Planning my route over the Alps at a campsite at Pfarrwerfen

Sunday

09:43: I treated myself to a lie-in this morning, snug in the sleeping bag and bivvy until 08:40. I was surprised how long I managed to sleep. The foam earplugs have now become standard night wear for me. I’m astonished at how noisy we’ve made our outdoor environment. Almost all day yesterday I had the earplugs in as well during the walk up the river valley. The road I was on was a fast, noisy one — and it’s not even the Autobahn, which comes into the same valley after it opens out.

Now I’m sitting in the 16-sided café on the grounds of the campsite. I’m about to cook a porridge breakfast. I’m the only person here. The place is only staffed from 15:00, I think. I also need to find out if they have a washing machine here. I had to put on clean jocks and t-shirt this morning, but at this stage after hand-washes and drying in damp weather, these items don’t smell the freshest either. Still, it’s about keeping my skin healthy as it is about feeling like I’m wearing clean clothes. I’m definitely getting accustomed to the hardships of washing in a coin-operated shower booth (six minutes max), drying myself inadequately with the micro-fibre towel¹ and putting my feet into fresh socks (probably the most consistently fresh clothing I have) despite having dried myself standing on iffy damp tiles where other people’s feet have been. I’ve contracted and cured one dose of athlete’s foot already.

Alright, time to make breakfast.

12:27: I’ve pencilled in my entire route, as suggested by Gert, all the way into Slovenia. Not many official campsites.

15:50:51

16:10: OK, I have wild camping and AirBnB options. Just need to make sure I have enough food in my bag each day. If I have to survive on chocolate, I will.

At 15:00, the hostess opened the 16-sided café while I was eating a late lunch of scallions and Camembert. She made a huge fuss about the smell of the scallions, opening every door and window in the place. I’m going to settle down for a nice read now. I’ll hit the road again tomorrow.

19:13: I ate another house pizza. And bracketed it with €1.00 hot chocolates from the machine. The proprietress and her husband are in the central bar area. There’s an English couple at a table discussing how he ought to lose weight and an older guy with a laptop doing some online banking. I’m reading a Robertson Davis novel. It’s not as good as I remember him to be, though I don’t think I’ve read this particular book before.