The campground in Lienz was amazing. I forgotten how beautiful the campgrounds are with perfectly trimmed grass, beautiful clean bathrooms and showers with marble countertops and German fixtures. It’s such a contrast from the grotty, smelly, mostly disgusting bathrooms that you get in campgrounds in America. And the price was less than $20 for a night, and there was a nice café/restaurant just next-door. And I could just appear and get a spot. And get a beer as I checked in!
Today, my plan was to ride as far as Mallnitz, the town where I could board the train that passes through a 6-mile tunnel over to the other side of the Alps. The first part of the ride I headed east, cycling downstream.
I stopped in one of the small towns at a self service automat café, and got myself some coffee. It was amusing that you could buy cigarettes in a self-service system, and there was quite a variety! 
It’s kind of unbelievable to be in these flat, quiet, green valleys with mountains rising on both sides for such a long distance in solitude. Today, I went through a few small villages and farms, but it felt like my own private park for a good deal of it, shared with a few cyclists.
At some point, I turned northwest, changing river drainages and riding upstream towards my destination of Mallnitz. The mountains were different shape now. The jagged beauty of the Dolomites was now replaced with a more gentle profile.
As I got closer and closer to the mountains, the streams were visibly clearer.
The last 5 miles were very hard. Once I started climbing, the road grade averaged 8.5%, climbing 1620 feet in 3.5 miles. It was unrelenting. And there were cars! It’s the main road to Mallnitz.
But, I made it to the top and got into another very lovely campsite and immediately ordered a large beer to begin the rehydration process. 🙂
My neighbors are a Polish couple who also have the bicycle touring bug. Karolina has an electric bike, and Mateusz has a standard bike, leveling the playing field. They are headed south as I head north.
I had dinner at the restaurant at the campground. The food and wine were excellent and overall the service was quite good! Again, it’s such a contrast.
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