For us, Austria has always meant Vienna and, of course, Salzburg for its famous music festival, but what about Villach on the Drava River in the far south of the country near the Slovenian and Italian borders?
Kay and I knew nothing of this small city except that it was near where we had just spent two weeks among the Slovenes. We were prompted to go there for the opportunity of a rare rendezvous with our Australian friends Tim and Jan, with whom we had formed a great rapport when they occupied a flat for a couple years in our building in Istanbul. This summer they had been touring Southern France and Austria’s alps for several weeks on electric bikes and would be staying in Villach at the end of July when we would be nearby.