Alps Tour - Here Comes the Rain!

After a simple breakfast we were out and on the road by 9am. We wanted to get ahead of the promised impending storm. Decided to take the fun route instead of the direct route to Villach, where we had found a laundromat!! Yes, there are not many anywhere in this country 🙃

It was a brisk and fresh morning(16c), with sun for the most part, but gradually darkened with the clouds moving on. For the second day in a row we took things easy, as the roads were quite damp and a lot of debris and gravel from the early morning thunderstorm.

More meandering roads through mostly forests and valleys. Some road sections were pretty rough, and in dire need of repair. Early on in the day we passed through the town of St Lambrecht and noticed a very large church complex that turned out to be Benedictine Abbey of St. Lambrecht, founded in the 11th century.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Lambert&#03…

Somewhere around this time J noticed a burning sensation on the upper-inner thigh. Turns out a bee had hit him, and managed to sting through multiple layers of cloth, including his riding jeans!

Although Villach is the 7th largest centre in Austria, navigating through town was much more relaxing than previous city centres. Managed to find the laundromat without too much trouble, and enjoyed a coffee and tiramisu at the next door cafe while the laundry washed.

Arriving at the alpine resort town of Bad Kleinkirchheim, and not a moment too soon, as a sudden rain burst happened right after we unpacked the bikes and were inside. The rain didn't take too long, but we continued to hear thunder in the distance for a while.

Since we decided to bypass the ridiculously priced dryers at the laundromat, we proceeded to drape the damp clothing about our room. The hairdryer did a fine job to assist the process, so proceeded to dry our clothes that way. 🥳

Our hotel booking included the half-board, three course dinner. Definitely an interesting cultural experience guessing how they do the service. Turns out you need to get your own soup and salad from the buffet (which A is not a fan of because of the germs...), then you are asked if you'd like the next meal plating. 😂🥗

With a full belly, we decided to relax in the spa area and take advantage of the special late night saunas and pool.Read more