Alps Tour - Großglockner & Nockalmstraße

Our breakfast was a similar experience as our dinner; not entirely sure how much was supposed to be self-serve, and what actions would cue the server to offer something. All in all a nice yet quirky stay.

All packed up and headed for the Nockalmstraße pass by 1030. We lucked out as our hotel stay provided a complimentary local activity-pass card. Turns out, it included the toll for our first road, bonus!

The trip through Nockalmstraße was definitely worth it, the distant vistas and scenery were fantastic. Nice that the road wasn't too busy despite a number of tourists about. We also saw lots of cattle grazing along the way.

The trip over the mountains didn't take too long. We then weaved our way through the country side to the Großglockner pass toll road. Weirdly enough, we noticed a lot of patches of dead trees along the valley, similar to the pine beetle kill back home...

Our activity card we used earlier didn't get us a free toll pass, but we did get a slight discount. There were a lot more people on the road here, and there was quite a range between slow and fast drivers. At one point we just pulled over and let a large group of motorbikers pass prior to the toll booth. It is strange being passed in the left of our lane with no prior warning. ⚠️🤔

Took a minor detour over to see the Pasterze Glacier and it was definitely worth it. Some of the mountain peaks were hidden behind cloud, but otherwise it was clear and sunny, offering a lot of great photo opportunities.

The Pasterze Glacier is the largest and longest glacier of the Eastern Alps, and the
ninth-largest of the Alps overall.
At an average speed of 15m per year the ice in this valley glacier takes about 560 years to travel the total length of 8.4km, while covering an altitude difference of about 1,600m.

We hadn't had any luck securing our evening accomodation, so thought to play it by chance. On the way to the glacier view point we noticed a few places that might work. We enquired, and only one had availability. A got suspicious as to why it was so quite and such a great price. Quickly checking the reviews said it all, and we drove off...

The rest of the Großglockner pass was just as magnificent. Lots of twisty roads, view points to pull off on, and tunnels to traverse. Many road cyclists too!

It was close to 6pm by the time we emerged on the other side of the pass, and settled on a hotel in Fusch. Luckily they weren't too pricey. Later we found out the area had been a gold mining area, but rapid advancing of the glaciers in the 1850s pushed the industry out.

We took some time to relax, and got right into planning tomorrow's adventure: off to Northern Italy! Soon after, we headed down for dinner at the hotel restaurant where A enjoyed a grity/sandy salad with delicious breaded chicken strips, and J had the roasted boeuf with spatzle and very salty beans.

As the sun finished its course of the day we enjoy the darkness enveloping the cozy valley.Read more