This morning as we left the guesthouse we were suddenly in amongst a steady stream of bikes and cars as we made our way towards the mountain passes to take us over into Austria.
We travelled for an hour and a half alongside mile upon mile of apple orchards. There were apples of all colours from yellows to greens, reds to deep purples, so many more varieties than are on offer in U.K. supermarkets and the scent of the apples as they were being harvested reminded me of the Green Apple shampoo that was all the rage in the 1970's!
The pass through the mountains was steady snaking road in the valley very picturesque, looking behind us we could see a glacier with ribbons of snow and ice melting down the mountain side.
The views and vistas were just incredible all the way through. Moving from the orchards, to farmers making hay, to the scent of the pine forests was just fantastic. Feeling the heat of the day and radiating from the road surface, coupled with the coolness from the glacier streams all added to the experience of the ride.
Arriving in St Anton, we were amazed how much we remembered and recognised. Colin met up with his friend Mike who he has know for many years, Mike was saying how poor the snow had been here over the last few years, same as in France, so perhaps he might be tempted to the Dolomites instead!