Marilyn and David's Wedding Anniversaries.

Ninth, in September 2011, on the Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club trip to Austria in the 1976 Daimler Double Six Avon-Stevens Convertible.

Day Seven, Tuesday 6th September. Part One.

One of the main highlights of the holiday, the climb over the Grossglockner and an unexpectedly early start for a holiday at 08.30 hrs! We were marshalled into a convoy, behind the 1936 20/25 Rolls, to head for the train at Bockstein, just south of Bad Gastein, for the trip through the Alps to Mallnitz. On the way, we had a conducted tour all through Bad Gastein and this gave us an excellent view of most parts of the town. At the terminal, We drove the  cars onto the train and then went to sit in the passenger carriages for the trip through the mountains.

After leaving the train, we stopped to put the car hood down. The next stage of the journey took us to Winklern and the start of the 107 Grossglockner road. There was slight consternation at the toll booth where we were booked in as a party and tickets had to be handed out to each car. The drive up the pass was a delight, with very gentle curves and wonderfully wide road. Our first halt was a "comfort"  stop not far from the top of the pass. The final ascent to the viewing point at Edelweissspitze (2,571 metres) was unusual in that we became stuck in a traffic jam. It was unbelievably busy and parking was quite a problem. However, it was all worth the effort for the Champagne reception that the Blumscheins had organised for us at the top. This included delicious snacks as well! The view was spectacular, especially so because we had bright sunshine but also clouds "flowing" over the mountains: all very dramatic. I remember as a child being driven over this pass with my parents on the way to Venice in about 1958. It was every bit as impressive this time round.

Having experienced the wonders of the Grossglockner pass, one might have expected that the events for the day were almost over. Not so, as we then headed for Zell am See and to the impressive Schloss Kammer at Maishofen for an excellent lunch outside in the glorious sunny weather. We were then treated to a shooting match on the resident range behind the Schloss. Suffice to say that the ladies of our group seemed to do rather better than the men! We had clocked up 122 miles by the time we arrived back at Bad Gastein.

The final chapter of the day was a Gala dinner in one of the magnificent special function rooms at the Hotel Gruner Baum. We met up for drinks in the Apotheke beforehand and then had a very special final meal at this impressive Hotel. Various presentations were made afterwards, particularly the shooting award which went to Ann Cronin. We had a wonderful time and will be eternally grateful for all the hard work put in by the Blumschein family to make our stay at the Gruner Baum so special.