Blogs from Tyrol, Austria, Europe - page 10

We continued on our drive from Munich into Austrian Tyrol. We made our first stop just outside of Innsbruck where we did Water Water Rafting, €38. The water was brutally cold, but we all seemed to have a good time. The group was divided into rafts and then the instructors took the rafters to jump into the water, to get used to the temperature. Then came the rapids. It was surreal watching everyone go down the rapids, until they became nothing but dots on the horizon. The whole process took the group two hours to complete, and then everyone showered quickly and changed so we could go bobsledding on the Olympic Track. Bobsledding cost €28, for one run down the track, I couldn't do it because of my neck, but from what I've been told, it ... read more

Day 37: Innsbruck. I took a train through Switzerland with my face pressed to the window. Mountains and lakes and blue skies. Beautiful. I also ate Swiss chocolate because always. I got to Innsbruck and my couchsurfer met me at the train station. We went back to his flat, and I made lecso, which is a Hungarian dish. It tasted like home. And it was finally healthy non-carby food. Thank god. By the time we finished dinner it was late, so we went to bed. Day 38: Innsbruck. TODAY I HIKED AN ALP. I woke up, had breakfast, and tried to google hikes in Innsbruck. Seriously, why is it so difficult? My couchsurfer pointed me in a good direction to find trails, but he doesn't do a lot of hiking. On my way to a place, ... read more

Heute habe ich mir als Innsbruck im Detail angesehen. Zuerst bin ich zur Hofkirche mit dem Grab Andreas Hofers und dem Sarkophag von Kaiser Maximilian I.. Dann bin ich mit der modernen Drahtseilbahn, welche vom Iraker Zaha Hamid entworfen wurde und einer weiteren Bahn zum Hafelekar auf etwa 2200m gefahren. Dieser Architekt hat auch die Bergisel, die Sprungschanze Innsbrucks, entworfen (die habe ich mir aber heute nicht angesehen). Die Aussicht von diesem Berg war phantastisch. Dann bin ich wieder hinuntergefahren und habe dem Sightseeing-Bus zum Schloss Ambras genommen. Dort habe ich auch bei einem Eiskaffee eine Pause gemacht. Dann bin ich wieder in die Innenstadt. Dort war ich im Innenhof der Hofburg, welche da leider schon geschlossen hatte. Anschliessend habe ich mir den St. Jakobs-Dom angesehen und bin natürlich zum Goldenen Dachl. Gleich daneben ist das ... read more

When Ralf suggested we spend some quiet downtime in the Alps, I knew I'd be in for an amazing treat but I could have never predicted or even now find words to describe just how breathtaking Austria is or the level of hospitality and service shown to us by everybody we encountered there. We stayed at the Seiwald Wellness Hotel. Typically the term "Wellness Hotel", I've learned, means a resort setting that offers spa and sauna services and onsite pool, various saunas, steam rooms, relaxation areas in a beautiful setting in nature. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, In the areas I have visited in Germany and now Austria, saunas are seen as places of healing and tremendous money and care is put into building these facilities. Seiwald Hotel was no exception. The setting was ... read more

This morning Peter and Miriam invited us into Lienz to the local Saturday markets. We wandered through the stalls while Peter and Myriam shopped for some farm fresh vegies. Myriam met Michele in town, one of her friends from Paris and it was such a beautiful day that we all went to a café for morning tea. Peter wanted icecream so he shouted Em to one too – shaped like a snowman! Walking back through the markets, we bought some fresh bread and fruit and Myriam convinced us to buy some of the local pasta for tea – tortellini filled with garlic, herbs and mashed potato. Back to the farm for a late lunch and a bit of down time before Peter’s sister came over for afternoon tea and we were introduced. Em played for a ... read more