10 August 2014
St. Wolfgang to Kostendorf, Austria (39 miles; Total = 595 miles)
It’s my birthday eve so we are serving up a 4 course meal tonight. Our first course consists of a delightful fruit salad, made with the pineapple, peach, kiwi, and blackberries that we bought two days ago and carried in our panniers all day in the sun (but we are NOT complaining about the sun). The second course consists of crackers and blue cheese, the latter of which we bought three days ago (the crackers are even older) and carried in our panniers all day in the sun. The third course consists of half a cucumber with yoghurt dressing and you guessed it, those, too, are a few days old and were carried in our panniers all day in the sun. Our final course is freeze dried macaroni bolognese, designed to be carried in our panniers all day in the sun, or any weather, for that matter.
We’re also serving up this 4 course meal because (a) it’s good to not waste food; (b) it’s Sunday so there’s not a single grocery open anywhere; and (c ) the woman who’s running the guesthouse we’re staying in tonight tips the scale on the unfriendly side, so dining in the restaurant is not a very palatable option. She’s subbing in for the real owners who left on holiday today. Maybe she should have told them she wasn’t available. On a weighted average, (c ) is our biggest problem.
While I’m busy stirring the macaroni bolognese, Gina is busy channeling her inner Penelope of Criminal Minds fame and trying to crack the guesthouse’s internet code. This is not illicit behavior – we are allowed to use the WiFi – but our grumpy hostess cannot locate the password for us (or maybe is simply choosing not to). Penelope can breathe easy – Gina was unsuccessful in her efforts, but she definitely gave it her best shot.
As for the actual biking today, it was fabulous. Rolling hills with views of nearby lakes and mountains, all shimmering beneath a brilliant sun. So who cares if the yoghurt dressing was slightly suspect and the cucumber a bit wilted? We’ll take more days like this one please.
