Time to Come Back to Australia

Hello from Piran,

Apart from fixing up the kitchen (new stove and fridge) and visiting relatives not been doing much as the weather has deteriorated quite rapidly. For about a week we had a strong, blustery, north easterly wind here that they call "Burja" which is nothing like I have seen in Melbourne - and which is more prevalent and colder in winter! The other days have been cloudy and/or rainy but not too cold and in the apartment it hovers around 20 degrees no matter what the weather is outside (one of the advantages of these old stone buildings). Yesterday was a fantastic day but back to rain today and for most of this week so its probably time to come back and in fact I am back in about three weeks time!

But nevertheless some observations...

Tourists

Not as many about - particularly during the week but there are quite a number of tour groups that come to Piran etc. The tourists that do come are Germans, because it is a lot cheaper here for them (food and accommodation is probably 5-15 Euros cheaper here) and we have sea, and Italians because it is cheaper, close  y and we have lots of casinos (or Portoroz has casinos) which are still restricted in Italy.

But anyway some of the Germans are hilarious: a group of five of them came on the local bus asking for a group discount! Another group were dipping their feet in the sea - obviously in-landers.

Just yesterday I was walking along and heard a noise like a big dog barking or a walrus - I looked around and in fact it was an Italian tourist blowing his nose.

Compression Clothing

I see a bit of daytime TV now and the number of ads for different types of compression clothing is amazing. There is compression corsets for women to make them look slimmer and even a compression T-shirt for men to look slimmer. I guess it beats exercising and dieting! Then there is my favourite; the compression socks. These are knee high and skin coloured and are supposed to relieve pain from sore legs (must be an old people thing). Anyway, one of the ads shows a man wearing these with shorts with the ad promoting that  they can be worn with shorts and then showing a man wearing them with shorts. While that might be a correct statement of fact: that they can be physically worn with shorts - they in fact look hilarious with shorts; it looks like he is wearing stockings. All it does is identify to people that you are a dork. You have to see it to fully appreciate it.

Interesting People

I continue to find them. The latest is a beggar that appears to be stalking me. This woman's MO is to pretend to know you, shouting out to you, then asking for a "donation" for a bus fare or something. She did the same thing to me in completely different town! The ironic thing was that the 2nd time she did in fact know me and I said I didn't have the money and her response was that I did but didn't want to give her any (correct) but before I could say anything more she spotted another long lost friend.
On another occasion I saw a woman with her child who was wearing a yellow fluro vest. I guess the parent was very risk averse and didn't want to take any chances or she has misplaced the child before...
Then there was the cyclist who really enjoyed cycling as he was singing but not when he passed me - he resumed quite loudly when he passed me.

Chocolate and Doughnuts

As many of you are aware I like chocolate. However, I have not had as much here as most of is too sweet. I do like (and have for a long time) the chocolate coated biscuits which are called, quaintly, in the translation on the packet "tea biscuits" called Domacica manufactured by the Croatian chocolate company Kras (who according to the packet have a distributor in Sydney but I have not seen them in Australia). Also another alternative is ice cream as many restaurants have an ice cream stand with some interesting flavours such as: apple, pistachio, hazlenut, lemon...Then there are the doughnuts. These are similar to our jam doughnuts but are bigger and not fried but baked and they always have apricot jam in the centre and are sprinkled with icing sugar. And the apricot jam varies with the bakery, so it always tastes different. They also have them in Austria, and it is the pretty much the standard doughnut (occasionally you can get chocolate too).

And to finish, some more pictures....

View back to Koper

Koper

Izola

Piran again

Sculpture park above Lucija

View towards Bernadin, Portoroz

Fesa (near Piran)

Portoroz

Drava Bike Trail: Villach to Maribor

Hello again,

The last time I left you I was in Villach. Since then I stayed in a small village near Ferlach and in Lavamund (right near the Austria-Slovenia border) before finishing the cycle trip in Maribor (2nd biggest city in Slovenia) where I stayed two nights to recover - that was another 200 kilometres (out of a total of about 450km). I managed to avoid the rain although it was grey most days until I got to Slovenia when the weather improved. Thanks to those that expressed concern that I might have ended up interned in an Austrian refugee camp with all the issues here. But there was only half a dozen Austrian border police and they we more interested in who was coming in (which was basically nobody) rather than anyone leaving.

