September 14, 1994
Koflach
We had breakfast early with Laurie at our hotel. For the second morning in a row, Alan did not arise until after we were done eating. The night before, we again decided to change our plans: we would bike directly to Venice from here, skipping Salzburg completely. It seemed by far the most sensible option, even though it feels a bit odd to be dropping out a large block of our planned shared time with the Hersheys.
After breakfast we helped them load their gear into the car and then, after saying our goodbys, cycled into the heart of town to do some last minute shopping (a map and a snack) while waiting around until about 11 for our laundry to be ready for pickup. While there, we were treated to a sidewalk concert by an Andean traditional music group on tour. It was a delight to watch them - periodically they would march off for a serpentine-like dance around one of the musicians or winding themselves into a tight circle.
From there, we biked to the laundromat, packed our clean clothes away while sitting on the sidewalk, and struck off to the west for Koflach, 50 kilometers away.
The ride was much more leisurely than I had expected. The road was fairly gradual the whole way, and traffic was seldom bad. As we moved away from Graz the land became more contoured, and quite scenic with small villages leaning into the hillsides.
We arrived at Koflach about 3 - and, inspired by a postcard we saw there, we checked into our room and then set out on a hike to the nearby village of Piber. This proved to be a great hike, even though on a narrow road with absolutely no shoulder and occasional traffic. It carried us over a small ridge, providing us a fine panorama to the east and west; past a country club where men wwere playing what looked like a dry land version of curling; and past a splendid chateau overlooking a meadow containing perhaps 50 Lipizanner horses - the youngest of which delightfully pranced around in the meadow.
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From there, we biked to the laundromat, packed our clean clothes away while sitting on the sidewalk, and struck off to the west for Koflach, 50 kilometers away.
The ride was much more leisurely than I had expected. The road was fairly gradual the whole way, and traffic was seldom bad. As we moved away from Graz the land became more contoured, and quite scenic with small villages leaning into the hillsides.
We arrived at Koflach about 3 - and, inspired by a postcard we saw there, we checked into our room and then set out on a hike to the nearby village of Piber. This proved to be a great hike, even though on a narrow road with absolutely no shoulder and occasional traffic. It carried us over a small ridge, providing us a fine panorama to the east and west; past a country club where men wwere playing what looked like a dry land version of curling; and past a splendid chateau overlooking a meadow containing perhaps 50 Lipizanner horses - the youngest of which delightfully pranced around in the meadow.
(Note: I’m not sure of the placement of the photos between here and the Dolomites. They’re unlabeled, so they could easily be misplaced.)
Today's ride: 30 miles (48 km)
Total: 523 miles (842 km)
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