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Day 37 May 20th
Lake Garda to Illertissen
Today was about crossing the Alps - or whatever the mountains are called that lie between Italy and Austria/Germany. In essence, we could say that the drive had three parts, the first of which took up the majority of the day.
When one leaves Lake Largo to go north, the only things in view are the mountains. To be fair they are, or the crossing point is, about 150 miles, or 230 kilometres away. Nevertheless, when one is driving they sit on your horizon like a threat. There is little snow to be seen now but they block our route north.
As we drive home we plan to rise early and et the driving completed by early afternoon. Today I am woken at 5.30 am and no the earth was not moving….at all.
The route to the Brenner is fascinating and falls into about 3 phases. In phase one, as the road rises very slowly there are a few towns and some agriculture but nothing much. The you hit phase two and vines and olives dominate this part. Everywhere you look these two plants are growing. This is the Trentino and /or the Alto Adige. Small patches of land along side the motorway have vines and they look healthy and well tended. One can also see terraces of vines going up the slopes to the side of the valley along which we drive. Occasionally one sees a sheep herder, grazing his long eared animals on the side of the road.
The route wends itself between steep hills and slopes and then opens up suddenly into a wide alpine meadow that is now occupied by a town/city. Bolzano is like this. It is the largest settlement on this route through the mountains and is spread like a pizza across the valley floor. As we reach one of the roads exit points, for about one kilometre the sides are made of photo electric panels. It is very hard to estimate what this can produce on a good day but with every 6 panels generating 1 kilowatt then it is capable of delivering lots! Indeed, all over Italy the evidence of large scale investment in this sort of infrastructure is clear to see.
Phase three is, if you like, the mountain bit where the road weaves between steep rock faces as it inexorably climbs. The road is not steep but it is always up hill. As it rises so the traffic slows and the last twenty kilometres are punctuated but stops and very slow motion. The occasional 'shunt' up ahead makes the journey even slower. Lots of German and Austrian cars 'going home' but, mercifully, very few lorries otherwise it would have been even slower.
The summit is reached in two stages: first the Italian toll and then 15 kilometres later the pass - the Brenner- that leads to the very steep drop into Austria. This bit is much shorter but far steeper and care has to be taken not to get the brakes too hot.
In Austria we have two bits to cross; the Vienna to Switzerland motorway which is easy and for which we pay a toll of €8 (less than we should have!) and then into the mountains again. Unlike the Brenner, the Feldpass is a single lane road, very twisty and slow going. Get stuck behind a motorhome and it's a long way up with very few passing places. The views are fantastic and as its quite slow time to look!
However, we pass into Germany and head for a campsite in a small town. It's a good site with plenty of space (unlike at Lake Garda) and quiet. By the look of things there is plenty to do in the area; walking, riding and other outdoor activities. It also has a good restaurant!
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