Here and There Blog

Blogger bonus! The clouds hadn't quite moved in so I had the great view of the Tyrolean Alps. The granite and gravel peaks extended out as far as I could see and I get why people love to climb the peaks. This view was replaced by Lake Achensee which looked much better from the window than the photo suggests. This seems like the perfect summer getaway for locals.

Some final thoughts as I prepare to leave Innsbruck. What's it like for a tourist? The city is small and compact, you can't get lost. The setting is beautiful. Overall it's not burdened by must-see sights and instead, invites you to walk along the river, hang out in the park or find outdoor tables and sip a drink and people watch. I've had three days here and I didn't do a lot and that was okay. The purpose of this stop was to decompress before meeting up with my cruise group. In that, Innsbruck succeeded. I probably could have used one more day but when you're planning trip it's always a judgement call at the time of booking. So I'll leave you with my big tip if you ever get here. Look up to the door frames and building walls. According to the wonder of google, this is the most visited spot in town. Actually the golden roof seemed a bit underwhelming but when I saw it later in the morning light it was quite nicely framed in the historic district. This w...

Innsbruck has to be one of the cleanest cities in Europe.  Most of the murals are historical and while I've seen tagging and ugly graffiti, it's been limited and looks like it's painted over quickly. Wanting to see something besides the usual sights led me to wander in search of likely spots. The train station - nope. Place was fairly clean. Bus depot - nope. Also clean. Slightly looking like the bad side of town bar area that was really pretty darn clean - nope. Finally a tunnel. One tunnel. So here you are! Impressive? Eye of the beholder. Feeling like I hit the jackpot after 45 minutes of walking in the hot sun? Absolutely!

One of the great features of most City Cards is the bundle of smaller museums that you wouldn't normally go into. Such is the case with the Innsbruck Card where I decided to take advantage of the inclusion and check out the what turned out to be a fascinating working Bell Shop. Founded as a shop (not museum) in 1599, the bell-foundry is still with the family today. The exhibits give a detailed yet easy to absorb history of bell making from the early centuries to the evolution of today's classic bells. Fun facts learned today:  The first bell was produced in China in 3000  B.C. While we now associate bells with churches, Christianity didn't allow bells until the 2nd century since the pagan's loved bell ringing. Huh. That was a surprise. The biggest bell in the world is the Czar Kolokol in Russia.

First the backstory. In about a week I'll be boarding a cruise ship (this year's Cruise Trek) in Romania. When I booked the flight many months ago, I had a brilliant idea to go in a week early to Vienna and use it as a base to spend a few nights each in Albania and Bosnia. Fast forward to 6 weeks ago and the Covid restrictions, flight schedules, and hotel prices made me give up. Changing the flight to Vienna would result in penalties and possibly fare increases so I made the best of it and thought, where can I go in Austria where I've never been? Innsbruck, hmm. Can I get a free flight from Vienna? Yes! Can I get a free hotel room? Yes. Check! The city is picture perfect though. Nestled in a valley between two mountain ranges, it's green, colorful, and everything you could want a place to be when the purpose is total work decompression. No major sightseeing, no expectations. You, a city and a view. It's walkable and small. You've got to look up, left and right, ...