We are a bit behind with our posts, but we did arrive in Slovenia on May 8th and headed for the capital, which Nigel had  visited some years previously on business. We stayed in a charming boutique hotel in the old town, the temperature soared to mid 20’s c, and we spent a fantastic afternoon discovering the delights of this small, charming, characterful capital city.

It is very cafe chic, bohemian, unspoilt and perfect for a romantic weekend stay..we took the funicular railway to the castle ramparts for the veiws, but otherwise spent our time cruising  the streets alongside the river. It was leafy, cobbled and very pretty – we felt very chilled enjoying a glass of wine and watching the world go by, and what an eclectic mix that was! Do go and visit before it gets too spoiled.

The Sunbeam factory is located North of Salzburg at Matsee, which is an impossibly pretty Austrian village on a lake which appears to be populated entirely by ducks and Sunbeams.  Factory visit was interesting to see where the craftsmanship and attention to detail make Sunbeam stand out.  Pleased to hear that the new 42.1 is selling well and we are certainly tempted as it is a very nice boat and well thought out.  Gunter and Gerhard most helpful.

We made the right decision to take the funicular railway up to the high point of the castle first thing whilst the sun was shining and the sky was blue and we were rewarded with stunning views of mountains to the north, east and south and the rooftops of the city to the west. The castle, home in centuries past to a succession of ruling bishops, was a stunning reminder of the former power of the church.  Of course in those days it was the government as well and behaved in much the same way as present “democratic” governments with the dispensing of patronage, waging of wars of principle and raising ever higher taxes on the population to undertake amongst other things vanity projects.

Weather quickly reverted to normal and the clouds rolled in and the wind came up.  Time to go back down to the city and find a nice warm, dry museum or two.  Visited the famous Salzburg museum where the history of the city and the myth of Salzburg are explained in great detail.  From there we repaired to the Irish Bar for lunch and shelter from the rain.  For the record the Guinness isn’t bad.

Quick tour of the Residence Museum and saturation Mozart at his house followed.  On the way booked for boat trip but by the time we had worked through most of the Mozart sonatas it was p***ing down.  Ran to boat, got drenched.  River was flowing at least 10 knots so an interesting trip but at least dry in the boat.

What a difference a day makes! We were woken by the torrential rain and it was not about to let up and with the rain came a significant temperature drop. We wanted to stay in bed but Salzburg was beckoning.

Fiona had trouble with the first part of our journey  as it involved a ferry crossing right across the middle of Lake Konstanz. This would save us many miles circumnavigating the lake and ended up being a highly efficient and low cost experience. To travel this distance, a little further than crossing the Solent from Portsmouth to Ryde,  the cost was less than £7 with the car!  Oh! for nationalised transport systems, keeping communities connected.

It was pretty well all motorway via Munich to Salzburg and the German motorway experience was something else.  No speed limit, no services and very little spray free tarmac. The outside lane was like a firing range with cars, like bullets, racing past in a blur of spray. The rest stops, which consisted of just a layby, were frequent, had no loos, just a line of trees that substituted for loos, and were therefore very unsavoury to walk near.

The rain did relent just as we approached Salzburg, thank goodness. The unfolding Austrian countryside was picture book stuff with the snow capped mountains encircling undulating green fields and budding woods.  So here we are for a 3 night stay. We won’t be sorry to leave the car for a couple of days and just hope the thunderstorms and rain forecast will hold off for a couple of days.

Fiona excelled herself and we have made her a permanent member of the team, but only on the understanding that her proposals are vetted before we set off and she does a bit more training with postcodes, not her strength, but we can’t be good at everything. She usually puts forward three options for the overall route and it is vital to check up on her choosing the option we want. With this new understanding, we are all very happy.

It was just a three hour drive today, on motorways. crossing into Switzerland, skirting around Zurich, crossing into Germany and heading up to Lake Konstanz. With temperatures now creeping up to 20 C, it is all very civilised, and the blue sky, puffy white clouds, glassy lake flanked with snow clad mountains and sporting a few sailing yachts was indeed a sight to behold.

We walked round the lake to the old town of Konstanz and admired stunning architecture from a range of periods 1500 onwards but with the magnificent buildings of circa 1900 dominating the skyline.

We have found another treasure of a place to stay. Waldhaus Jakob stands overlooking the lake and is full of character.+49 7531 8100 or look it up on http://www.waldhaus-jakob.de