Out of the 8 European countries I passed on my last tour, Austria with it’s amazing landscapes, was my favorite one. So going into it, I knew that I was in for some hard – but always very rewarding – work. I had a physically tough first day with lots of steep and long climbs, and as the sun still was nowhere to be seen, it all initally seemed like a lot more work than reward.
Luckily though, my very first night on Austrian ground ended with a great homestay with a family of farmers who adopted me for the evening. While the parents and kids were so happy and curious to take me in, the grandmother Marie who also lived in the house wasn’t very impressed with the new guest. She simply coulnd’t understand why on Earth someone would travel from Sweden to their tiny, tiny town – ON A BICYCLE?!? And what’s up with the weird German the girl is trying to speak? Something must be up. For sure. I wish I’d have the guts to snap a picture of Marie before she went to bed, still shaking her head.
Magdalena showing off her new favorites on the farm
The next days things really changed and I suddenly got a whole lot of reward for very little work. The sun was back, smiling at me for the first time in what seemed like weeks. And I had a full hour of just rolling downhill, watching the great scenery as I made my way down to the Danube. Reaching the river was such a cool feeling. I was back. Cycling along the Danube is where I first fell in love with bicycle touring, and rolling in my own wheel tracks for the first and last time was a truly unique experience. What if I’d known then, that I’d be back less than two years later? Like this? Absurd.
The rest of my way through Austria has been just what I hoped for. I’ve done a few passes above 1 200 m and the views have just been breathtaking. Last time I was here it was in early fall, so it has been reall nice to also get to experience the spring as the Alps still are totally snowcovered. While I’m doing my best to stay in the moment and take in the majestic mountains and amazing views, I’ve again and again been catching myself with thinking about the mountains in Central Asia and what’s still ahead of me. There really is nothing I’m as excited about as climbing those hills in and around Kirgizistan. But that’ll be a whole other chapter…
The Alps really make you work for it…
…but the rewards are always worth it
Today is my last day in Austria and I’m spending it in Graz. I’ve rolled down from the mountains and it’s so warm down here! The last few weeks I’ve really been dreaming about warm weather and now it’s finally here. I couldn’t be happier and today I’m walking around in shorts and t-shirt for the very first time.
Tomorrow I’m crossing into Slovenia, heading straight for Maribor :)