Mils

I have been extraordinarily lucky with the weather. My five days in Switzerland were sunny and warm. In the night a front came through and it rained intermittently most of the day today. I took the autoroute north towards Bern, then turned east, by-passing Interlaken and Luzern. The rain stopped and the clouds lifted around that stretch, and a good thing it did because it's a fabulously beautiful region. If it is pouring rain you may as well be driving from Hoboken to Hackensack, since you see virtually nothing. There are no freeways bigger than two lanes in each direction, and there is never a median. Space is at a minimum here. Sometimes the autobahn turns into a normal road for a stretch as there is no way to by-pass some towns in the narrow valleys. I couldn't begin to count how many tunnels I went through today. With some difficulty I did find the last stretch of road I wanted, from the town of Sargans to the border. This is not far north from where I entered Graubünden on Saturday. I'm glad I took the scenic route then, even though it was much longer. At Sargans the road turns north, skirting the principality of Liechtenstein. Crossing into Austria at Feldkirch, you have to traverse a bit of that tiny country. It is technically independent, but Switzerland administers its services. I'll bet I'm the only guy on the block who can boast having filled his tank in Liechtenstein. That's probably the most exciting thing you can do there anyway.
Actually, after I saw a turn for the Gotthard Tunnel I pulled off the road to have another look at the map and re-consider my destination. With a car at my disposal and Italy not too far away, why not drive south? I considered it: I could be in Milano in a few hours; the sun was surely shining there; I had never visited Verona, etc. But I realized that I would have to drive very far to traverse Italy west to east in order to reach Graz by Sunday morning (when I have to return the car), and that it would take me three days of relentless driving. So, I passed on the idea. A short time later I heard a traffic update on the radio that reported a major accident in the Gotthard Tunnel, blocking both directions, that there was a back-up for many kilometers. Lucky I didn't go there, I thought.
Austria is more relaxed and laid-back than its neighbor to the west. In comparison, it looks a little shabby and neglected. I have even seen the blight of billboards on the outskirts of towns here, something you just wouldn't find in Switzerland. There is an autobahn that heads east through the valley of the Inn towards Innsbruck and beyond. I got off of it after a while and drove on the parallel local road in order to find a place to stay. And I did, in the tiny village of Mils, about 30 miles west of Innsbruck. This country inn is so reasonable I think I'll stay here two nights. If it's rainy tomorrow I can visit Innsbruck; if it's nice -- another hike! From my window I can see the back end of the village, the pretty village church with its tall Tyrolean bell tower, and then a hugh mountain going straight up with a dramatic ravine in it. Now, at dusk, it looks a little scary.
The dialect spoken here is softer than the rather gutteral Swiss German, but it's related to it and to Bavarian. This is a narrow part of Austria and both Germany and Italy are quite close, except that you have to drive over or through mountains to get there.
Cindy's Diner. That's the last thing I expected to find at a rest stop off the autoroute in western Switzerland; an American-style burger joint doesn't usually send me into ecstasies in anticipation of a good meal. But, being quite hungry, I stepped through the door of the place to see what was up. It was a re-creation of a 1950's American diner, replete with formica tables and vinyl chairs, a black and white tile floor, and lots of chrome. The photo of Elvis on the wall was the coup de grâce to the atmosphere. Their menu claimed to serve the best burgers in Switzerland. It also included a 'vegi' burger (which they pronounced 'veggi' for some odd reason). I don't know what the burger was made of, but it was tasty (though small), and it was smothered in grilled (not steamed) vegies, and had a delicious sauce. It was really good (though I've had better burgers stateside). The bun was fresh multi-grain. The lettuce was not of the iceberg variety. Europeans will not eat junk -- why do we? But, that burger (no fries), a glass of mineral water and a cup of coffee set me back SF 29, or $25. Gulp.