Europe 2005

     We arrived in Innsbruck at 8:30 P.M. and were wowed by the huge, modern train station! The station even had a free email kiosk! We wrote a few emails and then set out to find a place to sleep. We stepped out into the brisk night air of Innsbruck and began walking the great streets of the European crossroads. It wasn’t long before we found a nice looking hotel, the Hotel Europa Tyrol, where we inquired about a room. We were warmly greeted and checked in by a friendly staff, and even though the room was more expensive then our previous hotels, at 140 EURO, it was worth the extra money. The room was great, and they even had free internet access in the lobby for hotel guests, so we surfed for a little while and then turned in for a good night’s sleep.

     Innsbruck, located along the banks of the River Inn, is richly endowed with fantastic buildings, beautiful churches, and magnificent scenery. We awoke in Innsbruck to a wonderful day and set out to explore the “Old Town”, or Altstadt, which is an urban hiker’s delight. The main thoroughfare is the 17^th century street Maria-Theresien-Strasse, where you can base walking tours of several famous landmarks, including Goldenes Dachl, Hofkirche, Triumphpforte, and the Stadtturm.

     Goldenes Dachl, or Golden Roof, is in fact a façade added to the front of an old palace. It is beautifully decorated with reliefs of Emperor Maximilian I, and is topped with thousands of gilt copper tiles-hence the name. Early morning photography is not the best at this city sight because the roof is in the shadows of other buildings, so if you want to get the sparkle of the golden roof then be sure to time your photography for the afternoon. After sight-seeing at the Goldenes Dachl, walk across the square to the Stadtturm, or Town Tower, to climb the 148 steps of this 187 foot tall watchtower. The tower was built in the 1400’s and it provides an amazing bird’s-eye view of, not only the Goldenes Dachl, but the entire city of Innsbruck.

     The Hofkirche, or Court Church, was definitely one of the most impressive churches that we visited on our Europe trip. Inside you will find the empty tomb of Maximilian I, an impressive black marble masterpiece of German Renaissance sculpture. Surrounding the tomb are twenty-eight larger-than-life bronze statues. These represent ancestors and peers of Maximilian, and they were sculpted by the best artists of the time, including Albrecht Dürer, who is responsible for many of the statues, most notably the legendary King Arthur. According to many experts, this is the finest statue of a Renaissance knight anywhere in the world.

     Last, but not least, among our landmark tour was the Triumphpforte, a splendid arch built in 1765. The arch spans the road and is one of Innsbruck’s most recognizable sights.

     After our landmark tour we decided it was time for lunch. You can sample a wide variety of Austrian and Tyrolean specialties in Innsbruck, but sometimes you just want McDonald’s! A hamburger royal, pommes frites, and a supersize diet Coke loaded with ice really hit the spot!

     Now that we were all jazzed up on caffeine and calories we set out for the mountains. The dramatic Nordkette Mountains surround the city of Innsbruck, and are easily accessible to all who visit. All you need to do is locate the Hungerburgbahn and the Nordkettenbahn at the corner of Rennweg and Kettenbrücke, here two funiculars will whisk (well more like slowly drag) you up the mountain. These two connecting systems will take you all the way to 7,657 foot Hafelekar. The Hungerburgbahn is the lower portion of the funicular and it takes you from the river up to Hohen, located in the foothills of the Nordkette Mountains. On this lovely mountain plateau you will then catch the Nordkettenbahn destined for Seegrube, and then on to Hafelekar. The trip up to Seegrube follows the precipitous slopes of Hungerburg Mountain, an especially enchanting scene when the peaks are covered in snow. At the Seegrube station you get wide sweeping views of Innsbruck before boarding a gondola headed for the top. The steep ride to Hafelekar has wonderful panoramas of the jagged Alpine peaks. Both Seegrube and Hafelekar are located within the world class ski resort Nordpark. It was absolutely breath-taking watching the skiers and snowboarders drop off of unbelievably steep routes! Once at the top we did a short hike amid the falling snow and then boarded the gondola for the return journey. The Nordkette Mountains are also a prize destination for summer hiking, so once again we vowed to return and hike the long distance trails.

On to Germany

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