I travelled to Farra di Soligo, a small village close to Treviso for a friend’s wedding. While I could have taken a flight, some background research on the place tempted me take Jumbo along – Jumbo being my grey hatchback. As it turned out, it was a lucky decision. Though just a weekend, it was a one amazing experience – starting with this ~800 km drive across southern Germany, western Austria, and northern Italy. My friend’s hospitality, connecting with other old friends after a long long time, and the festive occasion made it an unforgettable trip.

Taken from a moving car and, to a degree, qualitatively questionable, these pictures serve me as quite decent memories of this fantastic road. And I hope they give you an idea of the sense of wonder I felt as I drove through this rugged landscape. I have made up my mind to go there again, with more time to hike and explore the Dolomites in particular.

11th July, 17:42 — The drive till Munich was rather uneventful. I reached Munich around 16:30. I had a quick bite and a power nap. Leaving around 17:15, this sight of mountains greeted me about 30 mins. later. (July 2014)

11th July, 17:56 — Enroute to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Stormy weather was forecasted for the day, but I seemed to have out-raced the dark clouds, Really lucky to have missed the bad weather, which led to flights from Frankfurt airport getting cancelled that evening. (July 2014)

11th July, 18:27 — 100 m. from the Austrian border, Stopped to buy the “vignette” for driving through Austria. The sky was still cloudy, but it was pleasantly cool up here. And I was a man without a care. Just happy to be on the road. (July 2014)

11th July, 19:25 — Entering Italy from Austria via Brennero. The clouds look less threatening in the land of the “La Dolce Vita”. I could also see the pale evening sun on the mountaintops in the distance. The downhill road, foot off the accelerator, and Jumbo was simply gliding noiselessly in to Italy as if in stealth mode. (July 2014)

11th July, 19:35 — Sunshine filtering through the clouds left interesting patterns on this rugged landscape. I still had quite a way to go, but, surrounded by such beautiful mountainscapes, I felt no tiredness… I kept breaking my promise to not shoot pictures while driving. (July 2014)

11th July, 20:25 — Driving through the Dolomites with the windows down, letting the mountain air in, which carried the sounds and smells of the countryside, including the sound of a gushing mountain stream somewhere close by. (July 2014)

11th July, 21:06 — On the Strada Statale 47, near Castelnuovo. It was an almost full moon night and I was delighted to see the moon rise from behind the mountains. The picture does not do justice to the beauty I experienced. As Jumbo navigated the curves of the strada, the rising moon darted in and out from behind the mountains like some shy, smiling child. (July 2014)

11th July, 22.33 — It was a beautiful night. I, with the Moon and Jumbo as my companions, was now close to Farra di Soligo. But my GPS had just “lost its way” – it couldn’t place me properly or guide me. I stopped by at a restaurant to ask for directions and the young lady, speaking some broken English, could direct me towards the road to Treviso. Clicked this before getting back in to the car. It was a beautiful, beautiful night and I did entertain thoughts of sleeping out in the open with Jumbo – only if I did not have people waiting for me. (July 2014)

11th July, 23:34 — “You have reached your destination”, announced the GPS grandly. I was almost sad to have reached the end of this eventful drive. It had been such a wonderful experience and not for once did I regret having taken Jumbo along. Indeed, if I had booked a flight, I would have not only missed this cool drive, but also the wedding, as flights from FRA for Friday evening were cancelled due to bad weather. (July 2014)

11th July, 23:57 — Having checked in, I finally realized how tired I was. But Sleep was still on its way. I decided to take a walk through the little village before hitting the bed. I sat down on a bench opposite this small chapel. A slight breeze cooling me down, the silence and the solitude soothing my mind. Peace.(July 2014)

837 km – estd. driving time of 9h 45min – with out photo breaks…:-) (Source: Google Maps)