Day 7 - On to Innsbruck
After enjoying one last sumptuous & included breakfast we departed for Innsbruck on our own again. We'll meet our hiking buddies in a couple of days.
Again we searched for some flaw in the Austrian landscape. Again we we in awe of this green garden.
Innsbruck is a little more down to business than the more touristy old cities of Salzburg and Vienna. Innsbruck is about skiing (remember the 1964 Winter Olympics?) and the university. Both Vienna and Salzburg host large downtown universities, but we experienced larger old cities in Vienna and Salzburg. No worries. We look forward to some hiking more than the old-city stroll.
First stop, Nordketten. One funicular, two cable cars and a 10-minute hike later we were at the official Top of Innsbruck. Might as well start at the top. The journey rewarded us with jaw-dropping views from 7,400 feet. We've climbed higher, but the colors here are just so intense. It reminded us of Mont Blanc. Colors and the fact that the mountains are so steep. We were just at 1800 feet a few minutes ago.
Throughout Austria we've felt a bit of laid back attitude toward life. As in the time we followed people from one cable car to the other only to discover they were immediately retuning down. (Huh?! Who does that?) The gatekeeper let us exit the back way. In Germany I'd expect to find the ticket officer flustered and require a new ticket purchase. It seems that even the sky can't maintain any crankiness. All week we've found only one little angry cloud.
The hotel was chosen for location, reviews and price. We found a big bonus. Before it became a Best Western the Goldener Adler was a hangout for Goethe, one of my favorite authors. I had not expected this connection. Most of Goethe's life centered around Frankfurt and Weimar, Germany.
Into the mountains tomorrow...