Going up in the world

We put our hiking boots on today, as well as the fleeces and waterproofs, for the hard slog up to the top of the world - Alps style.

Then we got in the car and drove.... It was 20c at the camp site and sunny thankfully when we left and as we drove up the mountainside along the Kaunertal Gletscherstrasse (glacier way) it became cooler and cooler. There were places of interest en route and obvious viewpoints along the way at strategic places. Ibex and chamois live within the area and we did see a chamois as well as a red squirrel, which thrilled me as Steve has seen 3 so far this trip and I missed them all. I was beginning to think he was teasing me or hallucinating - but I can now vouch for their existence in these parts. Very pretty it was too. It nearly met Mr Pirelli though and that would have upset me a lot - but it was too quick for that. Too quick for the camera too unfortunately.

The scenery was awesome - becoming more and more so as we ascended the mountainside. The roads were very winding and steep - reminding Steve of the Italian Job where the coach nearly went over the side of the mountain whilst going around the twists and turns. Half way up we stopped, sat on a tree stump and ate our lunch with the best view imaginable - no noise, no people and no pollution - heavenly. At the top it was snow, snow and more snow with ski lifts and ski ploughs still in operation - though we didn't actually see anyone skiing. Photo opportunities were everywhere and we used them to their full potential. We have attached some to give you a flavour. At the top the temperature was 7.5c but with no breeze so it made it feel quite comfortable as long as we were wrapped up.

We were in favour with the gods again as we had the best of the weather for our trip and it deteriorated as we descended the mountainside with the rain starting to fall. We had certainly seen the best of the day and enjoyed it to the full.

It was a 26km drive up the mountain and we were accompanied for some of the journey by some mad cyclists who thought a good day was a trip up the steep mountainside under their own steam. Not our idea of fun! We clocked a couple coming back down the mountain at 40mph - in the rain - the u bends proved a bit of a problem for them though - rather them than us.

We enjoyed our day and retired to Essie for a bit of relaxation and reading before making dinner and planning our next moves. We can easily drive from here to Italy or Switzerland - and the weather is not good at all in Switzerland - rain and low temperatures at the moment. The towns there are like those here - set up for skiing primarily and for trips up the mountains in the spring and summer. More of the same we feel. So Italy beckons - the temperature there is 28c compared to 18c in Switzerland.

So we are going to do some research on the internet after we have finished this blog and see where we can travel to for a bit of sun, warmth and a different outloook.