I blame, yet again, post-midnight alcohol consumption for us not leaving early… Austria’s very drinkable white wine is just too tasty and chatting with members of my family just makes time fly by much too fast.

We bid our farewells until October, where we all will, as every year, meet again in Styria.

Driving out of Linz direction Wels, we finally see something we’ve both missed dearly for some days now: Hills and mountains. We both agree that it’s absolutely more fun to cross mountain ranges than flatlands.

We've been looking forward to these for a very long time
We’ve been looking forward to these for a very long time

 
Unlike the last few days, today, we take our time. Weather is overcast but not cold – our relaxed TWIKE-adventure drive-mode comes back quickly. Both my daughter and I are enjoying the ride, chatting and discussing things we saw along the road.

Skirting along the mountains towards Salzburg
Skirting along the mountains towards Salzburg

 
the 110km to Salzburg are helped along by regular signs counting down the distance or leading us along.

Salzburg beckons
Salzburg beckons

 
As last time, we have an exclusive charging spot waiting for us. Old-school three-phase connectors, lots of space and barriers just for us. 😀

A very exclusive parking spot in Salzburg
A very exclusive parking spot in Salzburg

 
..."except ev's"
…”except ev’s”

 
The park garage is just a few minutes by foot from Salzburg old town and Mirabel castle. I know Salzburg well and was able to show my daughter the most important places with some commentary to add some context.

Mirabell castle gardens - Salzburg castle in the background
Mirabell castle gardens – Salzburg castle in the background

 
Crossing the Markatsteg, we see the many locks lovers left behind to seal their love forever. Names and wishes from all over the world adorn these locks and many a lock has been here for as long as the (new) Markatsteg has existed.

Salzburg - love locks
Salzburg – love locks

 
Thanks to the less-than-perfect weather we get to enjoy Salzburg castle with less people than usual.

Salzburg castle - we're nearly the only ones here
Salzburg castle – we’re nearly the only ones here

 
Very impressionist interpretation of a battle
Very impressionist interpretation of a battle

 
With all this walking around we build up quite an appetite. Should we go for a full menu somewhere? Why would we, if we have an option like the one below?

No trip to Austria without this food
No trip to Austria without this food

 
Käsekreiner with a Semmel – soul food. You have to try one when you’re in a larger Austrian city, ideally Vienna. Get one with some sweet mustard and you’ll understand. 🙂

After our snack, we head back to our TWIKE, fully charged for the second leg of our trip today. I’ve decided to stay at the same hotel we charged at two years ago. A fully CO2-neutral operation, everything is organic and local, with a long history.

With my old lithium battery pack, getting to this hotel from Salzburg would have meant adding 2 one-hour charges somewhere en-route. Today: we’re going to arrive there with about 30% left in our batteries. What a difference!

Ahh. The alps! We're looking forward to them!
Ahh. The alps! We’re looking forward to them!

 
Our last few km of our trip today, we climb up from the Inn valley towards our Hotel for the night. We’re really looking forward to the food tonight – local specialties, simple dishes and a concentration of taste.

Lower Inn valley
Lower Inn valley

 
Happy that the charging station is free, we connect to the Type2 plug and start charging 13.5kWh back into our batteries.

We've arrived - our 22kW charging station awaits us
We’ve arrived – our 22kW charging station awaits us

 
After a super-friendly welcome and check-in, we head down to the restaurant and are not disappointed.

Tyrolian food porn
Tyrolian food porn

 
I spend the evening relaxing, writing an entry and drinking local organic wheat beer. My daughter spent her evening organizing sleep-overs for the following week and chatting with friends via video, since the bandwidths were very good. 🙂

TDE2017 - Day10 GPS track
TDE2017 – Day10 GPS track

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *