DAY 96 FRIDAY JUNE 29 MORE OF THE AUSTRIAN ALPS

Our bus to Salzburg left at 11.15 and was crowded when it arrived and the grumpy driver insisted all our luggage go in the underneath lockers. Bevan and Vanessa struggled to jam their bikes in. At the next stop a class of schoolkids crammed in.  Lyn took two photos of the hotrl and bus stop while we were waiting.

Because of the crowd on the bus we got off at the station one minute after our train was due to leave. B&V carried their bikes up the escalator and hopped on the train with them but the guard made them get off again and take them up to the luggage van, so the train was seven minutes late leaving. We settled in comfortably for a 3 hour trip to Klagenfurt where the Iron Man Race will be on Sunday. The train took us through spectacular country with beautiful mountains either covered in tall trees or showing patches of snow; lovely little villages with flower decorated balconies everywhere; glacial-fed streams flowing next to us; long tunnels through the mountains; steep ascents finally reaching 1300 metres.  We could have taken 100 photos but here are a few:

The train was delayed for reasons only explained in German over the loudspeakers so we arrived an hour late in Klagenfurt.  By the time we walked to the hotel (in 39C heat) and B&V got back to the race centre it was past 6pm and registration had closed, but they got to go to the welcome dinner of pasta.  They told us it was not up to the standard of Busselton and Melbourne.  After the weather cooled a bit we wandered around at 7pm looking for somewhere to have dinner, but found the streets deserted and only a few people sitting in the open air restaurants, nearly all of whom were sipping drinks or eating ice cream.  We thought we might have left it a little late, but found an excellent Japanese Restaurant in the main square.  By the time we had finished and were walking back to the hotel, most of the places were filling up and at 8.30 they were ordering their meals.  As we approached the hotel we saw B&V were also just arriving back with a mature Japanese man who was staying in the hotel and had gone with them to the welcome. He was happy to have some company who could speak Japanese.
The temperatures are predicted to be in the high 30s until Monday which will suit Vanessa but not Bevan.  Fortunately our hotel has individual air conditioners in each room so we can cool off.  In our travels in UK - Europe we seem to go from one extreme of temperature to the other, but we expect to be in warm to hot weather for July.