Bicycle tour over the Rosalia mountains 3.4.2007
Bright weather, however a bit hazy and still cool in the morning (5 c). I start at about 9 with short detour to Bad Fichau/Brunn, then I traverse the southern Wiener Becken ("Vienna´s plain") via Weikersdorf, Foehrenau, Erlach and Walpersbach. Finally the big ascend via Schleinz and Hochwolkerdorf to the Rosalien chapel at about 700 m height. Back via Forchtenstein, Wiesen, Sauerbrunn, Neudoerfl, Wiener Neustadt and Weikersdorf about 75 km - the batteries of my bicycle computer are knackered so don´t know exactly.
First of all I have to look whether the tiny iris (Iris pumila) near Bad Fischau-Brunn is already flourishing: they are!.
Magenta variant
Yellow variante
Mountain- alyssum (Alyssum montanum)
Blue variant
here in a very narrow close up.
A meadow between a vineyard and a small hut: lots of daisies.
Blackthorn still in blossom
And the big attraction: Spring adonis (Adonis vernalis) near the road.
Now cycling, and behind Weikersdorf Schneeberg comes into view. Unbelievable, but ...
... more snow than in January up there!
Near Erlach I cross the river Schwarza, which a few kilometers down joins with the river Pitten to the river Leitha
Zooming in on Schneeberg in the dust.
On half way descent from Rosalia is Forchtenstein castle, ...
... this time from beneath.
In the forest near Neudoerfl blue colour in the forest: thousands of periwinkle (Vinca minor)
