And so on this hot Milanese afternoon Arthur and Freddie sat down to write a sentence for sentence blog, never seen before and never to be repeated again. Enjoy or endure.
We love bicycles. We love them very much. Our bikes have been with us through every bump, hill, and thunderstorm. There comes a time, however, when one has to accept the efficiency of alternative modes of transport. Long ago we’d dreamed of going to Vienna to see our family friends, Pia, Christian, and Sara. We had also dreamed of seeing the Bavarian Alps and Berchtesgaden, the symbolic home of Nazi Germany. For me, as a history major, it was very important to see this part of the world. With time running out, our arrival date in London creeping ever closer, and the prospect of having to cross the alps twice beaconing we decided to get on a bus, leaving Timmy in Zagreb with his girlfriend.
It was no normal bus. It was a double decker, complete with wifi, an operational loo, and a rabble of rowdy, beer drinking German piss heads. With the smell of beer burps and farts, with the obnoxiously loud laughter and German yells of ‘The Hills’, and ‘Are alive’, and ‘With the sound of music’ we eventually found ourselves in the Austrian capital, drunk from the fumes as we emerged into the sweet Viennese air. Strains of a quartet echoed the cobbled streets and we were greeted by our wonderful friend and Austrian mother, Pia, at the bus station.
The Vienna underground - possibly the most efficient we've been on to date
The number on the mirrors is Pi. There were many installations showing things such as the every growing population of the world. It was quite a mesmerising and beautiful artwork to have in the underground
After dropping our bags at the apartment Pia had vacated for us, we wandered the streets, revelling in the intricate confluence of 1850s architecture with that of the modern era following the gaps created from the Second World War. We saw the beautiful St Stephens cathedral and had a brief tour around the Austrian capital. That evening we were treated to some of the best gelato in the world, before a dinner of sushi and Chilean red wine… how good?
And so our Viennese dream continued the next day with a visit to the Green Market, a local market full of produce, procured meats, cheeses, and plenty of beer drinkers, even at the early hours that we were there. It was then onto the Secession Gallery and Belvedere Museum, where we witnessed some of the most iconic works of Gustav Klimt, including ‘The Kiss’ and ‘Judith’, works of art that bore an uncanny entwinment of realism and the abstract. Art like this really makes you think, ‘gosh some people really are good at painting’, and ‘maybe I should try for something more than a 9-5 job when I get back at the end of this life changing adventure’. That’s right Freddie, I had that same thought running through my head, ‘me oh my what am I doing with my life?’ And so enough of this I said one hot afternoon in Milan let’s carry on with the script as per our original plan - Pia was well aware of our dream of heading to the Bavarian alps. Sooooooooo, to make a long story short, the next day we plopped ourselves in her four wheel drive automobile (that’s right, we went in an automobile) and revved it up from zero to one hunnid (real quick) and thirty along the autobahn all the way to Salzburg.
The view from the Belvedere Museum behind us, home to some of the most stunning pieces of art
The buildings in Vienna were an art form in themselves
I don't like horses doing such work but there is a certain romance to the sound and the beautiful old carriages
We took a ride on this terrifying contraption. We were taken 100m up in the air and flung around at 60kph. It was wild fun!
Pia treating the boys to amazing pizza
The birthplace of Mozart was also the home to a wonderful castle on the hill, a beautiful panorama of alps, beer gardens, and lakes. After our afternoon of sightseeing, we retreated to the shade of one of the famous beer gardens where we met one of Pia’s school friends, who invited us to stay at their place en route to Berchtesgaden, helping solve our dilemma of wildly costly accomodation options in and around the idyllic town. The next morning we drove across the border into Germany. It was a perfect day without a cloud in the sky and the hills looked like something out of a movie scene. It’s funny you say that Freddie, because this was exactly where ‘The Sound of Music’ had been filmed, and boy did we frolic in the fields and sing our little hearts out! After walking the bucolic streets of Berchtesgaden we drove up the mountain towards Obersalzburg, the location of Hitler’s, and many of his high ranking generals’, holiday homes.
