Day 206 - Alpine's Glacial Wonders: Exploring Pasterze Ice Glacier from Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe

Day 206 (26 July 2023) - Rangersdorf, Austria to Marghera, Spain

DAY 206 (26 JULY 2023) – In the morning, I travelled along the Grossglockner High Alpine Road to a height of about 3800 meters (12. 400 ft), at the ‘Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Hohe’ viewpoint, just to get a panoramic view of the Pasterze Ice Glacier, and its surrounding landscape.

The Pasterze Ice Glacier is the largest and longest glacier in the Eastern Alps and apparently, much of it has melted over the years, and is still melting due to global warming. Above and across the glacier is the Grossglockner Mountain, which is the highest mountain in Austria.

The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is the highest surfaced mountain pass road in Austria. I had to cross a toll booth and paid 7.50 euros (RM 37.70) to get there, but luckily I got a 50% discount when I showed my toll ticket which I paid for, 2 days ago. The roads were good but I had to ride carefully as there were many sharp turns and many vehicles on the road, especially motorbike riders. It was also windy and the temperature was cold at 4.5 C, but the view was amazing all the way up!

After my visit to the Ice Glacier, it was time to leave Austria for my next country of visit, Italy. Much like the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, this route was also one of the most scenic routes in Europe, surrounded by mountains and so much greenery!

From Austria, I climbed through high mountainous roads with many sharp curves. After crossing the open border to Italy, the roads began to descend, passing through beautiful landscapes. It also rained throughout the journey so I had to ride carefully.

Later, I travelled through a double-laned highway, riding at the speed of 120 km per hour. The toll charge came to a whopping 14.00 euros (RM 70.30). I arrived at my stay in Marghera, Italy at about 10.30 pm.