EUROPE TRIP ‘19 - INCREDIBLE TIME IN IGLS & INNSBRUCK
Road to Innsbruck.
When we were planning this trip, we had a few options for traveling in and between the countries and cities. We decided on the more expensive option, and hired a car. A big chunk of our budget went into the car hire, but boy oh boy was that worth the money.
Once we arrived at a destination, we usually parked the car, and then went out and used the public transport, as most of the cities were not designed for cars dating back hundreds of years.
The road trips we took in between our destinations was what made the car hire worthwhile as this gave us some options. We could take the less traveled back routes and could stop on a whim for picnics & foudies. Most of the time (when not pushed for time) we took the scenic route.
As we are from the city, we adored the countryside. Massive blobs of green fields, with rivers and flowers to compliment them. The odd castle-like building and bridge would remind me of cildwood fairytales.
Small towns were scattered all around where livestock would be kept in or around the yards. Most of the time, the small but stunning church tower would spike over the town.
We stopped at “resting spot” called Trofana Tyrol. This is an ideal spot to stretch our legs, eat something, and stock up on padkos (road-trip snacks). Although we had to pay (our first of many) to use the toilets, this was an unexpected bliss for our long day on the road.
Apartment Gisi.
We kinda had a love-hate relationship with Apartment Gisi (more love than hate). Let me start with the “hate” part of the relationship. The shower and bathroom were very small and unpractical (sorry, forgot to take photos as proof). The linen was quite old, and scratchy, although it could be that Hotel Turna spoiled us too much the previous two nights. Although the kitchen was a little bigger than a cupboard, we did not need anything more and was surprisingly comfortable.
Where can I start with everything we loved?
The owners did quite a bit of effort trying to make it as homely as possible. They had some welcome drinks and yummy sweets. They even had a shelf full of books, maps, and information about Innsbruck. This made planning our next few days so much easier.
Our apartment for the next few days’ main advantages was its location. Nestled between Kurpark and a river, this ensured that you always had a backtrack of birds, and water running. It was walking distance of the bus station, and most importantly on top of the best pizza joint, we’ve ever been.
But a bit more on the pizza joint, park and Igls in just a bit.
Igls.
Igls is a charming town (our favorite in Austria), 5km outside of Innsbruck. Here you can expect small shops, handmade products, lots of nature, and even the Bergisel Ski Jump Stadium. This has mainly been used during the Winter Olympics that’s been hosted by Innsbruck three times already. Bergisel has a 50m high ski jump with a restaurant and viewing platform. Unfortunately, this was one of the many things we ran out of time to do.
The parks and woods are probably the best part of Igls. In Igls backyard, there’s a network of 45 routes. It has 283km’s signed routes for walking, running, and we even saw horseback riding.
Although it rained so much (most of our stay), we did manage to go for some strolls in the park. We managed to see loads of birds, and at least 2 types of squirrels. While in the woods, late one afternoon, trying my best (but not succeeding at all) to capture this natural masterpiece with the camera.
The last bit of Igls that needs mentioning is Venezia Pizzeria. Although the restaurant has no apparent theme going, it was warm and inviting. As mentioned earlier, this is probably the best pizza we have ever had. Even while going through and sorting my photos for the post, my mouth started watering all over again when I got to these pics.
Innsbruck.
While we’re still on the topic of food. Austria is probably one of the best places to go when it comes to food and drinks. Their cold meats, apple ciders, hot chocolate made with real dark chocolate and pastries are all heaven for our tastebuds.
More specifically I have to point out “Der Bäcker Ruetz”. We unfortunately only had a coffee and filled doughnut each, and never went back to try any of their other yummies.
As I have mentioned earlier, it was raining buckets full. We never complain, as we love the rain, but at some point anybody feels like hiding from the rain a bit.
We purchased the “Innsbruck Card” mainly because this makes use of public transport that much easier and cheaper. With this card, you get some attractions included.
This brings me back to the rainy day. Trying to escape the wet just a bit we decided pop into “Museum Goldenes Dachl” . Although it was put together beautifully, it bored me as I’m not much for history and museums.
We did however enjoyed visiting the St James Cathedral, mainly to admire the architecture and detail on the inside.
The city of Innsbruck itself is just amazing. It has so much water, in shapes of rain (as mentioned ?), rivers (has 97 bridges), and loads of water fountains to drink from.
The variety of stores has something for everybody. From a small little Vinyl Bar, curio for old and young, and probably the most impressive Tourist Info Centre we have ever seen. We even got a sneak peak of how big Swarovski is in Austria by visiting the first store. We will be visiting Swarovski Kristallenwelten later.
Im going to let a few (ok, maby more than a few) of photos show you more about Innsbruck . From their intriguing doors, their people and love for animals. I also have to send out a warning. I got a bit obsessed with photographing bicycles and Vespas as they are just so photogenic.
At the Top of Innsbruck
Our last adventure was probably the most unexpected and started with a bit of a disappointment. We had loads of plans, but a lot of them came to a halt due to low season. This meant, downtime and maintenance for some attractions. This day was no different, as our initial mission to go up Patscherkofel. This ended up in a trip to Top of Innsbruck on the Nordkette.
A cable car took us up to Hungerburg (860m above sea level), and due to bad weather, it was absolutely miserable. We then took another cable car even higher to Seegrube (1905m above sea level). Here the weather was still miserable, but it was white everywhere, and more white falling from the sky. I felt like a kid in a candy store, as the snow lying on the ground was fresh. It felt like foam, only colder and a bit heavier. What we did not realize, is how bright it can be, and for T who forgot his sunglasses, it was almost unbearable outside. We ended this adventure soon enough just as all the tour groups started arriving.
Although I complained quite a bit about the miniture shower and scratchy linen, we wished we could stay longer. I missed my family dearly during this stay, as I think they would have loved it, but to us, it was the best part of our trip.
We can not wait to go back, and explore all that we have missed out on due to lack of time.
Luckily though we still have a few stops left, so the adventure is far from ove
Wandering off now…
T & Me
