A FATHERS’ DAY EXCURSION
THERE’S ALWAYS something to celebrate, isn’t there. It might be just that you’re a year older, although you might not actually feel better afterwards. And in Germany, as in so many other countries, there’s the venerable institution of Father’s Day – which is in fact celebrated mainly by those who are not yet fathers because the ones who are, take the family out for the day and foot the bill.
It’s a little different for my neighbor and me. We’re both fathers, but both of our daughters have moved out. This makes it a bit less of a day to celebrate, but that doesn’t mean we can’t put the day to good use anyway, together with the immediately following weekend. That good use was going to be a ride through the Alps. Admittedly they’re almost at the other end of Germany, but the Autobahn network makes them easily accessible.
DAY 1 - AUSTRIA
The trip proper started after breakfast in Munich, initially with the destination Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria. Since the construction of the Grossglockner High Alps Road, this is no longer just accessible to experienced mountain climbers but to ordinary visitors; which makes it no less of a fascinating and enjoyable place to go.
Much has changed since the opening of the mountain road in 1935. The road has been widened, made safer and more comfortable overall. It still fits itself beautifully into the
