Monthly Archives: August 2019
Inside the Salt Mountain
Today was a visit to another place that’s long been on our list – Berchtesgaden, just across the border in southern Germany. It was a scenic drive hugging the shore of the Wolfgangsee, then onto the freeway to skirt around Salzburg. Past the border sign welcoming us to Germany, then 10 kms along a river […]
Bad Ischl
It was time to say farewell to Vienna, and board the train for Salzburg. I have to say, Austrian trains are the best I’ve seen – so clean, comfortable and punctual. We settled in upstairs for a 2.5 hour trip. After leaving the suburbs, we were soon in typical Austrian countryside – rolling green hills […]
IT’S DONE.
The Ice-O is Done for 2019. The last day was cold and with a bitter wind. A final reminder that this is Iceland and you do not take her for granted. Pete had another steady run coming in 3rd on the final day to add to my second in the sprint and a […]
Vienna Vignettes – As Seen From the U1
To our relief it rained, and a refreshing wind blew the heat away. After being unceremoniously dumped by the bus driver, we decided to go for a ride on the UBahn instead. The U1 line has several stations on the islands, and crosses some of the Danube bridges; you can see quite a lot without […]
Horsing Around
Yesterday I fulfilled a long held dream, one held by every little girl who loves ponies. I left Ian behind and headed to the glorious Spanish Riding School, to see the Lippizzaner stallions. In summer, most of the horses are turned out for a well earned break, but some of the young stallions are still […]
ICE-O. Days 1 and 2.
The Ice-O began on Friday with an evening sprint wich started in a local school at 6.00pm. This gave Ilze and I time to explore the Hallgrimskirkja which looms over Reykjavik. It is difficult to photograph as the sun always seems to be behind it. The statue out the front celebrates the Viking explorer Leif […]
Vienna By Night
Just a few snaps from our evening sightseeing tour last night. Will update today’s events tomorrow – still got one more route to cover on the bus tonight before bed. Music is everywhere – Strauss, Mozart, Beethoven. Even the subway buskers sing opera!
Buses and Trains
Day 3 – time to quit lazing around. Our favourite thing to do in a new city (well OK we did come here over 25 years ago on a Contiki tour) is to buy a transport pass, and ride the rails. Having deemed it too hot for anything more than short strolls, we opted for […]
PRACTICALLY PERFECT PUFFIN PICTURES.
Our last race free day in Reykjavik started badly when we found out the Hop-Hop-Off bus tour had been canceled due to a strike. “Would you like to see Puffins instead?” said our helpful tourist information lady. “Is the Pope the titular head of a largely discredited worldwide religious cult with dubious employee vetting procedures […]
24 Hours In Vienna
You can do a lot in 24 hours in Vienna. Or very little. We went for option 2. The flights were unremarkable – the usual squalling toddlers (why do they all do it at 3 am, just when you’ve managed to finally fall into a fitful sleep?) My vestibular system was very happy sitting on […]
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