Day 13: Fog and a very long journey home

October 21, 2021

Today is the day of departure and when I look out the window, I think to myself:

"That's all good too!!!"

The view from the window shows: Fog!

We have breakfast, look at the foggy cable car station, and check out afterwards.

You can't see anything outside...

At the reception they cannot agree on how we can get all our ski equipment and luggage back down to the valley. On the ascent, we had a large rolling cart, but it would be from the cable car company and currently there is none. After much back and forth, they organize a small cart for us, where we can at least put all our bags and heavy things on. We push everything through the glass door onto the cable car grid, then we have to go around the outside and queue up at the cable car entrance for the downhill ride. After today, our ticket DOES NOT work for the descent (as it did for the ascent), the problem is simply ignored and the door is opened for us. After all skiers have gotten off, we can load the gondola, but we have to leave the cart up there as it belongs to the hotel. What a fuss – but it will work out.

The fog on the glacier has cleared a bit, but the valley is still full of clouds.

We ride alone in the gondola down to the valley, or rather "into the clouds". Because you really can't see anything!

The journey through the clouds and fog is somehow spooky. We really only see the valley station of the gondola when we are almost inside the cable car. Crazy. 😳😶‍

We quickly unload everything and put our things to the side because first we have to get the key for the underground parking, then drive the car through the barrier to the cable car area and load it. Luckily, that works without any problems.

By 9:15 a.m., the car is loaded and we leave the village of Kurzras and the Schnalstal Glacier. We are once again faced with a lot of curves, but this time we have prepared and have given our son Vomex.

Our next stop today is the pharmacy in Schlanders, where the kids have to take another rapid COVID-19 test. Unfortunately, today is also a weekly market and I can't even get close to the pharmacy by car. So my husband takes a walk with the kids to the pharmacy and comes back about 30 minutes later with 2 negative test results - phew. 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

We continue past the village of Graun, with its half-submerged church tower, and then cross the Reschen Pass towards Nauders. The road is very busy, we are only making slow progress.

Since we don't have a vignette, we have to bypass the motorway again in Austria, which we do via the Kaunergrat / Pillerhöhe country road. We briefly consider making a detour to the Pitztal behind Piller (maybe spontaneously ski for 2 more days here???), but reason prevails - we go home.

Austria welcomes us with significantly better weather!!!🌞🌞🌞

In Imst, we make a detour to the big "M", have lunch and a coffee (by the way, FFP2 masks are mandatory here!), then we continue over the Fern Pass to Germany.

From now on, we are driving from one traffic jam to the next.🙄🥴🙈

Oh man, we thought that if we drive home during the week, we would make good progress. But no....

We encounter the first major traffic jam near Stuttgart. I'm really envious of the planes taking off and landing! What luck that we will soon be flying again and not taking the car. We hate this driving...🥴🥴🥴

Completely exhausted, we reach Pforzheim at 8 p.m. and decide to make a second visit to the big "M", as there is now a long traffic jam after a road closure due to a vehicle fire ahead of us... That should dissolve first before we continue.😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

There is unfortunately no delicious veggie "Beyond Burger" like in Imst, so I stick with fries and coffee.

When the rain sets in along with the darkness and traffic jams, I've had enough! This is absolutely no fun!!!!🤮🤮🤮

At some point around midnight, we arrive home and fall into bed. Unpacking and tidying up will have to wait until tomorrow - we're all exhausted!😴😴😴🥱🥱

It was a beautiful "replacement vacation" for our originally planned family visit to Abu Dhabi & Dubai, but we are very excited to be able to sit in an airplane again next time and not have to use the car.🤩😅