To Bad Waltersdorf

October 10, 2021

a weather tester

This morning the streets in Feldbach were wet. Thinking that the weather forecast was looking in our favour, we did not really see this one coming. It was not really raining, but definitely a heavy mist under grey skies. As we prepared for breakfast and later to leave the hotel we kept looking out the window of our third floor room to the horizon for a glimpse of a weather change, but there was nothing but greyness.

Last night, after our dinner a bus arrived to the hotel and a large group of people came to stay at the hotel. Feldbach seemed like an odd stop. Why Feldbach? After breakfast as we were leaving Scott asked one of the guys from the group if they were a sports team. He was told they were just on a trip but were changing their destination plans today because of the weather. When we told him our plans he suggested that the train may be the better way to get to Bad Waltersdorf today. We wondered that, too.

Undaunted, we bundled up as it was only 8 or 9 degrees out and very damp. Scott wore his long cycling pants for the first time on this trip! Our planned route was altered somewhat to include some riding on the quiet Sunday morning road instead of the EV9 route that tends to meander through the farm lands.

The first 10 kilometres went quite well in the misty conditions. We then changed direction as we left the valley and began a climb into the hills and woods. We stopped briefly under a building's eaves to assess our commitment to going forward, as opportunities to take the train would end now. The decision was made to push on and we began our climb under a forest canopy that covered the road. It was so thick that much of the road was dry except when we popped out into a clearing. We were dry and had now reached the EV9!

The cycle route was quite hilly at this stage with some steep grades for short sections. The scenery over the country side was spectacular and we could only envision how wonderful it would be on a bright sunny day.

The roads are a bit wet as we ride up the hill into a wooded area.

Top of the hill following the R12 EV9. Not as well marked as some of the other routes we have been riding but still pretty good. No resting on the bench today. It is best to keep moving.

On a downhill run. Very nice cycling in this area but it is up and down hills.

Our route and view today. We are glad that we are not on the train.

Down this hill and up the next. Some sections are steep but they are not too long. Pat was wishing she had her ebike with her going up the next one!

Our routing also took us through Austria's therma spa area. After about 20 kms into the day we passed a roadside restaurant that seemed to be all by itself in the middle of nowhere and decided it would be a good spot for a coffee. We went inside and the place had a number of people eating at tables. When we asked the man who greeted us about a couple of coffees we were told that without a reservation it would not be possible. Surprised that two damp and chilled cyclists would be turned away, we carried on to the next town. Around the next corner the size and scale of the "spa hotels" in the thermal region became very clear and on a damp Sunday morning they were apparently very busy with lots of cars parked in their lots.

We tried again to have coffee at the next restaurant that we came across and were welcomed eagerly by our waitress. After finishing our coffees, we decided that since this was a nice warm place we would linger a bit longer and also have a bowl of soup. The soup was a simple soup of cut up pancake mixed with beef broth that is on a number of menus here. It was so good in our chilled bodies.

No outdoor lunch time picture today. It is too cold for that!

We carried on through a mixture of fields and with some more route adjustments along deserted roads. We rode through Furstenfeld which is a pretty fair size town. On Sunday morning with all the shops closed the town was deserted. Pretty town and square but no one was home! The weather now was improving and the last of the mist had disappeared. The cycling was quite reasonable as we made our way to our destination.

Approaching Bad Waltersdorf a navigational error took us up one more steep hill to Wagerburg before we discovered that our hotel was down at the valley level. After a quick zip through the pretty little town of Bad Waltersdorf we checked into the Gasthof Safenhof and made ourselves comfortable with warm showers and a couple of draft beer from the bar. We looked out the window and noted that we had arrived just before a passing shower.

We had our dinner right next door in an adjoining building.

I love where the storks build their nests. This one on a chimney of a building in Bad Waltersdorf.

A look down the main street in Bad Waltersdorf. Very pretty little town.

An evening picture of the church across the street taken as we walked back to our hotel.

We went to bed with an eye on the weather and a yet to be determined final destination for tomorrow's ride.

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Today's ride: 57 km (35 miles)
Total: 952 km (591 miles)

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Scott AndersonIt’s nice to see this country again, even on a grey day like this. We biked through here an the fall on our way from Hungary to Graz long ago and thought it was beautiful.
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3 years ago

Suzanne GibsonLooks like a beautiful area. Too bad about the weather but kudos for not taking the train! We were biking on that day, too, and I found it very cold where we were near Lake Constance.
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3 years ago

Pat FenwickWe are thinking we'll have to go back again and do the ride on a warm, sunny day. It would be spectacular!
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3 years ago

Pat FenwickTo Suzanne GibsonWe are thinking we'll have to go back again and do the ride on a warm, sunny day. It would be spectacular!
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3 years ago