August 13, 2022
Spittal an der Drau to Villach (Austria) (Aug. 13 2022)
We didn't exactly spring out of our dorm beds at the crack of dawn but woke early enough that we were able to get on the road by 10 am. The excitement of the morning was two dogs in the breakfast room having a dogfight: They were fighting over their territory which happened to be respective spaces under adjacent tables! We often marvel at how Europeans simply accept the idea of dogs inside a restaurant. Being dog lovers, we have no complaints.
We had a short ride ahead of us, riding down the remainder of the valley to Villach with no major elevation in store. Our only consideration was the expected thunderstorms in the afternoon so we took off and rode smartly — or as smartly as we can — and arrived around 1 pm, not taking any breaks.
After being told we couldn’t check in until 2 pm at our hotel we spread out in the lobby and ate our half sandwich and had a beer out of the vending machine in the lobby. It was a B and B Hotel - similar to Ibis - which means a nice economy hotel with IKEA-like furniture but which is new and modern and in this case, it had air conditioning! The rooms are tiny. As is typical in Austria, it had a bike shed. We then got lucky and the lady let us check in early; she was from South Africa (which Dave and I visited in 2018) so we had an interesting conversation with her.
We then had a mission to do some chores that afternoon, since the following day was Sunday and stores were closed. We cleaned up and took our bikes out to (1) do some reconnaissance and to locate the nearby Waschsalon (laundromat) for Dave’s anticipated laundry visit (successful); ( 2) find a large bike store and almost bought a rear rack bag (unsuccessful) and chain degreaser (they were completely out of stock-unsuccessful; (3) found a home improvement store hoping to buy the degreaser (unsuccessful); (4) made dinner reservations for that night and the following night (successful but it took effort). Despite our failures at the stores we actually had a fun time and it was a good chance to ride around the explore the city.
That evening we ate in the bar at a swanky hotel (Voco Village) that looked out over the river. Below are some shots of the beautiful riverfront and the evening. It gave us a very different and positive perspective on the city (especially since our hotel is in the industrial district of Villach!)
Today's ride: 37 km (23 miles)
Total: 385 km (239 miles)
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