Sunday 8 September 2013

In Innsbruck

We caught the bus from Liechtenstein this morning back into Switzerland, in order to take the train back through Liechtenstein to Austria.  After a couple of hours travelling with the Swiss train system ÖBB, in which I managed to get rid of most of our last remaining Swiss franc coins on coffees and hot chocolates, and in which we were witness to impressive mountain scenery, we arrived in the pretty Austrian city of Innsbruck.

Many towns and cities in German-speaking Europe look quaint, pretty, and, really, like something out of a fairy tale.  Innsbruck, with its fair share of Gothic buildings and mountains on all sides, is rather like that.  I hadn't realised before that Innsbruck takes its name from 'Brücke', meaning 'bridge' and from the river Inn.  So, it means the bridge over the river Inn.  We're staying in the Gasthof Innbrücke, which is just near the actual bridge over the Inn.  While the city is lovely, the bridge itself  is rubbish to look at.

I had my first Apfelstrudel (apple strudel) on this trip, while Jean had a cheesecake with apple topping for afternoon tea.  I actually had tea to drink.  Sadly, German-speaking people have never got their tea right.  The tea they serve to customers in cafes or guests in hotels is tea with fruity flavours, and peppermint is a common one.  Or it's herbal.  Ugghh, this is not tea!  Tea needs to be English Breakfast or something similar. 

We stepped into the Tourist Information Office, and enquired about taking the chairlift tomorrow up a nearby mountain, which offers spectacular views over the city and many other peaks.  But the lady told me the weather is expected to be bad tomorrow.



The Austrian city of Innsbruck
The river Inn
Innsbruck with its mountainous backdrop
Looking north along the river 
Lovely city, not so flash-looking bridge
Our hotel, Gasthof Innbrücke, has a slight lean.

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