Graz - Vienna

Today's Route

I finally went for a run this morning – 40 minutes including 2 trips up the hill to Schloss St Peter – it was very, very hard work. It's like I forgot how to run – not funny at all :( Still, I did do it – and saw about 20 other runners on my way around – only managed to get a smile or a “Morgan” out of 4 of them though although I did try with all of them! Maybe runners in Austria just aren't sociable (a bit like round Camberley to be honest) or maybe it was the pain of the hill that did it?

Anyway, I got back to the van and Jon was still in bed – but he got up on my return and went to the pool for a swim - just him and the ducks! I was tempted (I mean, how often do you get the chance to have the largest outdoor pool in Europe to yourself?) but I felt a bit cold after my run so I opted for a hot shower instead. I did make Jon a cup of hot coffee though (in our new expresso 'maker' and take it pool side :) The lap of luxury!

We checked out at 12pm and grabbed a couple of pastries and some fuel from a petrol station (EVERYTHING else is closed on a Sunday – just like the olden days in the UK!) and headed off to Vienna. It was quite a trek – 180km – and nothing much happened on the way. No kamakaze lorries, no run away caravans, nothing – not even any traffic jams. We stopped half way in a parking place for some beans & sausage on toast, and then pushed on.

We got to Vienna at about 3:30pm – found the campsite first time (only 1 U-turn required – a daily record we believe) and set up our pitch – in the sunshine!! Ooooo, it was nice to see some sun – it's been days and days since the last sun – maybe even as far back as Italy? Can that really be true? I think it might be you know. My tan...................... :(

Anyway, the sun meant that I could put all the clothes that hadn't finished drying this morning back out to dry (even on holiday there are chores to be done you know!), and we put the awning up (although we couldn't get the pegs in the stoney ground so we had to use the water containers to hold it down instead) and it was all looking good.

We were just deciding what to do – we had never arrived anywhere so early before – and what do you know? It started to rain. Bah. We decided to just hang around then – previous ideas of 'doing' Vienna that afternoon were postponed hoping for sunnier weather tomorrow.

We did venture out on our bikes in search of food and found a pizza takeaway – so we had pizza and beer back in the van, then a couple of games of cards (Jon won the long awaited deciding game in the Lakes Plate challenge) and a game of “Wordrop” a game that Helen & Andrew had bought for the van. As you might see in this photo – Jon found the game stimulating! OK, he didn't. Sorry guys, but it just went on too long and we lost the will to live about half way through. We did finish it though – despite Jon almost begging me to concede (he never would, obviously) I refused – so we pushed on to the bitter end. Jon won, and Wordrop has gone back in the cupboard :)