Biker chick

 Sorry about being so photo-loaded but a "picture is worth a thousand words!"

We've had a couple of really great weekends traveling and cycling.  There are so many beautiful locations within a few hours drive.  So here goes!

Wednesday evening we headed off to Ljubljana Slovenia.  It's about 3.5 hours drive from Vienna.  We were astounded by this little city.  It's gothic, storybook, brutalist, hip, quaint, dynamic, it's got it all going on!  However parking is a biatch!  This was a little stressful getting the car into the elevator but we knew it wasn't going anywhere!

This was the entrance to Parking 2 at our hotel!

Part of the charm of the old town

View from the castle (There's always a castle!)

Whimsical streetlighting.

Proper, rubbish graffiti not like Vienna's sanctioned "graffiti".

 

Massive morning market in the central platz.  

I got a real sense of how tourism is overwhelming some parts of Europe.  I had to dodge other tourists to try and get "that shot!"  I can't imagine really living in a place like Venice.  At least in Vienna, it's kind of corralled downtown.  So I just avoid it!

G had business here so I goofed around and then in the afternoon we headed out of the "Ljub" for the hills or rather the Julian Alps.  There's nothing much higher than 2000 meters but wow!  Our destination was about an hour out of town in a place called "Radovljica".  It was really just a stab in the dark destination but turned out to be a charming place perched on the edge of the valley overlooking the Sava river.  

The hideousness of our view.  The abundance of beauty...yuck!

We were about 5km from Lake Bled and on the bike routes.  However, lake Bled is overrun and not fun to ride as you are competing with buses, trucks, pedestrians, and DEATH.  I blew it off and went into the countryside which was gorgeous and quiet.  Being able to do a 30-40km loop without fear of being squashed by a bus is such a treat.  G likes the hills so I rode alone, but you know you never cycle alone when you're a schizophrenic! It was nice to have the balance of riding what you want.  We did cycle together along the path that's between Mojstrana and Kranjska Gora.  G likes the elevation so he rode up into/onto the pass and I continued on.  The Slovenians are building tonnes of cycling infrastructure.  It's such a joy.  Good infrastructure + beautiful countryside = license to drink Pivo (beer). Okay, not the best math.

Riding to Lake Bled.

On the path to Kranjska Gora.  "Yes, that 's the colour of the water!"

On Saturday the weather was threatening so we hopped in the car and drove over the other valley to the Soca region where the famous battles (both WW1 and WW2) of the Isonzo were fought.  Hemingway wrote of it and driving through the valley you have got to wonder "WTF? It's nuts!" It's a very good museum.  However on the way G and I came across this bizarre, brutalist monument to the Partisans in the middle of nowhere!  Had to pull over and explore.  Then, as one does, we drove to Italy for lunch!

 

It's about 3 stories high and has relief as well as full form sculptures.

There's also this amazing mosaic portraying the struggle, very cool.

We were both sad to return to Vienna.  "Yeah, I know...wah wah! I live in Vienna." 

Just a few Instagram moments 'cuz you know I gotta.  Thanks for reading.

Indoor market Ljubljana.

Ljubljana.

Church oculus window, Radovljica.

"The Hills are alive with the sound of whinging..."

 Okay a little housekeeping from my previous Scotland post.  Forgot to show what Clark's I bought.  Gawd what an oversight!  So without further adieu...

Too Scots-like to resist!

Seriously, I am tempted to wear socks and sandals.

Out this morning on a recovery ride (more about the wkd to follow) when what did I spy along the edges of the Danube?  Obviously I had ridden soo fast that I had gone through a time/space portal, what could be any other explanation for it?

Kinda creepy as their tails wagged and their heads bobbed.

Anyway, last weekend, we went to the Salzkammergut region about 2hrs away from Vienna.  It's next to Salzburg and prerhaps the most stunning area we've been to so far. We got a place in Altmunster near Gmunden which is famous for it's cream and green striped pottery.  But I will never know because we did not get to the factory!!! G always had some trick up his sleeve to divert my attention away from it! 

View from our balcony.."pretty gut", I'd say.

So we set out on Saturday for a 65km loop over to the next lake.  It was a pretty mild incline and I didn't suffer too too much, but I still whinged though!  When we hit the height of the pass I was so glad that we had chosen this particular route as the other side was a long, long, long climb at about 13% or as I call it "divorce hill."

Top of the pass.

Means "slow" in German, like I had a choice?

The return part of the loop was more pastoral through farms and small towns.  

This groovy place is probably 3x as old as Canada.

Indecisive horses ass, there's always one on the path.

G's birthplace.

Closer to our return to Altmunster I spotted this guy mowing his lawn in the most ingenious fashion.  He had the machine on a strap which he would release then pull back up again.  I watched mesmerized for quite awhile, I figured that it would have to end in tears.

Austrian know-how.

That night we went into Gmunden for dinner by the lake.  There was a concert going on in town and the place was rockin'.  

Across the lake is a gondola ride.

Hard to see, but the people on the dock released a whole bunch of balloons (99 Luft ballons?)

Gmunden had funky little streets like this one.

Sunday G wanted to ride down to Hallstatt (one of the most photographed towns in the region) but I needed a more sedate ride so I rode along the see to see what I could see!  Afterwards I drove down to Hallstatt to pick up G and it was literally overrun by tourists.  We had agreed to meet on the outskirts of town where we had a picnic and then drove home to Vienna.

Sunday morning ride to Traunsee.  Just about perfect.

All in all , a very commodious trip.  (I crack myself up.)