This was the start of one of the most scenic and breathtaking parts of the trip. If I had known, I would have never had thought about quitting around Linz when I was feeling discouraged by the notion of traveling so slowly. My debit card wasn't working yet, and I had 19 euros to move me south across the Alps. To help, I did have some food and a book that pointed out a path with campgrounds around the way. Most of the cities seemed small around the way. I knew there were people I could call if I needed help, so that helped me feel comforted too.
I left Salzburg and rode to Hallein, but because of a Google Map error, it lead me to farther south than where I had reserved the room. I used a credit card to reserve a room online when I panicked because my cell and debit card weren't working. The place I was biking to was actually in Anif, Austria just south of Salzburg. The error lead me to a lovely brauhaus in Kalthausen, Germany.
I had a klein bier and asked for directions, which was not the best use of money. The woman understood me fine in German when I ordered and then asked for directions to the inn. She gave me directions, but I thought she said 50 meters instead of 5 kilometers. I left the place walking up and down the hill outside of the brewery, searching around a private residence before eventually went back to ask again. Another man could not understand me at all, and he called the server over who helped me before. She was confused, and kindly told him, "she speaks German..." We spoke, and I realized that I didn't understand, and began riding north towards Salzburg again. The path along the Salzach River to Hallein is beautiful. If you like biking even a little bit and find yourself in Salzburg, it's a flat path that is gorgeous.
I left Anif in the morning and started going south, retracing the path that I had already seen the day previous. The landscape was dramatic and the sheets of sheer clouds shifted around the mountains like translucent theater curtains revealing and hiding mountains unlike any I had ever seen. It felt like performance.
This trip was making me love nature even more than I had before. Around Hallein, I had lost the trail and there were two older German guys with mountain bikes who were, I assume, going the same way as me. I practiced my new question, "Woher gehen Sie?" and they told me they were heading to Bischofshofen where they would take a train to Mallnitz. We were going the same direction. They seemed better equipped and had warmer clothes and mountain bikes. They found the signs for the Tauern Radweg that we were all looking for. I rode along with them for maybe a kilometer before I peeled off and never saw them again. I was faster than them and pushed through the little hills easily.
The path had hills, but the grades were doable, and I was probably in better shape than when I first started the trip over a month ago. Some of the Tauern Radweg is along Route 159, where you squeeze between mountains along the Salzach River. Everyone is going the same path through here: bicyclists, motorists, and the railroad. There were a few moments where I felt a little claustrophobic and overwhelmed by my surroundings. It's hard to look forward when you want to look around all the time. I adopted the philosophy of hopping off my bicycle for a moment when ever I could tell I was getting a little overwhelmed.
The way through Werfen, Austria was absolutely stunning.
I kept going until I reach Schwarzach im Pongau where they had a sign that recommended some campgrounds. This town had the extra benefit of having a square that had free wifi. It was starting to look Bavarian to me.
It was starting to rain and I climbed the hill up to the
campground in St. Veit. Everything was so steep. This campground had a bar in it, and I was able to listen to German speakers talking about people from other cultures. It's a strange sensation to begin understanding more without being able to communicate what it is that you're understanding. I felt myself becoming more fluent in a language that before I had never studied and never had any interest in learning. I asked the woman tending bar if she had a map of the cycle route, and she actually did! She gave me a brochure that outlined the whole Alpe Adria route. I knew I could keep going without buying a book, as long as I knew which city I needed to aim my bicycle toward.
I still didn't have any money. I had about 14 euros and enough to camp for another night if I wanted to camp at a regular campground. In the back of my mind, I wondered about stealth camping, but feel hesitant because I'm a foreigner without command of any of the languages. The sheer overwhelming beauty of the place kept my mind off of thinking to much about my troubles. In these posts, I almost can't help but just want to post pictures instead of paragraphs. I wanted to take pictures of every vista. I wanted all of my bicycle friends with me to see all of this.
