Yes, it was a whew day. It was a day of the motorway run. A 700 km day. We went straight on to the motorway at Karowic and right thur the Czech Republic on the high speed motorway system. We were doing about 120 km per hour for a lot of the time. The speed limit was 130 km per hour but a lot of the traffic was faster than that.
Because it was a high speed motorway day the first job is to check the tyres. A man's work is never done! Housework,housework,housework!
Then is off we go
We saw these large signs in a number of places I hope it is a soft drink they are advertising.
We stop at a roadside cafe and I ask for a hot chocolate Somewhere under all of the " shaving foam" is I think some chocolate
We cross into Austria. Another deserted border crossing post with just a few policemen keeping a laconic watch - or at least that is how it appears No doubt they can instantly spring into action .
It was noticeable that there was a lot more scrutiny of vehicles going from Austria to the Czech Republic than vice versa ( which was our direction). One would imagine that during the Cold War this would have been a very strongly guarded crossing. They would of course be looking for money - ie cached Czechs !
No one home!
Then the motorway stopped and it was some delightful Austrian villages The churches have impossibly steep spires in true Bavarian style
We bypass Vienna via the motorway system and somewhere along the way we slip romantically under the Blue Danube via a concrete motorway tunnel.
Then the promised rains catch up with us as we head towards Salzburg. It was very bleak and very wet. Several times we stopped and sheltered under overhead bridges. To hell with the "no stopping on the motorway rule " if it exists in Austria if you will excuse the venucular.
Al last we come into - we "waltz" into I should say - the fabled city of Salzburg. . Some of the vehicles on the streets are so slow as they are just two horsepower! Excuse the rain drops on the lens!
I will race you off the lights! What happens if I now toot loudly? Then we might get a true speed test!
And we stay in the middle of the old part of town with its beautiful buildings.
We were prevented from getting to close to the hotel by those terrible automatic bollards that go up and down on a card system. . I was tired, it had been a long day, so I just rode between them. We parked in the main square. The hotel person said we were not allowed to park there. Again it had been a long tiring day so I ignored the instructions and the bike just stayed there for the night. There was slight relief to see it still there in the morning. The biggest worry now is that with heightened bomb square alerts someone would put the bomb disposal unit on to a motorbike that is covered up and illegally parked in a public space where they are lots of people. Now that would be an interesting one to tell the insurance people! I wonder if I would get the pieces back!
Tomorrow it is in to the mountain passes of Switzerland and the "serious fun" starts.
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