The sun broke through the first of the autumn morning mists as we rolled down the valley and crossed the border between Styria and Corinthia.
We had been watching a rat at dusk in the square outside Karleskirke Church in Vienna when we started chatting to a friendly street dweller. His knuckles were neatly bandaged following a street fight with a fellow vagrant but he spoke perfect English and promised (without being asked) to not steal my iPhone when pointing out where Styria was on Google Maps. Styria had been his home but he had come, via New York, to Vienna and assured us that he’d seen more rats in New York than in the flooded subways of Vienna. He was probably right.
We chatted for a while about the better weather in Styria and the lack of flooding in his home Province after hurricane Boris. He went his way and we went into the Church to listen to Mozart, Bach and Vivaldi but, without a doubt, it was his enthusiasm in that chance encounter that led us to pedal for 5 days through the Austrian Province of Styria.
On our 6th day we crossed the border into Corinthia where we were greeted by sunshine and a gorgeous town square brimming with cafes and surrounded by castles and cathedrals. A town once owned and fortified by an ancient Bishop of Saltzburg. Odd that a man of the cloth should need defensive moats and ramparts but those ancient times are no stranger than the weird world of today.
Our bikes gobbled up the smooth, flat tarmac and as the day became warmer, Sunday cyclists came out in their droves. Gravel bikes, eBikes, mountain bikes and town bikes were all swarming along the cycleway and they all passed with a friendly nod, a wave or a muttered ‘Grussegott’. Our progress was fast which meant more stops to enjoy the views, the cafes and to watch Austrians enjoying their sunny afternoon in September.
Our friendly Viennese tramp had sent us on a good and varied route that’s taken us through National Parks, lush meadows, along canals, riverbanks, railway verges and busy industrial towns. Here in Corinthia we have picture perfect castles, churches and town squares.
Tomorrow we rendezvous with Rosemarie and Seppl in Villach to begin the Slovenian leg of our bike ride adding a new dimension to our journey. They, of course, have eBikes and so we have lubricated our creaking pedals in the hope that they will work a little better and help us keep up!
