The waitress raised her eyebrows when Sheala commented that we were biking to Lake Anchensee after lunch. “Today? By bike?” She inquired. That was my first clue that I had been a bit misled. (Shea-perbole works in two ways… either over or under exaggeration)
Back to the beginning of the day. Our overnight train from Budapest deposited us in the central train station in Innsbruck at 4:23am. Not quite overnight and way too early to take our boisterous trio through the silent streets. We had to kill an hour, dodging security and eating cake muffins, before we made the 1 mile trek to our Airbnb.
While Paul and I snoozed, Sheala set her alarm for 8am and headed into town to find ebikes to rent. She had us at the rental shop by 10 and on the road by 10:30. My understanding of the day was a 20 mile bike ride to the base of the road to the lake, then 30 minutes up to the lake, looping back for our return. Although our day ended up including over 80 miles, and approximately 4500 feet of climb, it was a priceless, not to be missed, adventure.
Rather than follow the easy (flat) route along the river, we ventured into the hills and pedaled through villages along the way. A scenic lunch at a cafe/pension in Gnadenwald (which included the waitress mentioned above) was a lovely start. While trying to stay in the hilly region, the roads were getting a bit narrow so we headed down to the river path and toward Jenbach. At this point, we pedaled pretty much straight up to Lake Achensee. (At this time, let’s pause and thank whoever invented ebikes.) Our batteries were nearing empty, so we ate enough dessert that the restaurant allowed us to charge our bikes before the 35 mile bike ride back to Innsbruck. The sun was setting behind the mountain as we hit the outskirts of Innsbruck and almost dark by the time Paul and Sheala carried all three bikes up to our second floor lodging.
We did all manage to shower before falling into bed, not sure what the next day would bring. Here we go!
sara and sheala's adventure 