Großglockner Hochalpenstraße - A Sky-High Route in the Alps
Ticket to Heaven
While browsing the road map of Austria, I noticed a route with a huge number of serpentine roads, which led me a few days later to one of the most beautiful trips I've ever experienced. Without a specific plan - the idea was quite simple: to drive this section and look around for experiences. Upon arrival, it turned out that the section was toll-based, but after a short consideration, I decided to spend the 40 euros - I regarded it as an entrance ticket. As it soon turned out, it was a ticket to paradise.
The Großglockner High Alpine Road
About halfway through the route, there is a very accessible parking lot that allows you to fully admire the mountain panorama. In the photo, I managed to capture the valley separating the viewpoint and the Crown of Europe, including the highest peak of the Alps in Austria - Großglockner - 3,798 meters above sea level.
The scale of this monument is so immense that probably every square centimeter of this photo could have its own story. My goal was to try to capture the largest area possible and contain it in one photo. Did I succeed? No, it's impossible, but it's worth trying ;)
It is also worth highlighting that the weather was very fortunate that day - with these sizes and distances, distant objects tend to lose colors and transition into shades of gray - this is called aerial perspective or atmospheric perspective - distant objects lose color saturation. Here, even the distant scenes retained a richness of colors.
The Alps in motion
While driving along the route, I noticed a protruding ledge that towered over the hairpin bends. It looked a bit like that balcony in the city of Minas Tirith from Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. The only thing needed was to camouflage the car parked behind it. The inspiration from the film was so strong that I decided to recreate the monumentality of this place with an equally exquisite shot. Of course, within my own modest means.
( Music: Jayla by Audiorezout (CC BY-NC) )