The village near Ferlach was interesting, from the bike path there was cart  tracks to follow zig zagging in and out of corn fields until I came to this place which I thought was in the middle of nowhere. Well that's what I thought until I had a walk around this remote village, only to find a major road at the end of the village with a supermarket and a mercedes car dealership. Later on the other side on the village, I found a freeway leading to a major border crossing with Slovenia. There was a first though - it is the only hotel that I had a view of a corn field from my window. I could literally reach out and pick the corn from my window. Austrians don't believe in wasting space. This is where I got sick for a short while - I blame the counterfeit peanut M&Ms that I bought at the supermarket - I knew they were too good to be true.
Lavamund was a surprise - a very small and cheap but quaint place right on the river. It was probably the friendliest place I stayed at, the German only speaking cook/cleaner persisted in trying to carry on a conversation with me in German although my vocabulary had reached its limits very early on in the conversation. It was a long ride to Lavamund (70+km) but thank goodness it was mostly downhill at the end. The last day to Maribor was longer (around 80 kilometres), harder (a lot of climbing/walking but the downhills were great) and was probably the best day scenically but the most frustrating. Frustrating because the Austrians and Slovenians share different philosophical approaches to signage. The Austrians leave it to no chance: when there aren't signs there are arrows painted on the trail indicating which way you need to go. If there is any possibility of taking a wrong turn or ambiguity, the Austrians will put a sign there. Even so I took the wrong turn a couple of times. The Slovenians like to make it more challenging for riders, more of a puzzle. I think the people putting the signs up think it is actually one of those adventure races where you have to find the checkpoints (the signs being the checkpoints). Rather than put signs at intersections or where the correct path was not clear - they would put the sign down the correct trail a bit. So the process was were the route was not clear to look around and see if you could find one of the blue signs in the vicinity, if you did, you went in that direction but if you didn't you took your best guess and hoped to find a blue sign eventually. Ironically, there was better signage between villages where there was really only the main road to follow. But around major cities like Dravograd (near the border) and Maribor a mimimalist approach applied. Through some miracle I managed to follow the correct route through Dravograd - despite it zig zagging all over the place and following the least obvious route. Maribor was different, with 12 km to go I thought it would take 30-40 minutes at most - 90 minutes later I finally got to Maribor. I lost the trail at least three times and again through some miracle manged to stumble back on to it every time. However, it was the best scenically, because the trail climbed high above the Drava River on occasions, giving great views, and a lot of the towns were actually on the river and in Slovenia the Drava actually resembled a river rather than a canal as in some parts in Austria. In Austria a lot of the towns are some distance from the river as it is used for hydro power so the river and dam levels fluctuate, with the trail being on top of the embankment separating the river from the fields.

Wildlife

Disappointingly didn't see a lot of wildlife. Some waterbirds on the river in Austria and a squirrel in Slovenia. Probably what I saw most of was black or grey cats - sometimes they were in the middle of nowhere. Also some cows, pigs and chickens when I went through villages. What there was a lot of - in Austria particularly - were pests: thrips and mosquitoes. I spent a lot of time at night in the hotel rooms hunting mosquitoes - sometimes I was awoken a few times each night and the hunt recommenced.  In one hotel I had wasps coming in all the time and I would open the window to let them out. I am no expert but wasps are dumb. Certainly flys by comparison are geniuses. Despite me opening the window for them, they still couldn't work out how to get out and kept on banging against the glass. 

At the dam at Lavamund they provided one of those fish ladders for the fish to get around the dam wall. I am no fish expert but I have a few questions:

• How do the fish know where this ladder is (it is only a few metres at one end of a 50m long dam) - what happens to all the fish at the other end of the dam, how do they know there is a way through and do they just turn around or give up in despair? I think there is unnecessary stress there for fish
• How do the fish know how to use this ladder? And anyway if they do manage to fluke it the water going through it looked pretty rough to me and the poor things would probably be battered to death or at least be concussed. I think a more organised form of transportation should be considered.

People

Saw a woman in Villach who looked about 70, with a walking frame, and a fresh tattoo. She obviously hasn't given up the dream. The drivers also seemed more aggressive since I left Villach. But the Slovenian tractor drivers didn't seem to be as aggressive as the Austrian ones - probably because the Slovenians can only afford small tractors.

Breakfast at the hotels was always entertaining. When you see how people struggle with machines, such as the coffee machines, you realise that robotics has a bright future.

Austrians

They don't seem to believe in public toilets, certainly in the same way we do. Also I like their approach to public transportation: they will put in a station for a small village but they don't compromise the speed of the train line, which goes along the valley, as the station is usually located 1-2 kilometres from the village.

Lessons Learnt

• Carry less
• Pack clothes that don't crinkle
• Pack for all weather conditions (it was colder than I thought it would be)
• Cycling is easier than walking (except for steep hills)
• Walking is more flexible as you don't have to worry about lugging around a bike when you arent actually using it
• Pay more attention to where you are going as it is easier to take a wrong turn on a bike than walking

That's all for now!

