Weekend in Bad Leonfelden

We actually planned to drive to Emden this weekend for the Matjesfest but our plans changed, mainly because the drive is so long and traffic jam was also expected along the way. I didn’t want to spend 2 out of 4 days on the highway so we decided to spend the weekend somewhere closer. We were considering Prague in Czech Republic but most of the hotels are booked out and I came across the Falkensteiner Hotel in Bad Leonfelden. We’ve already been to Falkensteiner in Croatia and Italy and we loved it. Bad Leonfelden is in the upper Austria and I’ve never been here, the region offers many leisure activities like hiking and biking, and the Unesco city Linz is also close so we decided to book the Active Break package for the long weekend at this hotel.

I woke up before my alarm to do my planned workout, finished packing and had a small breakfast. Checkin at the hotel is at 15 o’clock and we planned a few breaks on the road so we arrive just in time to check in to our room. The highway and the rest places were full but luckily we didn’t have any traffic jam so we arrived to the hotel on time. At Passau we went off the highway and enjoyed the drive with open roof. The weather was so beautiful that many motorcyclists and byciclists were on the road.

We spent the afternoon at the outdoor pool of the hotel soaking up the sun and swimming in the cool water. Our package includes half-board so we enjoyed a 6-course dinner at the hotel restaurant in the evening and we went for a walk at sunset around the hotel afterwards. The hotel is pet-friendly and I love how many dogs are here.

Visiting Linz

I woke up next day to the sunrise creeping into the room. It was beautiful. I planned to go for an early morning run but decided to take a rest day after 3 days of intense workouts in a row. After breakfast we drove to Linz for some sightseeing and shopping. We walked through the narrow streets in the pedestrian area of the old city and visited the castle. We took the tram up on Pöstlingberg where we had a coffee break overlooking Linz and Danube. I didn’t get a chance to try the famous Linzertorte but I had a Cremeschnitte. The sun and 10K walk totally drained me so I skipped shopping and we returned to the hotel for a swim and dinner.

Hiking on the Grasslmühl-Runde

Saturday is hiking day!

I woke up to a beautiful sunny morning and a huge bee flying around in our room because we left a window open during the night to get fresh air. Needless to say that I hid below the covers until my bf got the bee out. 😂

We had a scary thunderstorm last night but luckily it cleared by this morning since we are going hiking today. We booked the Active Break package at the hotel so we get a backpack with drinks and yummy snacks for the hike. 😃👍

The plan is a 12,5 km hike along the border of Austria and Czech Republic. We are going to cross the border to Czech Republic and walk back to Austria. It’s 3 km until Rading from the hotel and another 3 km back so a total of 18,5 km. We made it back alive. It was so relaxing. Just the sound of our footsteps and the nature. Water flowing, birds sinnging and insects biting me. 😂

We picked an easy hiking trail. We walked across fields filled with flowers, on narrow paths, along creeks and in tall forrests. It was wonderful. Total 17 km in 4 hours with a few short breaks to drink some water and eat our snacks that the hotel packed for us. The first half passed by quickly but every km in the the second half seemed to drag on forever since we were already tored and our legs started to hirt. We picked up the pace on the last few km because dark clouds and the sound of the thunder far away was approaching. We finished the Grasslmühl-Runde. 😃👍

But unfortunately we didn’t walk the last 3 km from Rading back to the hotel because the weather seemed uncertain. The nice lady at the restaurant where we took a break in Rading drove us back to the hotel. It wasn’t my choice, I would have walked but better safe than sorry.

We wanted to go to the city center after dinner but it was raining so we stayed in and watched Rock Of Ages. I love his movie and the soundtrack. I might have been singing along. The rain turned into a really scary thunderstorm and the hotel is on top of a hill so we felt how bad the wind was. At one point we even lost electricity, tv signal and internet.

Visiting Passau

I woke up early again on our last day and the weather was so nice that I decided to take my Freeletics workout outdoors. I had Hera from the coach, which is 5 rounds of 40 high knees with 60 sec walk, 400 m run and again 60 sec walk. I found a hill near the hotel and it was challenging to run up and down the hill on stones and rocks. But I loved it. I went afterwards to the hotel gym and did my last Freeletics workouts from the coach which was Nemesis, a mix of situps and mountain climbers. I had the aerobics room all to myself. I wanted to use the weights and the machines as well, perhaps do my first rowing workout, but I was out of time.

After a quick shower and breakfast, I finished packing and we checked out. We stopped in Passau on the way home because the inner city looked so nice as we were driving by. We walked in the old town and had a short coffee break at one of the best cafes in Germany, directly on the St. Stephan’s Cathedral square. The cakes are amazing and we got this huge slice of apricot quark strudel that we luckily share because I could not eat this on my own. They just took the cake out from the oven and it’s so fresh and warm.