Pictures of the Austrian Alps

I took a 9-day solo cycling trip through the Austrian Alps in the summer of 2004. It was a wonderful adventure and quite near the limit of what I was able to do at the time, both in terms of physical conditioning and international travel experience. I got around okay with my German, though I didn't speak terribly well and the Austrians have a different accent anyway. The Alps are magnificent mountains with well-developed infrastructure. I would do the trip again in a heartbeat. To get there from Kiev, Ukraine, I took the train to Budapest, Hungary and then transferred to a train that went to Graz, Austria (birthplace of Arnold Schwarzenegger). From there I took bike trails and roads up the Muhr River valley and finally ended up next to the highest peak in Austria - Grossglockner. Then I road down to Salzburg and took the train back to Budapest, then to Kiev. I apologize for the poor photos. I was using a terrible camera at the time.

Getting on the train to Budapest in Kiev, Ukraine.

Budapest in the evening.

Resting in one of Austria's small, bike-friendly towns along the way.

Austrian town.

Homes in the countryside are invariably well-kept with flowers on the balconies and around the house.

Leaving a mountain hikers' refuge. I was the only one on bike.

Headwaters of the Muhr River

Beautiful mountain scene.

Heiligenblut village, supposedly the most photographed village in the Alps.

Pasterze glacier, longest in Austria (and retreating steadily).

I dropped my bike and took a short walk at the bottom of one of the glaciers.

Grossglockner, highest peak in the Austrian Alps (3800 m).

On top of Fuscherkarkopf -- the highest ice-free summit in the area.

YESSSS!

View from summit.

View towards extensive glaciers.

Grossglockner.

Pasterze the next morning, with Grossglockner.

Highway construction in the Alps is amazing.

After a long and wonderful descent.

Closer to Salzburg. Limestone peaks?

Salzburg, birthplace of Mozart and a city of music and learning.

Two hogs.

Innards of cathedral.

Vast church.

Narrow street of central Salzburg.

Mountains are nearby, and accessible by tram. On the way down I entered this ice cave. Over tens of thousands of years snow and water had seeped into the channels of the cave and frozen solid, creating strange formations far from the entrance.