Innsbruck

Dan and Ryan both had Thursday and Friday off from work/school in honor of German Reunification Day, and Friday was Dan's birthday, so we decided to head out of town for a few days.  We are still trying to keep our heads above water, in terms of getting into the groove of school, work, daily life, and managing in our temporary one-bedroom apartment (we should be moving to our new house next week!), so we didn't do a lot of planning. 

Our original plan was to go to Cinque Terre, Italy, but there were no rooms available!  Instead we decided on a whirlwind trip to Innsbruck, Austria, for one night, then on to Lake Como (Menaggio), Italy, for two nights.  We thought this would be feasible, since Google Maps said that it would be 2 hours to Innsbruck, then 4 hours to Menaggio, the 4 hours back home.  Unfortunately Google Maps lies!  It took six hours to get to Innsbruck!  Six hours to Menaggio! Six hours back home!!  Not to mention that our dear GPS took us on the most treacherous roads I have ever been on in my life!!!
We finally made it to Innsbruck, located our hotel, and found that despite the less-than-appealing décor, we had a fantastic view!!

 

View from our room at the Golden Krone Hotel

Triumphal Arch was built in 1765

 

 

We decided to go explore the city and try to find some dinner.  Maximilian I designated Innsbruck as the capital of Tyrol in the 1400s and has hosted the winter Olympics twice (1964 and 1976).  There were a lot of people out and about, and Innsbruck had a very urban feel to it.  The people seemed to be either elderly tourists or teenagers getting ready for an evening on the town. 

We did marvel at the vivid turquoise waters of the Inn River, which my IPhone photography didn't do justice.  We ate dinner at a café next to the river, which had a great view, and decent food. 

The next day we decided to go to the top of Norkette Mountain.  To get to the summit(7,657 feet), we first took a funicular, then two cable-cars.  The kids loved the journey, and the idea of going up to have lunch in the clouds.  There was an Alpine Zoo at one of the funicular stops, so we spent an hour walking around there before continuing our journey to the top.  The top of the mountain was completely engulfed by clouds, so there wasn't a view down to the city, but the scenery was still breathtaking.  There was a small restaurant up at the top, where we ate lunch, then headed back down the mountain so we could get on the road to Lake Como.

Dan and our 'mountain goats'

I think Ryan is loopy from lack of oxygen!

 

Treacherous!

These kids are NOT afraid of heights!

 

 

We had a fun day in Innsbruck, and probably would have needed another day or two to get a better feel for the city.  Even though we didn't get to see everything, we are happy to have gotten a glimpse, and may return again in the future.

 

Tomorrow I will work on the trip report of beautiful Lake Como.  Ciao!