Tour de Europe - Days 4 - 6

The following day we set off for the Alps. Never having been to the Alps before I was very excited. As a whole the day enjoyed pleasant scenery, but arriving at the foot of the Alps was quite an experience. As the mountains rose in the horizon, we were surrounded by idyllic countryside. It was cloudy, but from many gaps the sun shone on a hilltop church or cottage. As I gazed in awe at the sights, a sudden bloody stain splashed on my visor, the only remains of some unfortunate insect.

We stayed at a so called sport hotel, a hotel used as a base for hiking trips etc. It also advertised itself as a "biker hotel." Where in some places bikers might be discriminated against, we had now entered prime biker country. The owner of the hotel was a kind burly woman who provided us with a place in her garage for the motorcycles. After a quick wash and a change into more comfortable clothes, we met up at the downstairs restaurant for some schnitzels and a pint. I admired the great view from the window, ignorant of the even more spectacular sights which would await us next day.

We set off in good time towards Austria. The day was excellent. For the first half of the day we rode across sunny fields, overshadowed by mountains.


We stopped at a petite village for cappuccinos cake.

We then rode to the most spectacular scenery yet...


Higher, and higher...


We rose into the foreboding mountains, our destination, Edelweissspitze, 2570m above sea level. The sky was once again cloudy, except for the occasional beautiful ray of sunlight. Looking at the bleak mountainside as we slowly climbed higher along the winding rode. Truly, these were so far the most amazing sights I had seen in my life. And seeing them from the back off a motorcycle made it all the better, the wind blowing in your face, the occasional droplet of rain. Sights like these are not worthy of being stared at through car windows.

We arrived at the summit, and made to decision to stay at the lodge there, rather than continue to a slightly lower altitude to a perhaps more comfortable hotel. It was raining now, and after admiring the views we retreated to our rooms to relax slightly. Once again it was time for the proper relaxing, a big ol' schnitzel and a beer.

Next morning I was woken up by my dad "Have a look outside." He was accompanied by his brother, also unsuspecting of the sight that lay ahead. I looked at the window, it seemed to be completely white from fog. I opened it, all was still white, except for a rocky outcrop... covered with snow. As the wind blew in my face I closed the window, and fell back grinning in amazement.

Time for some frolicking in the snow!

Plenty free parking space today...


Can you spot where the snow ends and the mountains begin?


Snowmobiles are waaay out of fashion.


Later that day we were luckily able to continue. With the ground warm, it was possible to clear the snow to reveal the road. However, extreme skill was required to ride down the treacherously wet and steep cobbled road.

We made it down to a safer road and continued riding, eventually past the snow line. A tough day of riding was ahead, a day which would see us through snow covered mountains, past glaciers, and eventually to lake Garda in Italy... Look forward for the next update!