14/7 - Into the Tyrol

In the Trentino Alto Aldige, you know you're in Italy (it says so on the map) but you can't help thinking that you must have already crossed the border into Austria.  All signs are in both languages, and the building style slowly but perceptibly starts to change.  I have Italian friends here who speak German as language of preference and feel closer to Austria than Italy.  The houses now have steeper rooves, and the warm earthy colours of the Dolomites give way to the brightly painted facades typical of the Tyrol.

To make up a bit of time, and get to the campsite before the rain got any heavier, we decided to switch to main roads once we hit Austria.  We dutifully bought our Austrian vignette and assumed we had covered all eventualities, except that we were still in Italy and the weeny bit of motorway we still had to traverse as far as the border, cost 8 euros.

Once into Austria, we drove north as far as Innsbruck, then took a sharp right towards Schwaz, and soon found Alpencamping Mark.  It wasn't raining, but had been, the cloud was low and everywhere green and trees and low Tyrolean houses and churches, with their high bell towers.  And quiet; sharp, clear alpine quiet.  And cold.  Remember, we're still in shorts, and it's about 12 degrees out there, and damp.