Quaint old buildings in Salzburg
The view of Salzburg from the castle
The streets of Berchtesgaden. It's scary to think these picturesque streets once had swastikas draped out the windows of the buildings
Salzburg
Hitler had first visited Obersalzburg in 1923, and before long had invested in property there, with privacy and security slowly intensifying as the years wore on. To quote the information boards, ‘The secluded nature of Obersalzburg was exploited later by Hitler for meetings with the inner circle of the NSDAP Leadership’. Crucial decision making that affected the lives of millions around the world and painted the darkest stain on human history took place here. The Kehlstein House, more commonly known as ‘The Eagles Nest’ was a decision making headquarters, perched high above Obersalzburg. It is accessible by a 7km road that rises 800m. We then had to walk down the tunnel that Hitler once drove down and access the headquarters by gold plated elevator, still in its original condition. The panoramic views of the alps were sublime. The immensity of the landscape seemed to complement the significance of the discussions that were held here although in complete contrast the beauty conflicted with the evil. It was a strange and eerie place. Seeing photos of the Fuhrer perched on the same sun deck, acknowledging the same gorgeous view sent shivers down my spine. An office view like no other.
The road was so steep it required specially modified buses to get up
The view from inside the Eagles Nest
The lake below begins close to the town Berchtesgaden
Looking back towards Austria and Salzburg
The view was truly spectacular
We three were pretty chuffed to have made it to this spot
Our day in the alps came to an end and we drove back to Vienna on the wildly efficient Autobahn. That night we were treated by Pia’s sister, Vera, to a wonderful meal and some homely love before catching the bus back to Zagreb the next morning. The devastation of not having the time to ride through Austria and Germany was alleviated by these four nights spent with Pia and Sara, treating us to hospitality like no other. We can’t thank them enough!
Our wonderful friends Pia and Sara, like family to us
And so our journey continued on the bicycles after a night in Zagreb experiencing the wonderful hospitality of Timmy’s girlfriend’s family. The road out of Zagreb was a mess of half useful cycle lanes that would suddenly end in a collection of mad tram tracks and chaos. One mad Croatian man who overtook on the inside didn’t take too kindly to Fred knocking rather heavily on his window to alert him to his indiscretion. He mouthed off at us in Croatian and unbuckled his seat belt as if to get out of his car to fight the harmless troupe of cyclists that we are. Though we may look like scrawny little dweebs after a year on the road, I wouldn’t have fancied his chances with the rush of adrenalin that comes from nearly being knocked off by inept driving.
A Viennese evening
Saying goodbye to Pia in Vienna
Timmy with the in-laws
After a mad rush through the streets we found the road to the border and arrived shortly after. To my dismay the guards said “Only European Union passports are allowed to cross here.” After a bit of nervous waiting they returned with our passports stamped and we were free to enter Slovenia! It was fair to say, that the hills were alive as we merrily frolicked as best we could while riding and singing to the sweet sounds of music. Sadly our Slovenian experience was severely condensed, with the plan to stay just one night on our way through to Italy. Rolling hills and farmland, occasionally interrupted by a beautiful, quaint village, extended beyond us. We cycled past rivers and hills. It was a truly stunning showcase of the country’s natural beauty. At the end of our first day, without a place to stay and being rather tired from a big effort, a man approached us in the supermarket and offered us some food, impressed by our undertaking. He went by the name of Franc, who escorted us 300m back to his house, where he offered to house us, serving us a tasty soup and local spirit to help us unwind after a testing day, both physically and navigationally. Franc shared his life story with us which was amazing and rather saddening. His wife passed away from cancer so he was most enthusiastic about our trip and our fundraising efforts.
Franc's house
Oddly it was a foggy morning as we left for another day of riding in Slovenia
Timmy working his way up another incline
The roads were wonderful and devoid of traffic
Scenic piss stop
Oh how the man has changed but some things never do
Here is a flower. We camped among such phenomena. Timmy often takes photos of them and sends them to Tena
The next day we were going to cycle on to Italy but decided to stay on the Slovenian side of the border. The grassland and forests extended for miles and we had plenty of options to wild camp. We set up in a field of flowers not far from the road and close to the Italian border. We’d only spent two nights in Slovenia but it struck me immediately as possibly the most beautiful country we have cycled through. We went to sleep that night all very excited for Italy.
Another country done. One step closer to London
