Mountains and bike

We decided to see more in one go. A road trip by car was out of the question. So we go by bike, but it would be best if it could be downhill all the time... We chose the route along the Inn River from its sources, without specifying where we wanted to go, because it was our first such trip.

7.09.2005 - Travel from Katowice to Maloja

We flew by WizzAir from Katowice to Bergamo near Milan. From there, first by local trains, to the Swiss border, and then by bus to the Maloja pass, where theInn departs. Traveling by plane required disassembling the bikes, which we packed in a rather elegant way in vinyl sheets and we made something like backpacks, attaching straps to carry them on the back. Upon arrival at the Maloja pass, we untied our packs and assembled our bikes. Unfortunately, one of them had a bent wheel - it probably "suffered" while checking in luggage at the airport. Initially, we wanted to travel 20 km to St.Moritz, to look for a service there, but unfortunately it was not possible. Near the bus stop, just below the pass, there was a campsite with a camping site. We have a tent, so we spend the first night in a tent. It was cold and wet. As it happens in the mountains in autumn... Moreover, the campsite was near a quite large lake.

Montujemy rowery	Na przełęczy Maloja	Drogowskaz Innradweg	Kemping w Maloja

8.09.2005 - Maloja - St. Moritz

The next day we go to the workshop to repair the bike, because we couldn't do anything on our own. The old man tried, but after half an hour he gave up. However, he did not take any payment from us, which I admit - honestly surprised me. We somehow rolled down to St.Moritz, having put all our luggage on the second, functional bike. In St.Moritz we go to the store, whose owner also ran a sports service. I laugh at myself when I remember trying to explain in English that something had happened to the wheel. At one point in the conversation my interlocutor used the word "felga" and I realized that I would be able to communicate faster in Silesian than in English. The repair in the store lasted about 2 hours and again nothing. I was offered an alternative: bringing in a wheel that was unusual due to the old bike, or buying a rental bike for CHF 450. From the looks of it, the bike was hardly used. I negotiated the price at CHF 420, but a special rack had to be installed, so I paid a total of CHF 450. Once again it was too late to go any further. Beautiful, second day, and only 20 km covered. The store owner arranged for us to stay overnight in a youth hostel.

Ścieżka ideał	Zamek przed St.Moritz	Skocznia olimpijska	St.Moritz

9.09.2005 - St. Moritz - Sur-En

The next day the weather was beautiful, the bikes were in good working order and we were all lucky. It turned out that although the route is described as easy, it does not mean that it is not uphill. Whenever you cross a tributary of the Inn, you must first drive uphill towards the valley from which the river flows, then cross a bridge and only then enjoy a fast and pleasant ride downhill. On the way, the beautiful town of Guarda. It was a long uphill climb, but it was worth it. I saw one of the most beautiful places, although I'm not a fan of architecture. The weather deteriorated and it started to rain. It's good that we have new brake pads, because in the rain we had to go down steep, winding roads. We found accommodation without any problems in a tourist station for cyclists. Everything was wet. We were given a room in the boiler room to dry our things. Is great!

Z okna schr.młodzieżowego	Ranek w St.Moritz	Na trasie za St.Moritz
Most kolejowy	Zernez	Typowy mostek	W kierunku Guarda
Odpoczynek	Śliczne miasteczko Guarda
Śliczne miasteczko Guarda		Miasteczko Bos-cha

10.09.2005 - Sur-En - Motz

It's still raining. We go along a road to the border with Austria for a certain distance, then again on bicycle paths. On the way, the larger town is Landeck. The route becomes quite tiring for us novices. It was supposed to be downhill, but in each side valley you first have to go deeper into the valley to cross a bridge with a tributary, and only then go back down the hill to the Inn. In the evening we look for accommodation in the small town Motz. It was Sunday, we stopped in front of the church. There it was immediately realized that we are looking for accommodation. A nice lady gave me the address and showed me the direction, saying that her husband was at home, so we could settle in. I didn't really remember the name of the street, but I quickly found the number. I knock, a surprised man comes out and declares that he doesn't have any accommodations and, by the way, he doesn't have a wife either. So it was a mistake... We drove a few more streets, which (fortunately) did not have a given number, so that we could finally find the right one and make it to Sunday mass.

Tu nocowaliśmy	Mglisty poranek	Piękne stare zabudowania gospodarskie
Przed granicą ...	i już po Austriackiej stronie	Zamek w Ried	Landeck
Warownia nad doliną	Kolorowy pociąg	Studnia, figurka - ślicznie	Sprzedawca melonów
Wjeżdżamy w głąb doliny Oetztal		Szopa - słup ogłoszeniowy	Góry nad Motz

11.09.2005 - Motz - Brixlegg

Around noon we reach the capital of Tyrol - Innsbruck. We visit the old town. Almost like in Krakow, but our Krakow is more beautiful. The famousGoldendach, which is said to be the city's greatest attraction, is an ordinary tenement house with a covered balcony, but the roof is said to be made of gold. Behind Innsbruck, the Inn valley is already wide, the mountains on the left and right are quite far away, so the road is relatively flat. In Wattens we visit the Swarovski crystal museum. For the first time we have problems with accommodation. We started looking for him a little too late. The town of Brixlegg, there is no sign "Zimmer frei" anywhere. We approach a large hotel – closed. We had been driving around the town from bottom to top, right and left, for about an hour in the dark, and nothing... Finally, we knocked on the door to the hotel in the city center. There are places, but how much do they cost? It wasn't that bad at all - 60 euros for a double room with breakfast.

Poranek w Motz	Piękność we mgle	Goldendach	Pałac cesarski
Uliczka starego miasta	Orkiestra na Goldendach	Wioska olimpijska	Drewniany mostek
Muzeum kryształów	Uprząż dla sułtana	Wielki kryształ górski	Tego byczka można kupić

12.09.2005 - Brixlegg - Kuffstein

Today we're going home. We decide to drive only another 30 km to Kuffstein on the border with Germany. Along the way, we observe the effects of the flood - traces of mud on trees, crops and buildings. Finally, Kuffstein. We return to Vienna by train. Then we take the bikes apart. Our place of work was the tram stop in front of the station. It was definitely not a pretty sight. Even an old lady expressed her outrage and mentioned something about the police. Then we had to take a tram to another train station, from which trains to Poland depart. We returned on the Chopin. The conductor wasn't very happy to see our bundles either. He said that we had to make arrangements with the passengers in our assigned compartment. Fortunately, one of them was drunk and didn't care, and the other one moved to another compartment. It should be noted that there was nowhere to put our bikes, but eventually we managed to place them lying down on the bunks of the couchette. Polish railways are far from Austrian railways, where almost every train (regardless of its type and route) has special compartments for bicycles or even a separate wagon adapted to transport them under the supervision of the owners.

Hotel w Brixlegg	Ślady powodzi		Jak w Bawarii
W oddali Kuffstein	Krzyż przydrożny	Naprawy po powodzi	Zamek w Kuffstein