Drau Trail - Lienz to Villach

Well up to day 6 of the tour. The last time I left you I arrived in Lienz, in the Tyrol province in Austria. Today arrived in Villach which is in Carinthia and close to the border with Slovenia. I have been doing about 40km per day. But the last (next) three days will be longer. I hope to be in Maribor (the end)i in Slovenia on Sunday if I can get back across the border with all the refugee issues! The trail is a lot easier now - flatter and there are plenty of gravel bits, which is fine for my mountain bike - but thank goodness I have not been caught in the rain. The weather has usually been cloudy with rain or showers but is a lot warmer down in the lower parts of the valley where I am now.  I think Vilach is the nicest town I have been to so far as you will see from the pictures,  which are the ones at the end. 

Now some observations...

Accommodation

This has been an adventure all on its own...

• One hotel wasn't much interested in its guests and to prove it they had a band blaring downstairs to I don't know what time as I fell asleep (this was day 2)

• At another place breakfast was a whole performance - with three staff and a manager managing breakfast, one of them was cooking hot meals to order from the menu. This was the same hotel where the tempreture was set to 24 and you couldn't vary the heating. I didn't enjoy it much but the mosquitoes did, they came into my room out of the cold as I opened the window, trying to cool the place down, and they bit me 3 times during the night. But there's more - this hotel also had an underground passage linking the back part of the hotel with the front - in the passage was a sauna, pool table, table tennis tanks and a mini bowling alley.
• One hotel had thought about breakfast - no buffet here. You were allocated tables and on the table you already had your allocated food. I guess that stops the really hungry guests from sending them broke. I have seen them, those pensioners, really put it away limke there was no tomorrow
• Another hotel didn't know what to do with me as they couldn't soeak English - it worked. It's the same place where I got looks from other guests at breakfast, probably because at this stage I look like Grizzly Adams (again)
• One hotel offered full board - breakfast, lunch (just soup) and a 4 course meal for the price that I paid for accommodation in other places. In Austria these hotels, usually in out of the way, smaller towns or villages do this to get the business.
• At the current hotel i need to take a lot of showers as according to the notice in the bathroom they use bio-energetic water the benefits of which are: its skin compatible (supporting skin irritations); increases the clamping force (velvety soft skin); increases general wellbeing; and stregthens the immune system. Just to make sure you get the full benefits they provided a bottle of the water. Accordiing to the information provided bio-energeticall informed water is revitalised water as fresh at it was from the source because of a constant photon transferto the water, the structure of natural oxygen in the water is ensured. It tastes like tap water to me.

The place time forgot 

The weirdest day was cycling from Berg to Spittal. Half way through the day I went through a series of villages - in the middle of nowhere and not near the river - run down and few people about. No accomodation, pubs or shops but inhabited by crazy people. It started with a motorcyclist randomly howling at me, then a farmer was driving straight at me on his tractor while a car was speeding from the other side. In fact this day tractors were a major hazard on the narrow roads - or I think they thought I was the major hazard! I think inbreeding might be the explanation. there was even a creepy looking run down house near the road - the local witch's house? You knew you had reached civilisation when the started marking the middle of the road again, and that was the case, it completely changed to normality again

The following day it was slightly less weird when riding along  I see a bunch of men in dark clothes - as I got closer I realised  it was the army - I had ridden into the middle of an Austrian Army exercise - they were not fussed and let me go through the  middle of them - there weren't any explosions before or after. Actually, they were to blame for me taking the  harder  route to Spittal as they had set up their mobile kitchen at the intersection of the paths.

Fellow Cyclists

There are all types, the ones that pretend you dont exist like the one iI kept passing, then he passedx me but would not acknowledge my existence. There was the one wearing an oxygen mask (I hope his doctor didnt suggest cycling) and the one wearing goggles.

Pustertal Bicycle Trail

Well the cycle tour has begun! I'm on day three now but after that first day I was knackered. 45 kilometres from Brixen to Bruneck on day one - lots of up and down which took me an embarrassing five hours. I was just as slow on day 2 (13kms an hour) from Bruneck to Innichen (last stop in Italy). It's a bit different hauling an extra 10 kilograms or so. The weather was good for the first two days  but today it rained (Innichen to Lienz in Austria) but through some miracle I missed most of it. It was a joy to beat the rain and to fly downhill for a change - only 2.5 hours for 42 kms. As you will see from the photos the scenery is great - through orchards, grape vines, green pastures - and now mountains Also chatted to a number of Austrians and Germans also cycling parts of the trail. The  first 2 days or so I was on the Pustertal trail which sometimes followed the river, sometimes the old railway line and sometimes straight over the top. I am on the Drava river trail now which tends to stick pretty close to the river and so it should be flatter. I will see how it goes.

Now for some observations....