This was the start of one of the most scenic and breathtaking parts of the trip. If I had known, I would have never had thought about quitting around Linz when I was feeling discouraged by the notion of traveling so slowly. My debit card wasn't working yet, and I had 19 euros to move me south across the Alps. To help, I did have some food and a book that pointed out a path with campgrounds around the way. Most of the cities seemed small around the way. I knew there were people I could call if I needed help, so that helped me feel comforted too.
I left Salzburg and rode to Hallein, but because of a Google Map error, it lead me to farther south than where I had reserved the room. I used a credit card to reserve a room online when I panicked because my cell and debit card weren't working. The place I was biking to was actually in Anif, Austria just south of Salzburg. The error lead me to a lovely brauhaus in Kalthausen, Germany.
I had a klein bier and asked for directions, which was not the best use of money. The woman understood me fine in German when I ordered and then asked for directions to the inn. She gave me directions, but I thought she said 50 meters instead of 5 kilometers. I left the place walking up and down the hill outside of the brewery, searching around a private residence before eventually went back to ask again. Another man could not understand me at all, and he called the server over who helped me before. She was confused, and kindly told him, "she speaks German..." We spoke, and I realized that I didn't understand, and began riding north towards Salzburg again. The path along the Salzach River to Hallein is beautiful. If you like biking even a little bit and find yourself in Salzburg, it's a flat path that is gorgeous.
I left Anif in the morning and started going south, retracing the path that I had already seen the day previous. The landscape was dramatic and the sheets of sheer clouds shifted around the mountains like translucent theater curtains revealing and hiding mountains unlike any I had ever seen. It felt like performance.
This trip was making me love nature even more than I had before. Around Hallein, I had lost the trail and there were two older German guys with mountain bikes who were, I assume, going the same way as me. I practiced my new question, "Woher gehen Sie?" and they told me they were heading to Bischofshofen where they would take a train to Mallnitz. We were going the same direction. They seemed better equipped and had warmer clothes and mountain bikes. They found the signs for the Tauern Radweg that we were all looking for. I rode along with them for maybe a kilometer before I peeled off and never saw them again. I was faster than them and pushed through the little hills easily.
The path had hills, but the grades were doable, and I was probably in better shape than when I first started the trip over a month ago. Some of the Tauern Radweg is along Route 159, where you squeeze between mountains along the Salzach River. Everyone is going the same path through here: bicyclists, motorists, and the railroad. There were a few moments where I felt a little claustrophobic and overwhelmed by my surroundings. It's hard to look forward when you want to look around all the time. I adopted the philosophy of hopping off my bicycle for a moment when ever I could tell I was getting a little overwhelmed.
The way through Werfen, Austria was absolutely stunning.
I kept going until I reach Schwarzach im Pongau where they had a sign that recommended some campgrounds. This town had the extra benefit of having a square that had free wifi. It was starting to look Bavarian to me.
It was starting to rain and I climbed the hill up to the campground in St. Veit. Everything was so steep. This campground had a bar in it, and I was able to listen to German speakers talking about people from other cultures. It's a strange sensation to begin understanding more without being able to communicate what it is that you're understanding. I felt myself becoming more fluent in a language that before I had never studied and never had any interest in learning. I asked the woman tending bar if she had a map of the cycle route, and she actually did! She gave me a brochure that outlined the whole Alpe Adria route. I knew I could keep going without buying a book, as long as I knew which city I needed to aim my bicycle toward.
I still didn't have any money. I had about 14 euros and enough to camp for another night if I wanted to camp at a regular campground. In the back of my mind, I wondered about stealth camping, but feel hesitant because I'm a foreigner without command of any of the languages. The sheer overwhelming beauty of the place kept my mind off of thinking to much about my troubles. In these posts, I almost can't help but just want to post pictures instead of paragraphs. I wanted to take pictures of every vista. I wanted all of my bicycle friends with me to see all of this.
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