Alps and Lakes (CAL1802), through the Alpine wonderland of Austria and Southern Germany

Alps and Lakes (CAL1802), through the Alpine wonderland of Austria and Southern Germany

09 Jun 2018
/Claudia - Nicole Wenhart
/Marko Bauer
/Wouter Despiegeleer
We‘re back in Erding - everybody came back with lots of new images, pictures of great sights and scenery! Today we added a few more memories, riding through areas that really deserve the name Alps and Lakes. We stopped at some of the lakes and on top of our final mountain pass, the Sudelfeld, had a typical Bavarian lunch and finally turned our bikes towards Erding. Now we are back, ready for our final dinner, ready to talk one more time about the countless sights that we have explored during the past week!   Riding Day 4: Großglockner! We start and end the day in Kaprun, which leaves us much time to discover the area at a relaxed pace. But we still rode more than 230 kilometers through this Alpine Wonderland. The highest mountain of Austria and one of the hightest in the Alps, has perfect tarmac roads laid out all over it. The weather has been on our side most of the day. This is what riding in the Alps is all about! Another day filled with highlights waited for us. Beautiful lakes (Traunsee, Attersee and Hallsraetter See), gorgeous towns like Bad Ischl and Hallstatt, and a few more mountain passes - and Wouter‘s first picnic - all the ingredients for a great day! And even though the weather forecast predicted 90% of rain, we got away with a 5-minute downpour - the rest of the day was beautiful and sunny!   The next riding day took us from Salzburg back over the border, to visit the Eagle's Nest. This iconic place carries the memory of a darker spot in history, but being built on a rocky outcrop it also offers incredible views over this corner of Germany. A steep and windy mountain road took us only partly there, as the last stretch can only be travelled by bus. The Kehlsteinhaus, as it was called originally, is then finally reached by a tunnel and elevator with brass and green leather interior. Once up there, we all were impressed and couldn't get enough of the 360° panoramic view. We also enjoyed local specialities on the terrace. The rest of the day had some great riding for us in store, as we traveled over the Rossfeld Panoramic Road and the Postalm Pass, before arriving at the Traunsee in Austria's impressive Lake District. We stayed overnight in a hotel on the shore, and some were tempted by a chilly dip after a warm riding day. We‘re on the way! Under a beautiful Bavarian sky (white and blue like the Bavarian flag) we left Erding and rode towards the Chiemsee. Here we toured King Ludwig’s famous palace - an amazing  collection of gold, porcelain and crystal chandeliers! In the evening we explored Salzburg, our first town in Austria. To top it all, we had the chance to have dinner accompanied by music from Salzburg‘s most famous son: W.A. Mozart!   The Alps and Lakes motorcycle tour will take us through a beautiful part of the European motorcycle paradise – the Alps. The contrast between the beautiful lakes in Southern Germany and Austria and the towering mountains that reach up to more than 10,000 ft. are just breath-taking.  Guided City Tour With beautiful sunny weather we started our city tour to Munich. We took the fast train to Isator and start our city walk through town,  First we had the typical Bavarian "White Sausages" with a traditional wheat beer at Viktualien Markt. A big vegetable, fish, meat and cheese market in the middle of downtown. At Marienplatz, the main square where the town hall is situated, was our next stop to see the carrillon with the knights tournament and the "Schäffler's" dance. Unfortunately "Old Peter" with its 300 stairs was closed today because of construciton work, but we found another place to have an amazing view over Munich. St. Michaels church, the landmark number one Frauenkirche and Theatiner church were on our way. Through Hofgarten we walked to Maximilanstreet, the exclusive shopping street in Munich, where all the big well knwon brands have their flag stores. Hofbräuhaus, the famous beer hall was our final stop and for sure Tim earned, why in Bavaria the clocks go the other way round. ;-)