Another Bank Holiday or a Wasted Journey to Worthersee.

GRAZ.

Our water supply is cordoned off by the local council worker who is relaying the footpath around it. Rosie sweettalks him into lifting the tapes which he seems pleased to do (anything to break the monotony!).

Off to Austria via the motorway. We have to pay for the final stretch through a tunnel under the mountains. We're heading for Worthersee, a lake 20 miles into Austria. The problems start as we approach the south west corner. Police everywhere and crowds lining the streets. Stuck in traffic a couple of times before a Marshall explains that there is a classic car event for Audi, VW & other German cars. Cars from all around Europe are attending. The bad news is that we'll have to pay 30 euro just to enter the village we want to stay at. Naturally we turn around. However, our next option takes us on a motorway and we don't have a vignette. Sit nervously in a crowded Spar car park while Rosie goes to find one.

Klagenfurt is our next try. The services on route charge us 50 cents to use the toilets. The car park is in an industrial part of town so we drive on. We end up outside the local stadium. It hosted the cup final yesterday ago. Enjoy lunch in the sun and go for a little walk. There are lots of people about for a Thursday at 3 in the afternoon.

We decide to head for a campsite in Graz. 90 miles on a quiet motorway. The site manager explains that it is a bank holiday today. A little research discovers that it is Ascension Thursday. The Austrians appear quite holy, they have holidays at Christmas, Easter and Whit as well. 15 holidays each year, it seems worth it to be religious. The site is next to a very nice water park but, regular readers will know what's coming next, It's closed until a week on Saturday.