Milton Keynes to Vienna, Part 2

On 12^th May we set off south from Augsburg, round Munich to Salzburg in Austria. It has been some years since we had taken this route as I was always concerned about traffic holdups. I was not disappointed and we seemed to go from one set of roadworks to another. Eventually we got to the outskirts of Salzburg and set about finding Camping Nord Sam, our previous visit had been 24 years earlier! With the aid of TomTom and a prior look at Google Earth we got to the campsite with relative ease, to my surprise. The site had not changed a great deal since we were last here. OK there have been upgrades to the toilets etc but essentially the same. 

The first week or so of the trip had been quite good weather wise but it had changed for the worse in the last day or two. In fact apart from a couple of rare bright intervals it rained for most of our four day stay. Having waited for the weather to improve we had to bite the bullet and get on a bus come what may to see Salzburg come rain or shine. There was a handy bus stop virtually outside of the campsite which whisked us into the centre of the City. Being younger and fitter on our first visit we noticed things seemed further apart and longer walks on this trip! First stop was the Mirabelle Gardens made famous in the film, The Sound of Music. It is only in recent years that the Austrians have accepted the story line and it is now performed in the City. We made our way across the River Inn which was in full flow to the Getreidegasse which is a pedestrianised street famous for its decorative shop signs, even the McDonalds has one. The City was full of people wandering around, just like us! We eventually gave into the weather and made our way back to Nord Sam. 

Watching the weather forecasts did not make comfortable reading, especially along the northern side of the Danube which had been our planned route. Going south seemed to be a bit better. It didn’t really matter which way we went round Austria so the south it was. It is a magnificent route across the Tauern Mountains which form the dividing line between north and south of Austria before dropping down to Villach and the Ossiacher See which was the location of our next campsite right on the lake at Annenheim. The weather was indeed kinder to us for all but one of our days here. We took the opportunity to take the train into Villach which is a nice town on the River Drau. After an enjoyable few hours we decided to get the train back to Annenheim. We were a little confused as to which train to catch but we got on one for St Veit not realising that it would take us on a massive detour. The lady sat opposite was very helpful in explaining what we needed to do so we got off at the next station and made our way back to Villach and made sure we were on the right train, confirmed by two charming young ladies who both spoke perfect English. The next day we had planned to have a trip on a lake steamer but the weather was a bit dull and the tickets fairly expensive so we decided to stay put. The lady running the site was most charming and she was very keen to show me the Mallard duck which was nesting in one of her flower pots with, apparently, thirteen eggs!!! 

We enjoyed our stay at Ossiacher See but it was time to move on, this time to Austria’s second City Graz. We were heading for what we thought was a campsite called Camping Central but what we discovered was that it had been converted to Stellplatz Graz which as we have a motorhome was fine by us. The facilities were really top notch. It  was also conveniently near the bus stop into Graz and the guy on reception gave us a map and pointed out where we needed to get on and off. Where ever you go in Austria and Germany there are always free maps of the towns and surrounding areas, something you don’t often see in the UK. Our bus took us to the main transport interchange in Graz at Jakomini PLatz. From here we walked up to Haulptplaz which is the main square which the town hall dominates. From here we made our way to the funicular railway that takes you up to the Schlossberg which is a fortified castle with wonderful views out over Graz. Unfortunately there was a large queue so we decided to come back later. AS we wandered along the river we noticed a strange bridge with what seemed to be a man-made island which happened to be a café so where better have a coffee! Fortunately by the time we got back to the funicular railway the queue had gone and we rode to the top. The views were wonderful. It’s not until you get to descend on the funicular railway that you realise how steep it is! Judging by some of the shops in Graz the residents seemed to be quite well heeled. Lederhosen for a €1000 anyone? Not sure my body shapes lends itself to them! 

To be continued.