Carinthia ~ Austria

Weissensee

traveler bikers 142 km
August 2018 : 2 days
In the tourist season we decided for this shorter tour near our country: Carinthia, Austria. A part of the tour was along the Drau river. Dad, that's not the right direction... and you are driving on the wrong side of the road... and without a helmet... and you don't look left and right... ...and dad, ugh... ether you are gonna listen to me or we are going home. You don't understand anything. We weren't in a hurry. We had a lot of time for lovely posing. A nice up hill on Gailtaler Alpen at 33° C. Ultimate survival tip #1: when there is an opportunity fill up the water bottle. Ultimate survival tip #2: when there is an opportunity catch your lunch in a river. After a few unsuccessful tries we decided to order trout by a locals. It rained for a bit. Ultimate survival tip #3: when there is an opportunity cool down. We got the idea for the tour this year in march, when... ... son Aleks atended in an international cross country skiing race by the Weissensee. Where are the other competitors? The lake freezes in winter into the biggest ice rink in the Alps. Even though I have been in this province many times, we have visited this lake 3 time this year. Why is the lake called Weissensee (White lake), if its turquoise? The residence time of the lake is more than 9 years. Aleks ate all the cookies in several minutes. The east part doesn't have a road, so we sailed on the other west side of the lake. It's ideal here for cyclists and walkers. Alps for multiple days. Unsponsored ad: this lake is the higest lake in Kärnten you can swim in. We jumped in 26° C water, 930 m above sea level. Exiting cycling ascent on 1074 m high pass. ... and an exiting  down hill into the valley. Photofinish: Robi is overtaking on the right side, Aleks is right behind him. What a drama? The cycling path along Gailtal valley is very lonely. I will take a look at the 2166 m high Dobratsch with binoculars. Wow, look at the Slovenian church. The German one (not on the picture) is a few hundred meters away and its the highest church in eastern Alps. We have finished the tour where we started - in Villach. And the last ultimate survival tip: when there is an opportunity fill up your tank with (cheaper) fuel. Full of impressions we drove home over the Karawanken moutains.

Other bicycle tours

Exploring the sights of Copenhagen, Malmö and the Øresund strait with bikes.

Copenhagen (DK) ~ Øresund ~ Malmö (S)

80/31 km | September 2023

Slovenia: With bikes from East to West

Slovenia: from East to West

784 km | June + August 2021

With bikes around Slovenia

Slovenia: for everyone

780 km | June~July 2020

Berchtesgaden

Germany | Bavaria: Berchtesgaden

164 km | September 2019

Lake Balaton, Hungary

Hungary:
Lake Balaton

244 km | September 2016

Parenzana

Slovenia | Croatia:
Parenzana

225 km | June 2015

Drau cycle path ~ Drauradweg

Drau cycle path

609 km | September 2010