Austria > It's a party in Villach

Austria - The usual view of our tents at the campsite

The sun is already shining on the tent early in the morning. This time we positioned the opening to the west. We take it easy. Around eleven o’clock, we have breakfast with coffee and tea. Fred arrives with a repaired car. Raymond, Carina, and Herman also stop by to say goodbye—they’re heading back to the Netherlands today. Just as we’re about to do the laundry, we discover that the gas for heating water has run out. So, we decide to go swimming first. Meanwhile, Ron and Fred go to the center to get gas and do some shopping. In the afternoon, we tackle the mega laundry. Almost all of our belongings need washing. For some of my shirts, I’ve already lost hope that they will ever be clean. During train journeys, dust often gets in through the open windows, and it settles everywhere. Around six o’clock, we head back to the center to get something to eat. At the pizzeria, there’s plenty of space. After eating, we go into Villach, where a big festival is being held. The entrance fee tonight is 60 schilling; yesterday it was free. We walk from terrace to terrace, occasionally taking in a carnival ride. At half past eleven, it starts raining. From a portico, we watch the fireworks, though we can’t see everything from this vantage point.

Austria - In the evening the party in Villach

The rain continues unabated. Our mega-laundry, containing practically all of our clothes, is still hanging outside between the tents. By half past one, it doesn’t look like it will dry anytime soon. Fred runs through the rain to get his car. He picks us up shortly after and drives us back to the campsite. The laundry is dangling on a line about twenty meters long. Our tent—what we jokingly call Monique’s borrowed “egg cup” because of its shape—also proves not to be waterproof. Water leaks in at no fewer than four points. Using some towels—the last dry clothes we have—we try, as good Dutch people, to keep the water out of the sleeping bag. With the thought of “we’ll see about tomorrow,” we finally fall asleep.