August 10, 2022
Werfen to Bad Hofgastein (Austria) (Aug. 10, 2022)
Hello, first of all, thank you to everyone for reaching out to check in about Dave’s fall. He thinks he has a bruised rib. In general the news is good; he did fine the following day on the ice caves trip but then had a bit of a relapse Aug 10 when we had a long ride. He can still ride but has to dismount/mount on the opposite side of his bike than he usually does which is somewhat awkward for him. He had a few torques to his back on our ride to Bad Hofgastein, but we are here and he is okay right now resting on another day off the bike. Also in his favor, there is no laundromat in this town so he is not tempted to wash clothes!
Following our trip to the Ice Caves adventure we rode to a restaurant the next town over for dinner. We generally feel Austrian food is predictable but this place proved to be a pleasant surprise. The restaurant, Restaurant Gschwendtners, is located in the town of Pfarrwerrfen and it was worth the extra effort to get there. It specializes in contemporary Austrian cuisine. Below is a picture of our starter, which was described on the menu as “boiled beef aspic”, which honestly in a million years I would never order, but we saw it being delivered to another table and it looked so good we tried it. We weren't disappointed. After lingering over a trio of homemade ice creams, we rode home in the near dark. It’s a tough life.
The next day started a bit rough because Dave woke up with his back barking which put a bit of a damper on our start. However, we wound up having a fun conversation with a Viennese couple at the next table over at breakfast, and really, why go to another country if you are not going to take time to talk to the locals! They had just spent 6 months traveling around the US and loved it. Go figure.
We left around 10:15 but after two stops at the grocery and pharmacy it was 11 am. The ride was an awesome, beautiful ride through the Alps on a sunny day.
We did a detour from our original plan in an attempt to see the Lichetensteinklamm outside of Schwartz. This was to be a hike down a gorge and was highly recommended by the Dutch couple we met the day before. Unfortunately the ticket line to get in was a couple hundred meters long so we bagged it, ate our lunch (the usual sandwich/apple from the morning’s breakfast buffet) and set off.
We had some navigation challenges. The Alpe Adria route was closed due to bridge construction outside of St. Johannes and upon confronting this obstacle we had to decide upon an alternative route.
The sign suggested a couple of options but it wasn't clear how we should proceed. After a much, and occasionally heated, discussion of our options, we settled on a route which proved to be a test of our relationship communication skills. (We passed the test!) We found a lovely if steep alternative route up the side of a nearby mountain between St. Johannes and Schwarzach , which proved no problem on an our e-bikes. We finally resumed the Alpe Adria route in Schwarzach.
We probably only lost half an hour or so, but it was more the mental energy expended that was difficult! It was hot at that point and Dave had just torqued his back again so we were a little low. But the riding revived us and we rode through the Gastein Valley feeling great joy, stopping at Dorfgastein for water and ice cream to refresh us for the final 8 k into Bad Gastein. It was what I dreamed of when I planned this trip.
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We arrived close to 5 o’clock. We are staying at the Johannesbad St Georg, a nice but needs-to-be-renovated classic Austrian hotel- again, wellness spa, classic Austrian food at dinner and a huge room with a separate living room, right on the river. The bad news: the internet stinks in the room BUT, to my way of thinking this is more than made up for by the awesome tub!
Every place we have been for a week has a storage place for bikes with charging stations. Very convenient. We haven’t seen one other American so far. We see a fair amount of cycling tourists now but mostly Austrian and German. Staff shortages are apparent everywhere.
Rain is predicted for the next week so we expect a test of that super expensive Gortex rain gear we bought.
Today's ride: 60 km (37 miles)
Total: 288 km (179 miles)
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Sounds like you are finding your way and enjoying the ride. Sorry to hear about the bumps. I’m sure the tubs are helping. Thank you for sharing and keep pressing on.
1 year ago
You guys should join us sometime! We have the Trek travel Spain trip in our calendar for 2024 so hope that works out.
Take care,
Say hi to Diana
1 year ago