National Geographic Traveler - USA (2019-12 & 2020-01)

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DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020 57

47

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82

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IF YOU LIKE

WHY GO NOW

Drive to views once accessible only to

mountaineers

Designed to maximize scenic views,

the serpentine Grossglockner High

Alpine Road is a testament to the value

of taking the long way home. Completed

in 1935, the mountain-pass toll road

packs 36 hairpin curves in its 29-mile

route through Hohe Tauern National

Park, one of central Europe’s largest

protected natural areas. The touring

route allows motorists to experience

pristine high alpine settings previously

accessible only to mountaineers.

The road, named for Austria’s highest

peak, 12,460-foot Grossglockner, runs

north to south across the provinces

of Salzburg, Tyrol, and Carintha, from

Fusch to Heilgenblut. Intended for

savoring, not speeding, the route

features multiple scenic overlooks

and trailheads. Enjoy a leisurely lunch

accompanied by views of 37 peaks and

19 glaciers at the historic Edelweisshütte

inn, built in 1935.

GROSSGLOCKNER

HIGH ALPINE ROAD

ADVENTURE

HOW TO GO

Get discounted toll fees

and help protect the

high-alpine environment

by renting an electric

car. The road has

charging stations at the

beginning and end, and

boasts Austria’s highest

e-charging station. gross

glockner.at/gg/en/index

WHEN

TO GO

A EUROPE

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AN
JUN-
SEP
WHY GO NOW
Because baroque is back!
HOW TO GO
Begin an individual Spanish-language immersion program (1 to 16 weeks)
any Monday of the year at the Spanish Institute of Puebla. sipuebla.com
Built by the Spanish in 1531, Mexico’s fourth-largest city is a bastion of baroque architec-
ture. Puebla’s 100-block city center, a UNESCO World Heritage site, teems with ornate 17th-
and 18th-century buildings. Many are adorned with Talavera tiles: brightly painted clay
mini-masterpieces blending Puebla’s indigenous and European colonial influences. Few
match the opulence of the Church of Santo Domingo’s Capilla del Rosario (above), which is
bathed in 23-karat gold leaf. With the goal of celebrating this art movement, the International
Museum of the Baroque opened in 2016. The following year a 7.1-magnitude earthquake
shook the building but didn’t deter it from its mission. The post-quake period has seen
infrastructure upgrades and new hotels throughout the city. Yet Puebla remains rooted in
tradition. “Puebla is not an international tourist destination,” says Antonio Prado, director of
the Spanish Institute of Puebla. “So you actually get to experience an authentic Mexican city.”
VISIT
PUEBLA
CITIES
19

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46

5 °

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8.

19

83

°^ W

PACIFIC

OCEAN

PACIFIC

OCEAN

NORTH

AMERICA

IF YOU LIKE

GILDED OPULENCE

WHEN TO GO

YEAR-ROUND

MEXICO

AUSTRIA

EPIC MOUNTAINS

VISIT

Puebla’s

17th-century

Chapel of the

Rosary is covered

in gold leaf.