Das Platzl Schladming

... the women then the men to follow. Got to the bottom of the track just in time for the final few riders. Sam Hill won for Australia by 3 seconds with Fairclough of Great Britain in 5th. Great day. The riders partied through the night so we put our ear plugs in and got some sleep ready to move on to Salzburg the next day.<br><br>Here's some pics before the camera broke....<br><br>

... room.... but it got the thumbs up as it was clean, tidy and modern. The view from the room was amazing, perfect view of the Planai mountain slope, so good we could have sat there and watched the biking from our room!! Dropped our bags and went for our first meal out since leaving home, chilli fahitas and chicken burgers went down a treat, god bless Papa Joes!!!!

Our original Austrian itinerary included a day in Graz, but we are really running out of precious time so we decided to skip it so we could see the salt mine in Hallstatt. And having missed Graz only gives me a very good excuse to come back!<br><br>We spent a lot of time on the road today trying to get to Graz. The GPS got confused once we were off the main highway. The steep and winding roads ...

... coffee. Austrians know how to make coffee, that is for sure. After yesterday I had to tell her I would just be having tea from then on. I was bouncing off the walls and my heart was racing for hours afterwords. It reminded me of Starbucks Christmas Blend. If you've ever had that, you know what I'm talking about - WAY too much caffeine! But regardless of the racing heart, we still relaxed on our balcony that morning. We also discovered Bad Ischl that day. We hiked up ...

... funicular compared to the others I&#8217;d been on. It was very steep and long. And the views from the top were worth it, even though it was still cloudy and I couldn&#8217;t see the tops of the mountains. Instead of taking the funicular back down, I decided to walk down through the woods. It was nice, but I had to go really slowly because it was steep and I had my big backpack on.<br><br>When I got back to town I was hungry and decided to ...

... on, and it was the track directly opposite where I got off. Except that the display board for that track was displaying a destination of Vienna, and I think it said something underneath about it being 10 minutes late (in German, of course). A few minutes later I heard an announcement in German and all I could understand was &#8220;regional express.&#8221; I knew that was probably referring to my train, and I assumed they were announcing a track change for the ...

... as when<br>the sunset it got instantly cold....hmm this wasnt in the emma and<br>kathleen brochure! Tuesday morning we got up and went for a walk - well<br>mini hike really. I looked totally out of place... everyone had their<br>hiking boots and poles etc... then here I come, shorts and cardi,<br>converse sneakers and long pink ...

... and then hit the road for areas less populated. Destination: Hallstatt in the salzkammergut area of Austria.<br><br>An hour and a half out of Salzburg, the little village of Hallstatt sits perched on the edge of a lake. It is built on a hill, has really only one street suitable for cars, and is in a gorgeous mountainous setting. The camping is half a kilometer out of town, and across the road from the main city park with swimming area in the lake. Wahoo ...

... at the base of four mountain peaks interconnected by a system of gondolas, chair lifts, and t-bars. It hadn't snowed in a week, but the conditions were still pretty good and the views were beautiful. I love the mountains, especially covered in snow.

... in all the public parks just go to show that Austrians just get it about how to live. I watched the first half of Mozart's 'Figaro' on a giant screen in front of the towering city hall at Rathaus Platz as a part of the city's annual film festival. And the next morning found me at the Hofburg treasury admiring gems and orbs, gowns and crowns that once belonged to the famous Austrian family. I have to admit, though, that city life ...