“When life throws you a rainy day, play in the puddles！”
● 908 kilometers in the Defender
● 85505 steps by foot
Highlights
● Salzburger Nockerl in Salzburg
● Apfelstrudel by Oma
● wine tasting in Südsteiermark
Lowlights
● rainy days...
And there it was, October 3rd, 2021 - the date we planned to leave Switzerland and drive off in our Defender. And we did, with the usual delay of a few hours, but hey, what are two hours compared to the time we have planned for this trip. From now on, we won’t have deadlines and strict schedules to stick to.
We got our last coffees in our favourite coffee shop down the road from our apartment, Liv smoked her very last cigarette (new life, healthier habits - or at least that’s the idea) and then we started the engine. Unnecessary to tell you how unreal it felt to drive off, knowing we won’t come back for such a long time. Destination: Africa, next stop: Germany.
We spent our first night at a beautiful camping spot in Berchtesgaden (Germany). Since it was already the end of the season, we didn’t have trouble finding space on a campsite. Unfortunately, the warm summer nights have also passed... We parked the car and opened a bottle of a costly champagne Tom once received as a gift, but we figured the first night of our trip would be the perfect moment to drink it :) The next day we drove onto the “Rossfeld Panoramastrasse” and parked at “Ofnerboden,” from where we hiked up to the “Purtschellerhaus.” The mountain hut is built on the Austrian and German border, and you can reach it from both sides. We chose the Austrian way up, enjoyed a “Brettljausen,” “Kaspressknödel,” and a “Radler” in the sun, and walked the German way back down. There was a distillery next to the car parking spot, and we got the opportunity to taste some “Schnaps” and learn about different methods and ingredients of distilling. We then headed towards Salzburg, and when we arrived at Camping Schloss Aigen, which we chose for our sleeping spot, we found that they were just about to close; however, we got to stay the night for free. We cooked dinner and enjoyed the (foggy) view over Salzburg, where we were headed the next day.
Going to bed early when camping due to the lack of light comes with the benefit of being up early in the morning. We packed our stuff and went straight into the city for our first coffee. Ordering a coffee in Austria is not that simple as you might think. My first Cappuccino came with whipped cream and I learned, that if I would like to receive a Cappuccino with milkfoam I must order a “Melange”. We went from coffee place to coffee place and tasted different coffees (“kleiner Brauner” = similar to an espresso, “grosser Brauner” = doppio, “Verlängerter” = Cafe Creme or filter coffee, “Einspänner” = espresso with whipped cream on top). The list doesn’t end here, but our capability of drinking more caffeine and tasting more sweets (definitely recommend the Mozartkugeln and Punschkrapferl). We went to see the Salzburg Fortress, strolled through the Old Town and passed the birth place of Mozart, walked around Mirabell Palace and the beautiful gardens and went to the Bärenwirt for lunch, where we ate the famous “Backhendl” and of course “Salzburger Nockerl” for dessert. Salzburg definitely seduced us with culinary highlights!
For the night we drove to Wolfgangsee, a beautiful area a couple of hours outside of Salzburg. Unfortunately, the weather was very cloudy and cold but we still enjoyed the night directly at the lake at Camping Wolfgangsee Berau. For dinner, we walked along the lake to Strobl and we just got back in time before the rain. The next morning, we made use of the gym at the Camping Site and then drove to Judenburg, where Tom’s Oma (grandmother) lives. We got to stay in Tom’s parents apartment close-by, which was perfect, since it didn’t stop raining for 2 days straight.
The weather didn’t spoil us, but Oma Hilde did. She cooked and baked and we ate until we almost bursted: Wiener Schnitzel, Leberknödelsuppe, Apfelstrudel, Schupfnudeln, Frittatensuppe, Kürbiskernroulade - we got it all and it was delicious! We enjoyed the time together very much.
Our last stop in Austria led us to the Südsteiermark, e region famous for its wine. On our way from Judenburg to Gamlitz we stopped to see the Hundertwasserkriche, a colorful church designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. We stayed two nights at Obstgut Ledinegg, a beautiful fruit farm with only five camping spots. The weather was not great but nevertheless we were not the only campers. While setting-up our little camp, we talked to our neighbours, another couple who headed to South Africa on a different route, two retired couples who enjoyed camping in a bit more luxurious campers but were very interested in the Defender - it was very interesting exchanging our camping experiences. Walter and Gabi who run the farm were very welcoming and even lent us their motorbike so we could quickly drive to Gamlitz to get some groceries. The next day, the sun came out again and we took the chance to go for an extended hike through the vinyards, tasting differents wines on the way, eating Jausen and enjoying the beautiful scenery.
The next morning it was raining again, so we quickly packed our things and took off to the next destination - Slovenia.