The week of surprises and shock!

I am back in Malaysia, but today’s article is dedicated to my second week in Austria and Slovenia.

It was an amazing second week of further adventure with surprises and shock.

After the hot-air ballooning adventure of the week before, I wondered what could match that. But we were in Austria, and it is an outdoor paradise. Pick up an equipment and go!

The first week, our equipment was a bicycle and hot air balloon. The second week was a kayak and motorbike. Vienna has a beautiful (swimmable) lake in the city! Perfect for the hot summer days. And they allow for paddling and boating. The lake is home to a sailing school (lasers only). It is a recreational lake with private houses dotted along it. It is called The Old Danube or Alte Donau in German.

We bought an inflatable Kayak from Decathlon and went for a paddle. What fun. I was surprised to learn that my paddling skills were not bad. Of course, under the tutelage of the master kayaker, my husband, Markus! Every time I got distracted by the view I got called back to ‘focus’. Rowing or paddling is a science. To stop arm muscles fatiguing, technique is critical. We rowed the length of the lake and rowed for 2 hours with a short break in between. I must have done it right as my muscles did not hurt the next day! Technique matters.

Getting back into the kayak after an ice cream break!

Then came the great adventure by motorbike. Another ‘don’t know where don’t know when’ adventure.

This time we headed for the hills towards Ljubljana, Slovenia. I had never been before, and friends told us it was worth a visit. We don’t take the motorway on these journeys and the small roads pass through towns and villages that are quite spectacular. And as we were heading towards the mountains, the views were stunning. Some of the views reminded me of Tom Cruise’s last movie Mission Impossible: Dead reckoning which was filmed in Austria.

Passed a town, birthplace of Heinrich Harrer where he built a ‘walkway in the hill’ to represent Tibet where he lived till 1951. He authored the books, Seven years in Tibet and The White Spider.

Enroute to Ljubljana we stopped in a town called Trieben, Austria. A small town with some old factories in the surroundings. We found a little guesthouse (gasthaus) with bed and breakfast. We had dinner there too. Their garden was perfect for dinner on a summer’s night. We took a stroll after and that’s when I came across the local florist with all their products still out though the shop was closed.

I stopped walking. I was surprised!

Flowerpots, bouquets, plants, soil packets, fertilizer were all out. Some of them were expensive. ‘Trust’, I remember telling Markus. Amazing.

After a good night’s sleep and breakfast, the next morning we headed for the border. Yet again on little roads. Simply spectacular. Markus used an app on his phone to find the roads. Google prefers ‘quickest’ routes.

What a ride it was through the hills of Austria and Slovenia. The old border only represented by a hut, now abandoned, told us we were entering Slovenia. We didn’t stop to take a photo. Wish I did. It was so quaint! In the middle of nowhere, a hut symbolising the old border crossing which must have been busy before the formation of the European Union.

We got to Ljubljana and found a hotel in the heart of the city near the river. Great value and great location. We were not sure about our plans for the next day but at breakfast the next morning we decided to stay another night. We do not typically have city holidays but Ljubljana warranted a second night.

The castle and other local history beckoned. As did the many bars and restaurants. Simply inviting. We had a great day and night until the next morning when we were about to depart, we were shocked to see our motorbike without a seat. Someone had stolen it!

We walked a half kilometer radius of the hotel to see if the ‘thief’ had thrown it nearby (if it was a prank). We informed the police in case someone found it and handed it in. Everything changed in a heartbeat. It was Saturday and no motorbike shops were open. Moreover, the bike is old and finding a seat that would fit would not be easy. (She is a classic 😉).

After some brainstorming, I took the bus back to Vienna and Markus ‘made up’ a seat (bag with his clothes) and rode on the highway (quickest) back to Vienna. The police, hotel staff, taxi driver (who took me to the bus station) were so helpful. And they all spoke good English!

The ‘new made-up’ green seat

Though it was frustrating and shocking, life happens and adapt we did! I had to travel with my boots and riding jacket. We managed to get my helmet and riding pants into the motorbike boxes. Space is limited on the bike. 😉

Thankfully we were undecided about our destination for Saturday. A couple of the vineyards, in Austria, we wanted to stay at were full and decided to figure it out along the way.

So, Vienna became our next destination!

All plans including no-plan plans can change!

As always, you can reach me at yoga@yoganesadurai.com