From Salzburg we decided to take the scenic route marked on our map...they are highlighted with green lines...there are many to choose from in Austria.

On the Sound of Music tour we had gone through a very pretty village where there is a Cog Train going up the side of a mountain (it's in the movie...when they are singing Doh Rae Me...) There is a hotel at the top of the mountain and it seems to be an impossible feet. The kids also want to go on the train...so we stop at a Tourist information and discover that the train only runs sporadically in the "off season" and it costs a small fortune.....mmmm so we decide to skip it in favour of the nice drive and a potential hotel stay for the night!!

We stumbled upon a small town called Bad Aussee..."we have to stop there"...too funny....we also had a bunch of things that we have collected and wanted to post home so we couldn't resist the post mark with such a name!

Bad Aussee turned out to be a nice little Austrian town with a ski resort kind of feel.

Dotty got some pretty suspicious looks! There was a playground across the very clear and fresh river and Flynn was desperate to have a run around so we strolled across the Mercedes shaped bridge so that he could have a play. A glance down into the water revealed a school of trout swimming against the current...what a shame we couldn't get a rod out there...they were so keen that they fought over the small rolled up pieces of paper that Jane took delight in throwing into the stream.

Back on the road...and what a road, just beautiful scenery and winding roads through the Autumn colours. We were all a bit fearful of the cold in the mountains and it was suggested that we spend the night in a pension rather than camping in more sub zero temps! So a quick bit of research courtesy of the Lonely Planet and we found a little pension that was highly rated....It turned out to be not very glamorous, but it is warm and....a real bed is a nice treat!! Most of the restaurants in town were closed...the choices were the highly rated Michelin Star affair up the street or the Pizzeria across the road.....Pizza of course won out!!

An early start in the morning after breakfast with our fellow Germanic guests....Jane was undecided about cheese and meat for breakfast....the pension is owned by the same people that own the butcher's and on arrival the previous afternoon, negotiations over the room rate had occurred in the butcher shop where the lady had proudly told us that all of their processed meats and salami's were made on the premises...mmm a meaty breakfast of local produce!!

As we hit the road again to the word of C.S Lewis....can't remember which book of Narnia we were up to....they all sound the same after a while! (It does have the amazing effect of reducing the homicidal behaviour from the back seat though!) So we head away from Salzburg at last and towards what is described by the Lonely Planet as "the most beautiful drive in Europe".....

Chris and I had a discussion on the way about how Lonely Planet authors seem to be people with a vast amount of local knowledge and a potentially biased view....

The Grossglockner road crosses a mountain pass through the Austrian Alps with views of Austria's highest peak - the Grossglockner! We pay the €28 to enter the National Park and for the privilege of using the road....as we meandered up a few hairpin bends and read the leaflet we had been given there was a slight disappointment because of the heavy cloud cover and therefore, lack of view. The leaflet showed the official stopping points the first of which was a 'themed playground' knowing as we do that Flynn has an immense amount of energy we decided to stop for a while and let him burn of some steam...there was a very cool playground with a well catching the water from a hillside spring, it allowed the kids to catch the water in a dam and then release it causing a rush of water down the hill and into a water wheel, simulating hydro electricity...the air temperature was low...there were icicles hanging from the trees so despite Flynn enthusiasm for the waterfall we pulled him away to return to the warmth of Dotty...

As we turned to cross the road the clouds parted...for a brief moment the sun shone and framed perfectly above the remaining cloud were the Alps......the snow-capped and splendid mountains just like Toblerone!! It is a moment I will not forget, there may have even been a choir singing...it was just amazing....so after catching our breath again we did retreat to Dotty and climbed higher until we were actually above the cloud and in the Valley below a sea of mist rolled while the ever splendid Alps surrounded us. Of course another scheduled stop with Photo tastic opportunities....Chris joked...we have probably stopped at the first place like all the tourists...I bet there is a better view a bit further on.....and views there were although none quiet lived up to that first glimpse....

As we travelled on we climbed higher and at each hairpin turn we secretly prayed that Dotty would make it up the next hill....and thanked the Mechanics in London for talking us into new suspension....and brakes!!

At the highest point accessible by car - some 2900 feet we managed to wind our way around to the very top.....we all got out and stretched our legs....climbing to the top of a lookout we all noticed the change in the air, the altitude making a difference to our breathing. Having reached the top the only way now was down.....and down and around and down some more and more and hairpin bends....until we were forced to take a break...both for lunch and to give those new brakes a rest....!

From here the scenery changed as we dropped below the tree line again and back into the greenery....but we weren't quiet done yet and to make the most of our €28 we continued up the other side of the valley to the original Franz Josef Glacier....I have to admit it was slightly disappointing, just a dirty looking valley really, perhaps because we had only a few weeks ago been next to the largest glacier in mainland Europe.....

So a bit of a stroll around and then back down....with a quick stop for Strudel!!

Of course now we can see why they call this the best drive i n Europe...stunning quite life changing!

Next...find a campsite that's open!! Hurray!! There is one nearby and it's open all year!!!

So another night....in the cold!!!

Next stop Italy!!