am guest at my friend's house, Helmuth Mäser, (www.rechtsanwaltmaeser.at) whom I had met some two years ago in Hanoi in Vietnam, sitting in an upstairs café overlooking the city - and now I am here with him in Dornbirn! He spoils me rotten; I've got my own room and have use of the internet, etc... but today I was treated to something very special: I was guest in a movie set and acted as one of the bystanders in a courtroom hearing. It will be shown in 35,000 homes in and around Dornbirn and the Vorarlberg on a station called "LändleTV". It was great fun being part of the set. Afterwards we went to a pub and I was treated to my Wiener Schnitzel and Almdudler. Last night we went to the "Red House", an upmarket wooden restaurant, painted with the blood from bulls in 1639 hence its name, where I was treated to a local dish called "Kaessspaetzle" which are flour dumplings rolled in three different kinds of cheeses ... yummy for the tummy

The weather is foul: snowfall down to 1300m, during the day we had only 8 degrees Celcius....brrrrrrrrrrr. Monday the weather should improve and I'll be on my bike again to do battle with the mountains. Heading towards the passes at Bregenzerwald, Voralberg, Innsbruck, Mittersill, St Johann, Liezen... (see map)  Cheers Rob

[Editor's Notes: Rob, we're having a barbecue at "Riverbend" today; it's almost summer and the temperatures are already in the high 20s and we shall drink a toast to you and your safe home-coming! Here's cheers to you, mate! from Peter and Peter, and the Grindrods up the hill, and our Afghani friends from Melbourne who don't know you personally but have heard lots about you - and, of course, Rover sends a little 'Hollahihuirididudeliö' (he reckons a jodel a day keeps the doctor away and has tears in his eyes when I play 'Wann i durchgeh durchs Tal' but he's forgotten how to bark in Austrian - but not his biking experience as he goes berserk everytime he sees a bike)]