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So Many Roads, So Little Time
European Alps 2010
FOUR countries, SEVEN days, 1300kms….. & ONE Spectacular Ride in the Alps
 
 

 

Day 5 (Halstatt to Salzburg)

The rain from the previous night still had the roads wet, but Halstatt was cold & cloudy this morning but the rain gods decided to take a break.

Had breakfast & finished the morning routine of packing, loading the bike and started out along the lake & set the GPS to Salzburg. On the way stopped at Steeg for some pics and then carried on to Bad Ischl.













From Bad Ischl, we turned left onto road B158 and passed Aschau, Strobl, Zinkenbach, Wolfgangsee(lake), Fuschl, Fuscl lake and stopped at Hof for a light lunch. The ride again was thru scenic backroads passing 2 lakes & rolling mountains dotted with small villages along the route.



















At the gas station in Hof we met a very friendly mother & son duo who were from Salzburg and they advised us to take a Zimmer (B&B) around the area of Hof as accommodations are generally overpriced in Salzburg city (like everything else!). Besides, Hof was barely a half an hour ride from Salzburg. So we went around searching for a Zimmer. We found one on the road, but the owner had a huge dog there and before I know, my brave wife scooted towards the bike indicating- we search for another place without a big dog! Finally found a place a few kms ahead at Koppl for Euro 38 per person at the Gasthof Am Riedl.



BTW, all the B&B that we stayed at during this trip may be in remote towns, but they all have WiFi connectivity right in your room and most importantly- its FREE. OK, as a bonus some of them also have a huge dog (I can already see my wife turn blue!). Anyway, we put our baggage at the Gasthof in Koppl and headed to Salzburg city.














Being a sunday, I could park at a place that is otherwise reserved for cars right beside the Salzach river close to the Mozartplatz. We put our jackets, helmets, gloves etc into the topcase and then toured the city by foot. At first my wife had a brilliant idea to use the GPS to guide us while walking to various tourist spots but soon we had to abandon that plan as the GPS started loudly prompting in a female voice sentences like “turn right to whatever strassa at 50 meters” etc. Soon we saw lot of anxious faces amongst the crowd staring at us as if we are visually challenged & needed help. So I quietly put back the GPS in the bag and decided to look at old fashioned maps and make our way to the spots. But I had forgotten to switch off the unit and then from inside the bag it shouts out “satellite connection lost”!! We had a good laugh over it that night.

Visited Mirabell gardens (seen in the ever famous Do-Re-Mi song from Sound of Music), Mozart’s birthplace, Franziskanerchurch and few other places. Finally settled for dinner at a Japanese Restaurant and got ripped off on the soft drinks!
In brief, Salzburg has lots of places to visit, but many of it is related to Mozart and the remaining to the Sound of Music. Personally, I feel it’s a small & beautiful city but too much of Mozart could be overwhelming to some.





Modern day Mozart in silver paint posing for tourists for a dime





I am always fascinated with buses

Pics from the Mercedes merchandise shop





An Indian restaurant- No we didn’t eat there





















Mirabell Gardens: Where the movie ‘Sound of Music’ was filmed 45 years ago





This little fellow suddenly happened to pass by

Our expensive Japanese Dinner- Each soft drink cost us Euro 3.80 so guess the rest!

My wife’s fascination for cop cars continues in Salzburg

Returning back to our B&B for the night in Koppl just outside Salzburg



Room with a view- Thank you





Some of the unsung heroes of our trip

Michellin maps, Zumo 660 GPS & Chatterbox Intercom

Total distance traveled for the day 123kms. We purposely kept the ride short today to allow some time to walk around Salzburg & enjoy the sights in this place like regular tourists with a camera hanging around the neck rather than walking like aliens from outer space in our riding suits, helmets, boots etc. So far the trip was all about the ride & not the destination, but for today we decided to keep some for the destination also!
 
 

 
 
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