Czech Republic to the Austrian Tirol

Well, we wanted some summer, and we’ve found it! Temperatures around 30oC each day, with clear sunny skies then, when the humidity has built up enough around the mountains, we cop the thunderstorms with torrential rain, and a blast of wind.  Example in the photo of Mike rescuing the awning which had blown half shut and filled with water.  We were having dinner at the campsite in Hall in Tirol when the sky exploded, and we had a mad rush to clear the decks.

Another interesting campsite was at Cesky Krumlov, with d’Hobby parked in the shade of one of the solar panel arrays which cover the site.

No lack of electricity available there, as sometimes we only get 6 amps, which isn’t enough to boil the jug or run the toaster.  Most sites are 10A or 16A, which gives plenty of power for appliances.  Luckily we have our own solar panels on the roof, which re-charge the batteries pretty much all day.

Cesky Krumlov was a delightful little medieval town set on the bend on the river, overlooked by the massive castle.  A very nice day spent wandering the streets and cafes there, and also visiting the Egon Schiele art gallery & museum, which as a bonus featured an exhibition of ‘humour in art’, including many works by Gerald Scarfe, the UK political cartoonist.

Our first stop in Austria was St Johann in Tirol, where we had a spectacular view of the mountains from our breakfast table.            

It is also nice to be back into a countryside where everything is so neat and tidy, after the scruffy scenery of the Baltic & Eastern European countries.

We spent the day in Innsbruck yesterday – another hot and sunny day, spent wandering the streets and cafes.  Street & business signs are an endless fascination in Europe – some ancient examples, then suddenly ultra-modern intrudes.  Also, couldn’t resist the photo of the expression on the face of the (flat) fox in the taxidermist’s window – the caption says it all for those that know the Toyota TV advert.

We have decided on another change of direction.  It is too hot to go to the Croatian coast yet, so we are heading west into Switzerland, then south into Provence to visit with Mark & Lorna (Jan’s brother & sister-in-law) for a week or so, then go across Italy to Croatia in September when it cools down a bit.

We are sitting in McDonalds in Innsbruck writing this while d’Hobby has his front brakes attended to.  The old problem didn’t go away completely, and the Fiat dealer has now declared full replacements required, which will set us back some € 920.  I guess the fun will also now start with negotiating with the breakdown warranty people in the UK to cover the cost.

This weekend we plan to be in Lichenstein, then onwards through Lucerne & Bern.

Auf weidersien !