Pernegg delights

The rain continues unabated and it sure gets cold when you are at the top of a 1250m pass near Eisenertz. View is breathtaking or maybe that's just hyperventilation after the climb. 

Time for a map of my trip (download open street maps from maps.me for your mobile) to show you where the village of Pernegg is situated.

Such amazing hosts (Simon & Amarai), with an amazing house in Pernegg. Despite a 9 month baby and work commitments, they make lots of time for me. The garden boasts lots of fruit and veggies (Isabella grapes are tasty and I take some to go). 

A hell of a journey to Hall

It's gonna be a long day. Forecast for continuous rain, 140km stretch and a pass of 1000m. 

And I get off to a late start. In spite of the drenching rain and cold conditions the higher I ride, Austria's beauty shines through. 

With frozen fingers and toes and the sun already well set, I meet Josef in Hall and am extremely grateful to have a shower and a meal. 

Vöcklabruck - an interesting detour

The road to Vöcklabruck is sunny and quickly over. It is a detour to come north from Salzburg but Bob is very enthusiastic to meet me. He is American but has lived in Austria for 31 years.  he is close to retiring as a school teacher but i think his community activism will last for many years. We talk late into the night over a great butternut squash dinner. 

He uses his house as a "crash pad" or "nomad base" for anyone who is travelling through these parts, sometimes accommodating up to 12 people at once. He confesses that this may change if he decides to take in some refugees in the coming months.

So far, the Austrians that live met have been extremely active in helping out the Syrian refugees flooding through Austria on their way to Germany. 

Road to Croatia

Starting at the end of September decide to skip the German part of my bike trip to Croatia by taking MeinFern bus. Apologies for the plug, but it is worth noting that they do take fully assembled bikes across Germany for only 9€. This means my trip to Salzburg (border town of Austria) involves a minimal amount of fuss and his a cheaper alternative to the Deutsche Bahn train. 

Salzburg is a sleepy Austrian city where I get to meet my first CouchSurfing host - Thomas. He is helping out with the refugees in Salzburg and tells me of his experiences with the influx of Syrian refugees, primarily seeking refuge in Germany after 1000's of kms by land and  sea. Thomas is a nudist and suggested that we have a beer together au naturale in his comfortable apartment. Why not? This is part of the joy of CSing: the "finding new comfort-zone effect". 

What did the Warsaw?

Reunited again with Piotr and Ela in Warsaw. Unfortunately they work weekdays (people still do that?!?), so I get to hang with them in the evenings. I visit Ida (from BikeSurfWarsaw) to meet her and see how BikeSurf works here 

Realise that a heatwave (35C) is expected to start tomorrow and last for 4 days and take the regrettable decision to take the train back to Berlin. Would have been nice to make the round trip back by bike but it would have been an ordeal to do so. 

Ostrołęka

My CouchSurfing host in Ostrołęka once again is the extroverted Halina. The whole family is reunited, as she treats me as her Irish son. I meet her daughter, Marta, and granddaughter, Marasha. Bessy (the boxer dog) is as nuts as always. 

It proves difficult to drag myself away from my new Polish family and I finally hit the road to Warsaw after 16:00, planning to complete the 125km in under 6 hours. Nothing like a challenge for my legs. 

Augustów (Poland)

Long day in the saddle (155km), but now it's beginning to feel easy. Miriampole is where I stopped for lunch. 

Crossed back into Poland and met Barbara and family once again in Augustów.

Interesting aside: in Poland everyone is obsessed with fountains. They can be found in all shapes and sizes in nearly all Polish towns. 

What my bike, "Buckaroo", looks like fully laden.