We took advantage of the great showers and laundry room at Wien West before we had to check out at noon. At around 11:30, I paid the 48 Euro for the two nights, got in the van, ready to leave for Salzburg and then it happened for the second time on this trip...that annoying, constant beeping sound coming from Gracie's control panel. Well, to make a long story short, it took four Dutch, two Italians and two Canadians to finally figure out that the step, which we put out on the side of the van, at the push of a button, was not all the way in. I knew it had to be something simple because no warning lights came on. Although it was not funny at the time, in hindsight it was quite hilarious. Trying to communicate that we already knew it was not the oil was difficult. Each person who tried to help us checked the oil! It was the Italian Dr. who finally saw that the step was out just a little bit too far. He spoke no English and so I had to talk to him though his wife who knew a little English. One of the men from Amsterdam, also spoke no English, but his wife was fluent. It must have been quite a sight for anyone passing by.
When we finally hit the road we headed for Salzburg. The Austrian autobahn is very efficient with three lanes in each direction and an additional exit lane when necessary. This allows for everyone who wants to pass, to get by safely. I used all of Gracie's gears today, including sixth!
At Milk we left the austrolade to follow a scenic route along the Danube for about fifty kilometers. We stopped a couple of times to take pictures and watch the shipping traffic going up and down the river. There were lots of cruise vessels and one very long, low tanker. I also stopped when I saw a small yacht club, just to take a look.
We made great time when we got back on the austrolade and arrived in Salzburg a
t around 4:45. We checked in at Panorama Camping (the name sure suits as it overlooks the city of Salzburg), had a bite to eat, got a map, directions to the bus stop and headed to Centrum (the centre of the city). We have found that an early evening visit to the centre of a city to get our bearings and check out the buses makes it so easy to see all that we want to see the next day.
We strolled around for a bit, got our bearings, treated ourselves to a gellato and found our way to the funicular that took us to the top of the city and Hohensalzburg Fortress, an imposing castle that looms over the city. The castle, built between 1077 and 1681 was never attacked. It is Europe's largest completely preserved castle. As we walked around the castle walls I tried to imagine what life must have been like there centuries ago.
The bells in the church tower rang to tell us it was eight o'clock, and so we decided to head back to the campground. The efficient bus service had us back within the hour.
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