Today again surpassed our expectations with great value for our Euros. We signed up for a trip on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road and to see the longest glacier in the eastern Alps. A 10-passenger van picked us up and drove through the high mountains south of Krimmel.
We crossed "all climatic and vegetation zones between Austria and the Arctic." It was a wonderful day -- so beautiful!
We were riding and enjoying the scenery from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.! The road twisted and turned as we climbed high above the tree line.
Travel companions from England added to the delight of the day. Tony Leaver is a retired history teacher. He and Chris were delightful to visit with.
He is an older dignified gentleman who enjoys the musicals and the entertainers from the past. We discussed many things from politics to religion -- he is a Christian! It was exciting to visit with a Christian in this secular land.
We enjoyed the glacier and the visitor's center nearby. We walked through a series of 3 tunnels that came out farther along the glacier. We don't know why the tunnels were there -- there were still more to follow, but we were due back at the van. There were many interesting things to do and learn at the center, but we didn't have time. We could easily spend a whole day there.
On the way back, we stopped at Heilligenblut, which means "Holy blood of Jesus." The church there supposedly houses a drop of Jesus' blood. It is typical Catholic, with rows of candles, confession booths, and multiple statues and pictures of Mary. One was especially offensive to us, because it consisted of a large depiction of Mary in the center with kings bowing down to her and angels enfolding her. Companion artwork on the other side of the altar showed Christ, but it still seems wrong to us to elevate Mary to such a high level. The church was expensively decorated and beautiful, but again we found it hard to see our Lord Jesus in the midst of all of this glitter and outward embellishment.
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