Mr. O's Tour: Austria and the Vorarlberg.

In Felkirsch, Austria at the home of Ulf Albl who left SACS in 1992 to complete his studies in Vienna. This is the view from the front porch across their garden to a filed beyond. Still so green as Autumn approaches.

A solar panel array on a neighbouring home. It does not have to look industrial. Thousands of homes in Germany and Austria have solar panels and especialy on the farms where barn rooves are covered end to end with solar panels. we need to do this a lot more in sunny South Africa and include wind power far more.

A view across the Vorarlberg in Western Austria.

We took the gondola up the mountain and had some spectacular views of the region on the way up.

The view from the top of the mountain of much of the Vorarlburg region. All clean and neat and organized.

The Gondola station on the top with workmen completing the installation of a solar panel array on the South side of the building. Don't let the wonderful sun trick you. It was pretty chilly up there and standing in the shade was not an option.

Interesting 'wrap' on this South African built Ford Ranger belonging to the Security on the mountain top. An interested looking Rotweiler!

Warily approaching the climb down from this play house at the mountain restaurant.

"I need help please"

Big sister to the rescue. Ulf and Andrea have two beautiful daughters.

On the way down again looking up the valley from the gondola.

The river rapids near the base.

I met up with a favourite type of tree - Sequoia - brought from California by the owner of this manor house. Just magnificent.

So, a sideways view of its magnificent size even though only about 120 years old.

Hugging this magnificent tree. Good for the soul.

Ulf and I went this Rolls Royce Museum tucked away in the mountains of Vorarsberg and found that the owner has collected and restored and is still restoring Rolls Royce Phantom 1's of 1927 - 1935 principally. He says they are the best Rolls Royce cars. He has about 100 or so.

Another bespoke bodied Phantom. Unusual 'rounded' cabib section.

I obviously had to take this one of a 'Blue' Rolls Royce as they are so rare. Most are black, Dark Green, Maroon or Navy blue. This one is immaculate. They do all run.

A magnificent Rolls Royce Merlin emgine from a Lancaster Bomber of WW2 vintage.

An unusual body style made specifically for a customer back in the day.

In the mid stages of reconstruction in the open workshop. This is an enormous car.

Some of the literally tens of thousands of parts that this man has.

Unusually, a Bentley in the final stages of restoration. It was a privilege and a pleasure to be able to spend a little time with this multi-millionaire restorer who works on the cars himself together with a number of other specialists who work for him. He says that he has many cars still to restore. We were lucky enough to see some of them from bare chassis examples to some with the bodies being finished to engines in pieces and also at various stages of rebuilds.

Trying to get the tree into two shots. Top.

Bottom. Ulf and family in the left foreground.

One of Ulfs fruit trees in his garden. This is an Apple that is full of fruit. So many people in Germany and Austria have fully bearing Apple trees in their yards as well as pear, plum and Almond trees.