Blogs from Tyrol, Austria, Europe - page 4

We've had the perfect biking day today. It was coolish but not cold and the bike trail went through some beautiful countryside. The Zillertal valley that we left is well worth returning to but time does not permit to explore it. Out of Strass we passed several ruins and castles until we reached Rattenberg which we stopped at to view the notable old town dating back to the 12th century. On the hill behind the town is a ruined castle or fort below which is the small but delightful town complete with alleys, cobbled streets, archways and a touristy main street with many glassware shops. We indulged in a very nice "kaffe und kuchen" from Hackers which is renowned for it's lovely cakes and pastries. From hereon it was full speed ahead through lovely countryside until ... read more

It's a drizzly day in Innsbruck with temps like spring at home but never mind, it's not too hot! We set off to walk and see what eventuated. The hotel isn't far from the Old Town centre so we were soon into narrow alley ways, palaces, churches and old town houses with their intricate doors and frescoes. Also, there were the inevitable bus tour groups crowding this area! We figured they visited the Old Town, then the Swarovski factory and moved on, city by city throughout Europe. Central Innsbruck is really lovely and is a must see even though we've been here before. It is set in the Inn valley between high mountains on both sides with a narrow plain in between. We walked through the town, out the old town gate and on towards the ... read more

Tren de las 6:30 con llegada a mittenwald a las 8:30. De aquí cuest arriba a Leutasch y de ahí a Telfs llaneando y para abajo. Ruta nueva. A eso del mediodía ya estaba en el valle del Inn, con calor y algo de viento a favor y camino conocido e llegado pronto a la entrada del Pitztal. De ahí ruta nueva de nuevo, cruzar el Pillerhohe. Con 1600m se debería llamar Pillerpass. Aquí arriba hay unas vistas fantásticas. Desde hace 3000 años aquí se hacían ofrendas a los dioses. Para abajo por una cuesta mortal hacia Kauns (igual debería haber hecho una ofrenda...). Y una vez abajo el valle clásico de la ruta a St Moritz. Llano y carril bici. A pesar de que el plan original era dormir arriba del siguiente paso, como he ... read more

Today we drove to the lovely Austrian Tyrol, to Hall in Tyrol near Innsbruck. Gorgeous blue sky for a gorgeously scenic drive. First of all we drove along the lake, West towards Lienz where we could have taken a route via Italy and the Dolomites but opted for the Austrian Alps instead. Then to Mittersil, north to Kitzbuhel and St Johann in Tyrol. Last stretch was West to Innsbruck via Worgl. We went over mountains, round mountains, through a couple and were for almost all of the day surrounded by the most stunning scenery. Mountains in every direction, snow topped often, rocky crags, fields full of wild flowers, Heidi chalets bedecked with bright flowers, waterfalls tumbling down the mountain sides, cows with bells a jangling, deep valleys, ski resorts and chair lifts, villages and towns nestling ... read more

Hello you folks This could be the last blog for a few days as the weather forcast for this region is dior. I know I've been sending quite a few mountain scenes, so maybe you are getting a little tired of those. So Gloria and I walked around the village we are staying in and I took a few of the holiday apartments around us. There is not a straight ar flat street anywhere in the village. This is pretty much an unknown region for Americans. Mostly there from Holland and Germany. So here you go till the next blog as ever Lowell... read more