Driving through the Austrian Alps - The Brenner Pass

When we left Hall the rain had started to pour. Three lanes in each direction across huge viaducts and roads jutting out over mountainous slopes as we drove the Brenner Pass. Visibility was atrocious at times, flashes of lightening, then clear patches emerging to highlight the sheer depth of the valleys below, followed by strong wind gusts. Snow still clung to the slopes and at times would have been within reach if we had  opportunity to stop. Heather clung tightly to her seat as the views, though spectacular, were absurdly high. We climbed slowly for ages, and seemed to take even longer to descend.

I enjoyed the reduced number of gear changes, as I was still warming to the beast, and mostly sat behind the lorries in the slow lane. At times wishing I was in a bus or train so I could relax from the driving and take in the views, most of which dear Heather was trying to avoid. Deep breathing  practice was deployed to keep her calm.

Italy was announced with little pomp, and we were so anxious managing the toll booths that we hardly had time to register we were yet again in another country, the 5th in 6 days. 

luckily I had discussed toll roads with our German friends back in Hall, so was prepared for the tricky motorhome manoeuvre. The 8 bays of toll booths had options for prepaid services, cash and credit, so even choosing the right lane was a challenge. Then I had to get close enough to reach, try to select the English instruction option. At the first booth I decided to get out, as the buttons were set for cars and trucks, so too high and too low to reach. But once I had made the transaction I needed to get back into the cab, release the handbrake which is hard to reach even for my long arms and get the beast into gear all in time while my barrier arm was up, and heather barking for me to hurry up.

The pass took us about 2.5 hours to drive, and we had climbed 1379 m. Heather has since become somewhat alarmed when we realised the return journey would climb even higher to 2500m.

Despite the concerns, the views were spectacular, castles and churches dotted all along the way. The kind of scene where one might expect to see Heidi and her friend Peter the goatherd on the slopes. 

- postscript - I can't believe Heather had never heard of the story of Heidi, but thank God for Wikipedia, I have just been able to give her a full synopsis of the story.