Today I had a ride in a Paddy Wagon!! I had trundled up and down hills and was on the last one, on what turned out to be a very busy road, and the only way up as far as I could tell from the information I had. I was getting more and more nervous as heavy trucks were passing and when a police van stopped I decided that the only way out of my predicament was to ask them for a ride up to Brenner See, about 1½kms away. They agreed and dropped me where I could pick up the path, away from the road – “there is the bridge, and the path is on the other side of it”. I thanked them profusely, got out of the wagon and headed off!
I had good views of the mountains and the valleys as I ascended. As I walked I kept taking photos of the autobahn bridges, little realizing that one of them was one that I would have to climb up to and cross under. The path was very steep, and I had considerable trouble actually finding the starting point of that hill climb. There was an arrow pointing the way, but I couldn’t see the path. I was on the point of resorting to a bus to the next village, when I found it. As I slowly trudged up the hill I was passed by a man with some lumps of sawn timber in his hand, and when I eventually got to the top of that part of the hill I saw him in a house. He obviously lives up on the mountain and had gone down to the village to get what he needed. The path eventually joined a rough vehicular track, which I am assuming is the track he uses if he needs more than a handful of stuff. One way to keep fit though!
The path around the Brennersee
Brennersee
Today dawned sunny and clear, though as usual by about lunch time the clouds had started to gather. The forecast was for 23 degrees, with a “feels like 29”. I don’t know why there is such a marked difference in the actual temperature and the “feels like” one. I am thinking it might be something to do with the humidity, which is much higher than at home.
Leaving Steinach am Brenner
A little chapel on Siegreith (left), and looking back towards Steinach am Brenner (right)
I had good views of the mountains and the valleys as I ascended. As I walked I kept taking photos of the autobahn bridges, little realizing that one of them was one that I would have to climb up to and cross under. The path was very steep, and I had considerable trouble actually finding the starting point of that hill climb. There was an arrow pointing the way, but I couldn’t see the path. I was on the point of resorting to a bus to the next village, when I found it. As I slowly trudged up the hill I was passed by a man with some lumps of sawn timber in his hand, and when I eventually got to the top of that part of the hill I saw him in a house. He obviously lives up on the mountain and had gone down to the village to get what he needed. The path eventually joined a rough vehicular track, which I am assuming is the track he uses if he needs more than a handful of stuff. One way to keep fit though!
Views along the way - towards where I'm headed
The bridge that I climbed up to.
I am now in Italy, about 6 kilometres in. I stopped at the top of the pass and had a salad for lunch and another cold dirnk, before heading through the village of Brenner and beginning the downhill walk to my accommodation. The path down the hill thus far is a cycling path following a former railway line. The valley is still narrow and so there is the autobahn on one side, then the railway line that crosses the Pass, and then an ordinary, but very busy, road, and the cycling / walking track.
Terme di Brennero / Brennerbad
The last Kirche I visited in Austria - note the graffiti on the pew below. Gries am Brenner
and the first Chiesa in Italy (in Brenner)
Janet that’s the path up to the freeway viaduct that was closed a month ago when I walked through with large scale logging underway
ReplyDeleteYes, was thinking of you when I came down!
DeleteThe person behind that camera is capturing it well. 👍😀
ReplyDeleteTrying Bruce!
Delete