This summer we had a chance to transit through western Austria. I have never seen a picturesque road. The rickety little wooden houses, the ideal alpine meadows and the cows walking on them, just like they came down from advertising booklets. You can look at this picture forever. Watch and not believe that it is really real.
I did not find bright sights of this area on the Internet, except in the associated city of Innsbruck. And what was my surprise when I saw the ruins of the castle high in the distance. It was Ehrenberg Castle. But it’s not at all in these ruins. A long, breathtaking suspension bridge over the highway led to the castle. Such a spectacle is breathtaking. But what is it like to be there and look down?
I rummaged on the Internet and found out that this bridge is completely new, opened in 2014 and is called Highline 179. The bridge is 406 meters long and 1.2 meters wide. It is located at an altitude of 114 meters above sea level. At the same time it can accommodate up to 500 people. The ticket price for the bridge is small - 8 euros. This place gave me the idea of what was needed here, it was just necessary to return again.
Alps occupy more than half of the entire territory of Austria. They are famous for winter ski resorts, and in summer for picturesque hiking trails. In Austria, the so-called eastern Alps are located. They are not so high and have a wider ridge, the climate is milder, nature is more picturesque and there are fewer glaciers.
At the height of summer, at a temperature of 40, I tried to make out snow on the tops of the Alps, but, unfortunately, it was almost absent.
The road is excellent, but narrow, sometimes it winds heavily and often passes through the mountains through tunnels. On average, the maximum speed should not exceed 80 km / h. But how can you go faster among all this beauty.
Driving along Tyrol we could not stop at a small lake. This mountain lake Blindsee is a favorite place for divers. A small lake up to 25 meters deep has a dazzling azure color. On the highway there is an observation point on this lake, there is also a restaurant.
In general, along the route is a very developed infrastructure. A lot of gas stations, roadside cafes, hotels. In a word - you will not be lost.
Small alpine towns are comfortably located at the foot of the mountains. An indispensable attribute of each town is a church spire sticking out in the middle.
From the track you can easily see the famous Innsbruck springboard - Bergisel, which hosts one of the stages of the World Cup in ski jumping. The length is 90 meters, the height of the tower is 50 meters.
And now Brenner is a border pass in the eastern Alps, where the famous European bridge is located, which connects Austria and Italy. It was not possible to photograph this miracle from the side myself. At the same time it was impossible to go on it and take pictures of it from the side :)
But here are a couple of pictures from the Internet view of the bridge from the side.
And for me, several buildings carved in the rock remained a mystery. It would be very interesting to know what it is.
The Stubai Alps are located on the border with Italy, only there we found snow on the tops of the mountains.
Goodbye Austria! We will definitely be back. And hello, Italy! :)