Carinthia – Styria – South Tyrol

Our original group of 5 people headed for Styria towards Graz.
The final destination should be Vienna. You understand the Viennese insult. We went along Lake Ossiach towards Klagenfurt and from there into Styria. On the way there we stopped at Zorka. A good friend who warmly welcomed us with coffee, cake and delicious rolls. Thank you again Zorka. See you soon.

We continued via Deutschlandsberg towards Leibnitz and so we drove through the well-known and beautiful wine plains to our next overnight accommodation.

Before we drove to our destination, we first had to satisfy our hunger.
Manne always becomes a diva if he doesn't get something between the gills in time. A Road King like that demands a lot from the driver. In the nice town of Leibnitz we found a great Pizzeria Milano right in the center on Bahnhofstrasse with a terrace right next to the action.
Here too we were served very friendly. We were finally able to satisfy our hunger. All dishes were delicious here too.

Well-fed, we hopped on our machines and disappeared into the night for our accommodation.
The next day we decided Graz .
On the way there we passed cute towns where life pulsated like a folk festival. Wine bars were open and visitors seemed refreshed. Yes, everything was still pretty relaxed in Styria. Graz's Schlossberg towers above the city and impresses from afar. Graz is a city worth seeing with charming streets and buildings. The city center with endless shops leaves nothing to be desired. After climbing the Schlossberg, we enjoyed the wonderful view over the roofs of Graz and the Mur that winds its way through Graz.

On the way back we stopped at the Pechmanns old oil mill with Herbert and his great team in Deutsch Goritz.
Such an awesome location. Wow! You should definitely stop by there. The next day we went to the legendary

Route 69. Through beautiful landscapes over passes and past Lake Soboth.
Up here at the lake at Didi's See Café we had a cappuccino before heading back on our bikes. Our plan “C” turned out to be not the worst choice.

The area is just great. At some point we passed a magical station. We had to make a stop here. Peter Fonda and Denis Hopper would definitely have stopped here and treated themselves to a whiskey. Such an awesome location Route 69 . The location was named after the name of the street, which was kind of logical. A cool road station for bikers with overnight accommodation and a shop with biker equipment.

A large veranda in American style probably corresponds to Clint Eastwood's ideas.
Here the cool cowboy could have inspected everyone approaching while enjoying his cigar. Route 69 with its 73.9km stretches from Pfarrdorf in Carinthia to Styria past the Soboth reservoir to Ehrenhausen, Vogau. The route is partly similar to the Black Forest. Due to time constraints, we decided not to go to Vienna again. So the next day we continued to South Tyrol.

Departure for South Tyrol past Lake Sonnegger .
After two wonderful days in Obervogau in the Hotel Da Südsteirer with Styrian humor, our journey continued along Route 69 towards Klagenfurt in South Tyrol.
Turning onto the 80er and then over the Drau onto the 81er, our route ran through beautiful Styria back to Carinthia past the Sonnegger See. The shimmering green Sonnegger Lake attracted us like a magnet, so we had to stop here and treat ourselves to a rest for 2 hours. At the end of the 81 we went briefly onto the 82, where we then turned onto the 85 and continued along Wildenstein past the Ferlach reservoir towards Finkenstein. At Arnoldstein we took the 111 to Hermagor to our next headquarters in the inn at the end of the day, where we checked in for two days.

The friendly innkeeper, chef and biker Hannes from the inn at the end of the day and his pretty wife run the shop under the watchful eye of mom. The staff serves fresh food from the region. Delicious food and delicious beer entice you to linger in the cozy beer garden. Hannes is also an artist and creates pictures with wooden inlays.
About an hour's walk from here, past a beautiful reed, the hiking trail leads to Lake Presseger with its lido. The following day we decided to go on a trip to the nearby Weißensee .

First we went through the Gitschtal, a beautiful route with great impressions. We parked our machines there and set off around the lake on foot. There we came across an old watermill in the middle of the forest. We had to stretch our legs in and then have a beer. We shortened the whole thing with a boat crossing. Of course, swimming wasn't neglected here either. My sweetie is a water rat.

On Tuesday our journey continued along the 111 towards Brixen to Vahrn to the last headquarters at Hans.
A short stopover at the Maria Luggau with a short visit to old church art and a coffee at the kiosk right at the entrance to Antonia were definitely included in our trip.

On the 111 along the so-called Gailtal Road, we then went from Carinthia to the SS49 to South Tyrol. In Toblach we turned onto the SS51. In Schluderbach we took the SS48 (Trentino South Tyrol) and then the SP49 (Veneto) to Lago Di Misurina where we stopped. On a terrace on the bank we enjoyed a cappuccino with tiramisu, pizza, salad and whatever the hungry gang ate after such a trip. Manne was of course excited again and couldn't wait to satisfy his hunger.

We then went over the Misurina Pass from the SP49 to the SR48 past Monte Cristallo to Cortina de Pezzo . We took the SP 48 on the SS224 towards Brixen to Vahrn. There are countless roads that we would have liked to drive, but you have to reach your destination at some point. After our arrival in Vahrn at Hans' guesthouse, we first went looking for something to drink. After a day trip like this, the biker needs a hop tea. There should be no shortage of Stiegl, Gösser or Budweiser. Women are more into red, white or rose grape juice. Should also be healthy. Just not confused.

The following 4 days we drove to different places like Bolzano with a little visit to the Harley shop under the guidance of Melita. But you wait in vain for a coffee here. It's just not a K & M storage roof. The most famous Harley shop in Germany. After a short stay in Bolzano, we visited the beautiful old town of Klausen .

Other excursion destinations in the coming days were Sankt Ulrich , Wolkenstein , via the LS24 via Kastelruth to Compatsch to the Seiser Alm and back. We also took a day hiking in the Puez-Odle National Park After a nice tour, we parked our machines and walked along the Adolf Munkel Weg to Gschnagenhardt or Malga Casnago . We then went back to the headquarters through the beautiful Villnöstal.

Today Hans took us with his great German Shepherd Max to his own Alpine pasture. We spent the whole day together on the Zirmait Alpe in the wonderful sunshine. There was too much hop tea and delicious food that the Alpe landlady had conjured up to be consumed. In between there was also a pine schnapps. Oh dear! After a beautiful sunset we returned to our accommodation unscathed.

When we reached the bottom, we noticed that we were being followed.
We noticed two green ones. It was the Gössers who were hiding in the fridge. Manne crept up carefully, tore open the door and I grabbed the two scoundrels. In no time we were doing all of them. Thank you Hans for the lovely stay and your hospitality.

Unfortunately, on Saturday we started our journey home again. It was with heavy hearts that we said goodbye to Hans and his loving mother. Our route led over the Brenner, then over the Kühtai - Pass at home.
We made three more stops on the way. At the Gasthof Bergland for delicious Kaiserschmarren.
Caution is advised on this route.
Wild horses can sometimes be on the street. No joke! We then stopped in American Style at Oilers 69 which is directly on the 171. Our last stop was our host on the Arlberg Pass in Valfagehr . Here in the cozy little room you can always get something small and delicious to eat and a coffee.

Yes, everything turned out differently than expected, but even with plan “C” we had a great experience with lots of impressions and nice people we met. This time the weather was also on our side for a full 14 days.

We wish all bikers a great and accident-free 2021 season.

See You to the next Europeen Bikeweek in Faak 2021

Spyro and Friends