Day 10 - Wednesday July 26 - Innsbruck

By Ellen Outten

It's Day 10 and we are on the downward slope of our trip.

We left the hotel at 8:30 this morning and headed for Innsbruck, home to the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics. Our approach to the town included a look at the ski jump built for the Olympics.  It is very close to town; you would think it would be way out of the town center.  It looks like you jump and land in the city center.  

It's been a good day, several times we could have been rained upon.   

We met a local tour guide in Innsbruck who took us on a two hour walking tour of the old city.  We started with the gardens, right next to the bus parking and worked our way through to the old city.  In the gardens there was a beautiful catalpa tree with a very interesting shape; much of it growing on the ground.  There was a large stone said to have good fung shway (sp?).  You'll see everyone touching the rock for 'good energy' and/or hair growth.  I'm not sure the rock can help in much of these areas. 

Our hotel for the twos in Seefeld Austria 


The garden in Innsbruck 
Barely visible, the funicular making it's way up the mountain 



A catalpa tree growing from the ground in various places
The energy rock in the garden. One of our group hoping for hair energy

Stops along the way included the Hofburg Palace the 16th century palace and home to Maximillian I and Maria Teresa.   From there we toured much of the old city with it's narrow streets and painted buildings.   

The emperor's Palace, home to Maximilian I and Maria Teresa

Entering the old city of Innsbruck 




If there's a resting spot, Wayne will find it


We crossed the Inns river for which the town in named.  Innsbruck, meaning bridge across the Inns river.
It's glacial water,  doesn't look too pretty, but running fast.  Our guide did not suggest we drink it

Back into the old city of Innsbruck




We stopped and went into the Cathedral of St. Jacob.  The inside of the church is beautiful.  I love to look at how ornate these churches are.  This is a baroque style roman catholic church built between 1717 - 1724.  The ceilings all look like domes upon which the frescoes are painted.  We were assured that these 'domes' are flat and the paintings make them look like domes. I didn't quite believe it until we were shown the architectural plans as we were exiting the church.










After our local tour guide left us, we all took the funicular (a word I'm becoming accustomed to) up toward the top of the mountain - the top of Innsbruck.  This train only takes you part of the way up.  From the end of the train ride you transfer to a gondola to take you another 1/4 of the way and then finally to the last gondola which ends at the "Top of Innsbruck".   There was snow on the top of the mountain and yes it was cold.  We were dressed warm and didn't spend a great deal of time up there.   We were lucky to see breaks in the clouds and looking down into the valley of Innsbruck, you could see some of the trails and the center of town.   A very pretty view that Wayne didn't see much of.  He was busy, as usual, counting shoelaces on the gondolas.
















Once again, down in Innsbruck, we were on our own for three hours in town to have lunch on our own and walk around and shop.  By then the old city, a tourist area for sure, was extremely busy.  We were able, with a little walking to find a place for lunch.   I had my first schnitzel of the trip.  Well worth the stop.  After lunch we walked a little, Wayne looking for a dress for his great granddaughter and I looking for, what else, another tote bag for this crazy quilt idea I have in my head.



Dinner tonight is at a mountain hut.  I've picked cheese spaetzle for dinner.  I will be interesting and good, I'm sure.  All of the food so far has been very good.  We've been told to dress very warm.  It will be cold wherever it is we are going.  All I know is that it will be at a higher elevation.

Well, what a surprise tonight!  We met in the hotel living room area as arranged at 6 pm expecting our bus driver, Roland, to drive us to this 'mountain hut'.  It turned out that Sonia, our tour guide arranged for 3 horse drawn wagons to drive us to dinner.   Each wagon / carriage was pulled by two horses and there were eight of us in each wagon.  Lots of fun and laughter on the way to and back.







We pack again tonight; heading to our last hotel for the last three nights with the tour in Saltzburg.    

 

 










Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 26, 2023 at 11:44 AM

    Your detailed accounting makes it feel like we are there along side you.

    ReplyDelete

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