Spyros tour to Lake Faaker See 2020 - Part 1
A guest post from Spyro, who was out with his friends in September 2020. He's happy to share his great tour report with us again.
Originally our trip this year would have been with the Harleys along the Code d'azur, across the Pyrenees, but everything turned out differently.
PLAN “C”
There were:
Carmen my sweetheart with her Harley Davidson Street Bob 103 cubic inch
Manne & Tina with her Harley Davidson Road King EVO 88 cubic inch, from Fulda Melita on her Triumpf Bonneville 1200m³ and me with my Harley Davidson Slim 103 cubic inch. Our cameraman Tina was responsible for taking photos during the trip.
Our original plan “A” for the Code d'azur has vanished into thin air.
Plan “B” Slovenia, Croatia along the Mediterranean should not be either.
So plan “C” had to be used and we hoped our plan would work.
At 10 a.m. we started our machines and set off in brilliant weather. We made our first stop of the day in Matrei Afterwards we went straight to the table. Here the boss cooks personally and it always tastes delicious. The next day we checked the situation at breakfast and drove towards Lake Faak. Fortunately, Austria was still not affected by the pandemic. There was a coffee break in the hospital.
in Ledenitzen Faak , we met again with our friends Jule and Michael. This was first celebrated with a beer. Brauni and Blacky, the two alpacas, were also there. Later, Massa Warna arrived from Fulda accompanied by Diana and Sven.
Finally everyone in one place again.
We enjoyed the evening together with delicious beers and lots of conversation. The next day there was a super awesome breakfast buffet where we planned our new day. Since it was raining on that day, we agreed to take a stroll through the town of Villach . We took the train into the city. Here in Villach there were already more people out and about so we wandered around the town, looked at one thing and another and enjoyed our coffee with a piece of Carinthian cake under large umbrellas when it was raining.
On the way back we got off in Faak and walked the last km.
We wanted to see who had come. Where else, since the beginning of the Europeen Bike Week in 1998, there have been tons of Harleys standing along the side of the road, countless bikers thundering around Lake Faaker See, thousands of visitors cavorting, dealers offering their stuff, food stalls offering plenty of food and hot bands doing their best to create a great atmosphere for visitors with great music, the streets around Lake Faaker See were completely empty this year. We perceived the emptiness as sobering and disappointing. Like a bad cowboy movie.
It was just grueling. On the second day we spotted a few bikers and gradually more and more arrived. Some restaurants along the streets slowly opened their doors in the hope of getting a full house.
The event tent was already up at Arneitz
Towards the afternoon, more and more bikers arrived and breathed some life into the doomed center.
You got a beer and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the biker scene. At this point I would like to briefly thank the Austrian restaurateurs for their loyalty to us bikers. Also the people from Carinthia, who always make us bikers feel welcome with their gestures.
The nightlife in Arneitz started slowly.
DJ-Unknown inspired the atmosphere with rocking sound and breathed life into the meeting. Of course there were also small highlights, bikers who presented their great machines and others who let their V8 monsters howl.
Only a 10 cylinder could top this Chevrolet engine in a moped frame.
Apart from the huge impression of a monster, such bikes are rarely seen on the street in everyday life or not at all.
But they create a powerful impression when they are presented. We noticed a cool Harley from Holland between the parked machines.
Delicious, delicious sex machine. The license plate was no ordinary yellow metal license plate. The license plate was painted on the fender and looked real. During the evening we also got to know the Long Rider. Ernst an unusual name for a Dutchman. You would expect a Frederic, Knut, Knulla, Daan or Stödebeker ne, jou ne, but not serious.
Well, the big, cool guy from Holland named Ernst turned out to be a likeable guy. We spent a great evening together with delicious beer and pizza.
Ernst and his companion Ghost Rider joined us for the next few days and so we went on a few trips together during the bike week. Our group grew from the original 4 machines to 9 machines.
In Anderwald there was a program with guitar and singing . Some line dance ladies from the audience celebrated their passionate dance performances. Johannes and his team made every effort to do justice to this year's guests.
This year there were not only bikers at the campsite, but also many campers who normally roam around other places in the world with their camping equipment. But not with Corona. Care was taken to ensure that people showed mutual understanding for each other.
The Anderwald team mastered this with flying colors and deserved a thank you.
Hannes will see you next year.
The next day we took a tour to Lake Millstätter See and then continued on the beautiful Malta High Alpine Road to the Kölnbrein reservoir near Ankogel. On the way there we had to make a small stop.
Manne's Old Lady suddenly stopped starting. Old age? No fuel? Regulator? Shit, we thought. This thing isn't going to throw a wrench in our plans. Did the Old Lady have to be towed away in the end? We found ourselves on a narrow road in the hinterland in the middle of a beautiful valley and got off our machines again.
Manne undressed his Old Lady in front of us.
Oh, that was exciting. After dismantling the seat and the side pockets, Manne first checked all cables and plugs. My sweetheart gave me the tip to check the fuses; she had read that in the ADAC. Manne the electrical guru rolled his eyes and didn't show anything. And the culprit was promptly found.
A blown fuse.
Bingo. After replacing the fuse, we were able to continue our journey.
It was on beautiful roads through a beautiful area until just before the pass. There were a few machines there. I thought shit, nothing happened?! However, there was a traffic light further ahead.
After the light changed, around 30 bikers started their bikes and off they went up the pass with an awesome moped sound. At some point you will see the giant massif of the dam towering into the sky from below. Once at the top you can see the enormous size of the Kölnbrein reservoir. The Stau Lake glows green and impresses every visitor.
In the middle of the hugely wide dam wall there is a walkable platform with a grid and glass floor on which you can experience the dam wall and the ground under your feet from a different perspective. After this impressive stay, we went back down to the Gmünder Hütte to stop off. They probably have some of the best steaks and Viennese schnitzel here. Yummy!
Day after we went to Lake Wörth in Velden.
There you could meet a few more bikers and there were various stands that offered their biker accessories in a small circle.
There was already more going on here. A pair of customizers also showed off their bike creations. One station further, i.e. in Klagenfurt, there was a small event for us bikers in the Motodrom.
There, too, a three-piece band gave their best.
In the evening we met again in the Arneitz and joined the hustle and bustle.
Towards the end of the Europeen Bikeweek we parted ways and our group set off for the next stage. Guys, we hope to see you again next year! With and without Corona.
Spyro and Friends
In the second part the tour continues from Carinthia to Styria and South Tyrol.
Good for you, list is really great too.
I'm certainly not a pantser, but with distance etc. there wasn't much to do. We all want more normality again, but that's definitely not how we'll get it.
Then let's hope for this year, maybe it will officially work without the greatest possible distance and without a mask and hopefully all of you will still be there.
Greetings Hermann