Cyclists

I have come across different types. The tourers. These are doing what I am doing except they have panniers, skinnier tyres, and are hauling more weight than me! I saw one of them nearly killing himself trying to get his bike up the stairs to the platform at Venice. While my mountain bike has trouble up the hills (as does its motor) it flys in the gravel and in the wet and that's where I have the advantage with the fatter tyres. The next group are the weekenders - recreational cyclists doing long or short rides. These people are potentially dangerous if they are Italians. As soon as I got to a section of trail popular with them (near Toblach). It was on: standing in the middle of the path, riding two abreast, even riding on the wrong side of the trail. I also had the privilige of seeing the largest pair of lycra shorts I have ever seen, I didn't think they made them that size. Then there are the racers. They are also dangerous if they don't give you space. They are just trying to ride as fast as possible - for training or something. Finally, there are the locals who just use bikes for transport - especially from the outskirts of towns.  

I mentioned the respect drivers give cyclists - the exception are Italians (of course - I have had some run ins) and city drivers, Here in Lienz (the capital of the South Tyrol region) they are less gracious, even at pedestrian crossings (but that could be the German tourists - there are a lot about). I usually don't have time to check numberplates.

Festivals

Just about every town I visited in Italy had a festival on when I was there, in Brixen, in Brunneck (which had a wine thing on) and in Innichen it was market day. But a market day here does not just mean arts and crafts - it also means beer, food and a band. This particular band played for 5 minutes and then took a break for 5 - was it because most of them were on wind instruments and it was not possible to drink their beer while playing?

Food

There appears to be confusion about the origin of some food. A Weiner Schnitzel was referred to as a Milanese in Italy. And actually it was good they didn't call it a schnitzel as it was terrible. The one I had today in Austria - or rather 2 as obviously one piece was too small to qualify as a schnitzel - was different it was great but then it was from the Lienz Schnitzel World - specialists in all things schnitzel - one was remarbably similat to a parmigiana - but they use pork for all.

Same with salami - what is Milano in Slovenia (and Australia) is Hugarian salami in Italy. Its'sas if the Italians are in denial as it is a bit too plain and are now trying to blame the Hungarians.

Travel Tip

I have found that if you are asking for something which has an English name, like cocoa cola, you need to say it with a European accent - doesn't matter which one - and you will be understood.

And here are a lot of pictures...

Brixen

Hello from Brixen in the South Tyrol, Italy (i.e. the northern, German speaking part where most of the Italian Winter Olympians come from - or at least those called Gunther, Hans etc.).

Arrived here for the start of my bike tour yesterday after almost 12 hours after I left Piran. Getting to Trieste railway station was the easy bit - I caught a taxi and made a new friend who does a lot of cycling group transport. Then it was on to Italian railways. Well I must say that was the smoothest part! I went to the ticket office - got my tickets quickly from a person who spoke excellent English and knew what she was talking about, came back and my bike was not stolen. My anxiety about my bike was only heightened when the first thing you get on the ticket machines are warnings about pick pockets and not to get any railway information or help unless the person is a uniformed railway staff member. And that's another point, they may not do much ticket checking and it might be a bit untidy at the station and on the trains but Italian railway staff are immacutely dressed. Anyway the italian trains were comfortable and just about on time. Despite not encouraging the carriage of bikes - some trains did and that was well organised, once you worked out the system. Apart from one train to Verona from Venice that appeared to be cancelled, got to Verona for my connection to Brixen. Unfortunately, I didn't realise that the train I was catching was the Bologna to Munich train - yes to Munich. It was somewhat chaotic - as all these north african refugees who didnt have reserved seats sat in the reserved seats, people (like me) got on wanting to sit in their seats as the train was packed. 
And they weren't moving anywhere - luckily i found a reserved seat that someone had not used. There were people in the aisles, some taking residence in the dining car - things settled down by the time I got off - but not before i fell as the train suddenly jerked and I nearly crushed 2 people, one with me and the other with my backpack.

And then it got worse, it was raining at Brixen and I thought the hotel was a short walk away, 1.5km the web site said and that it was in Brixen. Maybe that's in a direct line - as i reckon it was 3km uphill and I actually passd the Brixen city limits sign. It was half an hour by the time I got there and I was soaked. Its actually a good hotel with a great view of Brixen below!

I am starting the bike tour tomorrow - so today i walked around Brixen (pictures below). It was supposed to rain but in fact it has clleared up and is sunny although a bit cooler than Piran! The town has a large old centre with lots of striking old buildings and today is honey day, and so they have music and stalls in the city centre - the bee mobile (a horse drawn carriage) and i even think I saw Miss Bee or is it Miss Honey.

Not much happening otherwise but I did see a cheapskate or a cheat, not sure which, who I saw taking a picture of a postcard which was on one of those stands outside a shop.

That's it for now until the next wifi hotspot!