that's part of the Alpe Adria Radweg. I was impressed with the path that they had in Italy. It was fun and challenging, like they knew exactly what cyclists would like. Some fun curves and hills. I was able to make it to Tarvisio without a problem. Tarvisio is a ski town, and I was there in between seasons before they had any snow. I had a hard time finding a place to stay. It was a little chilly, and I was hoping for a guesthouse or pension house somewhere in town. While getting lost in my quest for a hotel, I ended up going into a building that said "hotel," but it was no longer a hotel. Right then as the office women shooed me out the door, I realized that, jeez I know no Italian whatsoever, and it's a problem. I went around the corner and while getting myself lost, I did find this amazing shop of garden gnomes. I saw the "no fotos" sign too late. They were blaring Disney music sung in Italian from the shop. I nosed around, and eventually a man came around the corner. He didn't speak English, but he did speak German. I told him in my awkward deutsch way that I was searching for a hotel, and he directed me in German to 2 streets where I could go.
I found a restaurant that also was a hotel with simple rooms. The woman at the restaurant did not speak English either, but we got by with what little German I knew. She was very accommodating. There is the habit of showing you the room and giving you the choice of staying there. I followed her up 4 floors of stairs, and she never slowed down. I nodded when she showed me the simple and clean room, and then we ran back to the ground floor to the restaurant so that I could pay her. I was impressed with her fitness. I had a place, so I walked around Tarvisio a little bit and found a little Italian dictionary. Suddenly, there were Italian restaurants everywhere just by crossing a line somewhere in the mountains. All was well, and I felt very confident that I'd be able to reach the Adriatic Sea in a few days. The highest parts of the Alps were done, and I just needed to drift down to the coast.
No comments:
Post a Comment