Holzerhof 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>

Early start had us at Verona station for 8.30am and we were soon on the train heading for Innsbruck, Austria. After Clare scoffing a chocolate custard doughnut in record time we boarded our connecting train in Innsbruck to Scladming, finally arriving at 6pm. Clare was sweating at the thought of a similar room to Verona, so it was an anxious walk up the stairs to ...

... buses at the top of the mountain when we finally got there.<br><br>Mom was already freaked out from the hairpin turns alongside steep drop off cliffs, so she decided to skip the mines. Instead she got to relax in the beautiful sunshine beside the glistening water of the large lake. We, on the other hand, managed to get on the funicular to the mines just in time to catch the last tour.<br><br ...

... parts out (head and leg bones). They wash and bleach them, then paint the skulls as a way to show respect and stack them all together in this building. The building is basically full and the last one was added in 1984 I think. It is a very important place to the community and it was a huge honor to get buried in there. As my dad would say, "People are dying to get in there"!<br><br>After that we went on a long hike up to a lookout and the salt mine. Really nice ...

... br>So tomorrow morning Derek arrives at the Salzburg airport about 9:30 am, and we&#8217;re meeting by the Mozart statue in Mozartplatz (the main square of Salzburg). We&#8217;ll have two days in Salzburg before heading up to Germany. We&#8217;ll have three days in Munich, one day in Nuremburg, and one day in Rothenburg. Then Derek will return home from Nuremburg, and I will continue my travels up the Rhine Valley in Germany.<br><br>Auf Wiedersehen!

... I normally would have done. But I just didn&#8217;t feel like it, so I stayed in my room and ate leftover munchies.<br><br>I almost didn&#8217;t want to go to bed, because I didn&#8217;t want to have to leave my room in the morning. But eventually I got really tired and couldn&#8217;t concentrate on my book anymore, so I went to sleep.<br><br>Tomorrow I&#8217;ll leave Hallstatt and go to Salzburg, where my brother Derek will join me on Sunday!<br><br>Auf Wiedersehen!

... 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 ...

... of the mountain only to learn that the gondola is shut down due to high winds... On the way back I ended up at the same toll booth with a lady asking me for the 10Euro charge. I told her the lift is closed, and she said "Yeah I know, it says it right there on the toll booth. But that part is in German only. Please pay your toll." At this point I'm grinding my teeth and I'm contemplating the decision to go on this trip... That was the ...

... story and pictures. Having settled in my Amsterdam house I planned to write a few more stories, based on the press clippings that I have. I have topics enough, such as: - black economic empowerment and related score cards for companies, - 67 mobile vans to help the poor with ID cards and other registrations, - public hearings in all provinces about what people want to see in the budget for next financial year (starting 1 July), and - the books ...