Sonne Saalbach

Stayed at a beautiful spot in Austria (Saalbach) with Hilly, Stu's old friend and new Father..actually felt sorry for him, the poor sod was knee deep in relatives, in laws, newly purchased crib and nappies, etc.....we stayed for afew days and it was neatly timed with the arrival home of new born Frankie. Hilly's place is 3 feet from a field of horses so Lauren was easily kept busy with feeding duties.

Stu tried ...

We took a bus from Salzburg over to Berchtesgaden, Germany which is only about 45 minutes. It's nestled in the Bavarian Alps. We stayed on the outside of the city in a little Bed and Breakfast. It is usually cheaper to stay in a B&B then in a hostel (if the town has a hostel). We thought it would be much easier to find cheap hostels here but in Austria and Germany we're finding it harder and harder. But this place was great ...

... through Berchtesgaden is an amazing colour, like blue-green-white. When you look into it, it is absolutely clear. Berchestgaden is a very pretty little town. After walking up and down a couple streets, we had a sandwich and some Cokes for lunch at a little deli. It was good to tide us over until supper but not too filling. With no further shopping prospects, we rested in our car until it was time to meet for ...

... little more than one street. The castle looming above is well-preserved and evocative, and really worth a visit. There's a panoramic glass lift to get you up there if you're too idle to walk. The prison tower holds historical exhibitions and details of the erstwhile prisoners and ancient torture methods, including a shocking engraving showing some poor unfortunate being tied ...

... all of it but enjoyed what I could.

We lunched on snack bars and fruit after another big climb then did more challenging singletrack descents. I get a bit of vertigo on some of the trails where there's a steep drop to the side.

I was now on my 6th day of riding and when Keith asked whether I was up to another big climb to sample yet more singletrack descending ...

Now for the heavy stuff! After our customary farm-fresh, home-made breakfast, a 45-minute drive took us to Leogang. €25 bought a day's lift pass and I donned my arm and leg pads.

The beginner-freeride level trail is called Hangman II and runs from the midway lift station. It's a fairly wide trail with fine-gravel surfaces and big corners, with berms that weren't as high as I was ...

... for days after all! Our tour guide freaked us out slightly by telling us he had something special to tell us, then not telling us what it was. Had we won a prize? Had our holiday been cancelled? Would we have no accommodation? We had to wait till halfway to Kitzbuehel to find out. It was that there was a triathlon going on right around our hotel so we might not be able to get to the Welcome meeting the next morning as the road was going to be closed ...

... forced into joining the German Army. Meinhardt could, and still can, speak 4 languages (German, Sachsen, Romanian, and Hungarian) and worked in the communications room in a bunker on the front lines of Berlin from 1944 to 1945. The fall of Berlin and subsequent imprisonment in the POW camp of Mauerkirchen were particularly ******* Meinhardt, and he told me of the bread lines and destruction throughout the country. Thinking that his family had returned ...

August 26-Monday
We left Kitzbuhel at 8:30. There was a brief stop in Berchtesgarden, in Germany, at 10:00. Up on the side of the mountain, we could see Hitler's Eagle’s Nest. It was rather chilling to see that part of history. The bunker is now a restaurant. Our rest stop overlooked a valley filled with wonderful homes. What a view! Back on the bus and on to Salzburg. Time 10:35.

... valley below as it got smaller and smaller. Even the giant (and I DO mean ‘giant’) pines got smaller and smaller. Whoa! We just disappeared into the clouds! We practically could not see our hands in front of our faces, the clouds were so thick. We could hear cowbells, but we could not see any cows. As nice and clear and sunny as it was at the middle station, it was just as cloud-covered at the top. I will say this, it sure was peaceful up ...