High Alpine Roads, Castles and lakes

After an amazing night’s sleep (I do better in the cold!) I was back on the road and hammering through the Alps, weather wasn’t amazing but at least the rain stopped!

I’d been trying to cross one of the Alps passes in Austria yesterday but left it too late, so my only real goal for today was to make it over. The way up was beautiful and it seems some others had decided to have a go too!

The road is called Grossglochner High Alpine Road and is apparently the highest made road in Europe!

It was also a toll road, 25 Euro for motorcycles which felt a bit steep…but that said, you get a free sticker! And the road was incredible!

Hats were however extra…but they did have a free museum at the top showing the things they’ve found whilst building the road. Apparently this pass has been known and used since Roman times and they’ve excavated significant roman metal and ceramics, and several pairs of shoes!

Almost at the top it was incredibly windy!

But I wasn’t done yet, through the tunnel is a plateau which culminates in the peak of the mountain.

Slightly further along was the peak, and well...I found the edge...

I rode up to it like all the other bikes...

And the wind promptly blew me over!

Broken clutch lever and some help from some strangers later I was back on the road!

Running down the hill I caught up with some other bikes!

Reaching the bottom it was time to hit the souvenier shop and grab a snack, sadly they didnt stock these in my size...

Also everything was flat...

Deciding I should stop breaking things and get to my accommodation I hit the road again, still heading north into Austria.


My final goal was a small lake outside of Salzberg (bordering Germany) but before I made it there I noticed on the map a small castle highlighted off in the distance...see it? Neither could I but the map said it was there!

And it was not wrong, hidden in amonst the trees high up in the mountain was the Hohenwerfen Castle, an ancient fortress which protected the road into Salzberg.

The only tours were guided tours however, and I felt terrible for the guide who had to say everything in German, then repeat it in English. To be fair I feel like I learned a lot of German today!

These are Kanones.

And then I gave up, the bell tower however has a commanding view of the road which is why the castle sits here. Also the bell is rung by EVERY SINGLE tour group (every 15 minutes) so I have no idea how the locals tell the time!

Quick stop at the gift shop and ...still not in my size...

I arrived at my accommodation for the night, my SECOND hostel, to find it was more of a school camp. I immediately dropped my stuff, grabbed my laptop and went for a walk around town. 


One of the things I've loved in Austria is even in small towns everything is so nicely taken care of.

Spot of minigolf? Guess I'll just have to find a bar then...

Its been a long time since I went out to a bar in Australia where smoking was allowed, and I'd completely forgotten what it smells like to come home afterwards. Safe to say a 90 minute Euro2016 game was about all the smoke my clothes could soak up, and everything (beard included) needed a wash!