May 18^th 2021

Triesen, Lichtenstein – Braz, Austria

Miles: 60

Miles total: 370

Camping in Lichtenstein is not that different then in Switzerland ;-). Today we had two visits planned. First Esthi, an old friend that I know back from Costa Rica, then Peter the coffee-guru from Lichtenstein. There we filled up our coffee stock and picked up a package which arrived by express from Maryse’s parents. Contents: Credit cards, spare covers for the water tank and wool to start knitting J.

Then the border crossing to Austria. Thanks to Covid, it was as exciting and adventures as in Africa. Are we gonna make it or not? Is something unpredictable happening? Besides the missing official Covid-travel-test we didn’t even pre-register to enter Austria. Besides that, the quarantine requirement for Austria is being obsolete the next day. So, all excited and nervous we crawled toward the border.. And check this out, Not one single person was visible at all!!

Hello Austria J.

Now we wanted to know it, where is some snow left in the middle of May? So, up to 5900feet (1800m) altitude across the Arlberg pass. And we ended in deep winter.

Then back down to somewhat warmer areas. Since everything touristy is still closed in Austria, we put up our camp for the night at a parking lot of a closed campground with a bit of a bad feeling.       

19.5.2021

Braz – Innsbruck, Austria

Miles: 80

Miles total: 450

As a typical Swiss citizen, we didn’t just take off, we went to the now open reception to pay something for the parking. Even though we didn’t use any toilet or other installations, we felt bad to just leave. Unfortunately, was this not the best idea… The campground owner explained us, that the police was driving around in the night and that this action could have cost him 30’000$ (Due to Covid was everything closed that night). Therefor we had to leave our names, ID number and phone number in case the police is asking.

A head shorter we continued to Innsbruck where we found close to the city a nice campground with a restaurant. We were already looking forward to finally eat something yummy in a restaurant. At the entrance, they explained us the 3G rule in Austria. Well, we figured Austria has 5G J then we realized that 3G were the new Covid regulations. To be able to enter a restaurant, you have to be vaccinated (Geimpft), recovered (Genesen) or tested (Getested). The tests must be less than 72 hours old. So, if you wanna visit regularly restaurants, you gotta be tested every 3 days! Disappointed we let the visit be, and got a delicious Pizza to go and ate it in the “Restaurant Iveco” with a glass of red wine. In the afternoon we took public transport to go to the city to do some shopping and walking through the old town until it started again to poor rain down. 

May 20^th 2021

Innsbruck – Gosau, Austria

Miles: 170

Miles total: 620

Project 1: Filling up LPG gas tank. Petrol station 1, that apparently has LPG didn’t work. On the Internet we discovered another gas station where it worked (thanks to our new purchased filling adapters) and we could fill up our tank, so we are covered for cooking for the coming weeks. Thanks to some nice valleys, mountains and landscapes was the far ride passing quite quickly. At lunch we enjoyed a delicious burger and fries in a tiny ski mountain village.

Thanks to the 3G rule again in the “Restaurant Iveco”. But at least cost the burgers only 22$ instead of 34$ J. When we arrived at a nice campground, we realized that the 3G rule (Vax, recovered, tested) was also applicable here! For us a bit absurd when looking at the completely empty campground. The friendly owner of the place offered us a quick test, but since this would only have been valid for 1 day, we let it be and continued. After some longer search for a parking lot we got rewarded with a parking lot at a very beautiful area at the Gosau-lake at 3050feet in the middle of the mountains.

Thanks to our autonomy camper we didn’t miss anything. LPG, water, toilet, electricity, everything always with us.

May 21^st 2021

Gosau, Austria

Miles: 0

Miles total: 620

Believe it or not! SUNSHINE! And therefore our first hike over 8 miles to the 2^nd Gosau lake. This was the first day since the start of our travel where we didn’t have anything else to do or to drive. The wildlife that we have seen was reduced to 3 mice and 2 squirrels.

May 22^nd 2021

Gosau – Blindenmarkt, Austria

Miles: 130

Miles total: 750

Slowly we cruised through the beautiful upper Austrian part and made a short stop in the touristy place of Bad Ischl. Early afternoon we ended up at some old friends from work, in the middle of the forest high up above the lake Traun. After 5 minutes we had a glass of cider and some prune liquor as well as a plate of delicious spaghettis in front of us J. After the visit we continued along Linz until we stopped for the night about 70 miles before Vienna. 

May 23^rd 2021

Blindenmarkt – Vienna, Austria

Miles: 70

Miles Total: 820

The beginning in Vienna was a mix between end time feeling, bad science-fiction movie and depression. During rainy weather we arrived a crappy, chaotic, dirty campground full of strange and partially drunk guests! Mainly “all-year” working families with their big trailers are living here.

Shortly after we landed at the Covid test area due to the 3G rule. There it was an almost scary mass processing of hundreds of people, and that scene could have easily been out of a bad end time movie from the 90’s. Waiting in line, scan QR code and show ID to a man in an overall suite, stick the thing in your nose, wait 15 minutes in a hall, show the test and go out.

But afterwards, Vienna got better :-).

May 24^th – 27^th 2021

Vienna, Austria

On our sightseeing tours we covered the regular places like the Dom of Stephan or Prater, and we also went to some, for us interesting, museums; the house of music and the Hundertwasser museum.

The weather was mainly crappy and rainy, so that we still had to use our winter bonnet. Vienna would actually be very beautiful and exciting, but we were still not that motivated for a huge city and we do miss nature.

We were finally allowed into restaurants thanks to the first, and later a second Covid-test.