Innsbruck, Austria

We had a 4-day weekend right after Halloween, so we decided to go to Austria.  We are 4 hours from Innsbruck, and another 1:45 to Salzburg.  Ben did pretty well in the car.  He was awake more than I expected him to be, but he entertained himself with books and toys.

We were supposed to go east through Italy, then north to Innsbruck, but our car decided to send us on the scenic route through the mountains in Switzerland.  This added another half hour to our trip, but it was really pretty.  We drove through a lot of snow at the high elevations.  

Unfortunately, it delayed us just enough that we couldn’t really do anything that afternoon because all of the museums close at 5.  We were still able to walk around, get some schnitzel, and see the cute town and the outdoor sights.

 Old Town

 The Golden roof.  It was a balcony where the important people could watch everything going on in the square- festivals, executions, etc.

 

 Old Town

 

The full moon with the river and the Cathedral.

The next morning was a little rainy, but by the time we were ready to go out, it had stopped.  We went to the Dom St. Jakob, which is the Cathedral of St. James.  It was built in the early 1700's in the baroque style, meaning very fancy and ornate.

After lunch, which was a cross between Indian and Italian (there is much more variety here than in Italy), it started to clear up, and we were able to go up the mountain tram.  We went underground to board, and the track surfaced just in time to cross the river and begin our ascent.  The total journey to the top took three different lines.  The funicular brought us to the Hungerburg, at 860 meters above sea level.  Then a cable car brought us to the 1905-meter-high Seegrube, and another cable car took us all the way to the top, 2256-meter-high (7400') Hafelekar.  At the first stop, it was so sunny that it felt warmer than in town.  At the second stop, it was a little chilly.  The the final stop, it was really windy and cold.

At the first stop, overlooking Innsbruck and the Inn river.

 At the second stop.

 At the very top of the mountain.  Not the tallest mountain in the Alps, but tall enough to be freezing cold, snowy, and windy.  You know it's cold when Tim puts on his scarf.

Looking down the cable for the cable car.

When we got back down the mountain, we left for Salzburg.