Postcard from Bad Hofgastein in October

Like a coin the valley has two sides.

One side of the valley faces North East and has all the skiing. The mountain restaurants on that side are now closed and the lifts are taking a rest until December. The other South West facing side is more for the walkers and has some excellent cafes dotted around, all with sun terraces. You are never too far from an apple strudel!

The sun drops behind the mountain soon after 3pm if you are down in the valley. When it hides it's just like the fridge door has been opened. The light's on but theres a cool blast of air.

Up the South West hill there's an extra hour of solar warmth.

School time is definitely rush hour. They start at eight in the morning and the streets are swarming with older kids on bikes and the younger kids carrying multi-coloured back-packs. Don't see any parental school runs and less Chelsea tractors than you see at home which is bizarre when you consider the relative terrains. The kids seem quite happy jumping off the buses from the local farms and hamlets. Much of the town is pedestrianised so morning trips to get fresh bread can be a bit hazardous as they tend to swarm in groups across the streets. Good excuse for going out later!

There is a big tourism college in town, students come from all over the region. Tourism is a major industry and working in a hotel or in catering is seen as a proper job and people get trained. They seem a happy, lively lot anyway.

As for the weather, its been a lot brighter of late and good for cycling. No problem staying warm on the ascents but need to wrap up for the downhill. It takes so long getting to the top of the hill but then a fraction of the time to get to the bottom even with the brakes on. Did my own personal Mont Ventoux, not nearly as steep or as long as the real thing, only up to 1200m, but a regular challenge as its a climb all the way.

Bad Hofgastein beat local rivals Radstadt 6 – 2 so that was good. Football looks to be a decent standard and is played on Astroturf. A crowd of about 100 saw the match from the touchline, no stands yet.