Innsbruck, Austria – Day 1
We woke up early today and headed straight to the Innsbruck Altstadt (old city). We hopped on a bus that took us to Igls, a small town on the outskirts of Innsbruck. From there, we walked to the even smaller village of Patsch, and boarded the Patscherkofelbahn – a cable car that took us partly up Mt. Patscherkofel. It was a beautiful, sunny morning, and the view to the surrounding Alps was amazing! We began hiking through the Zirbenweg trail on the mountain, stopping to take pictures and examine the wildlife. As we began our hike, we literally walked into two cows meandering down the trail. They were kind enough to let me photograph them. I was amazed at just how many cows were on the mountainside. You could here the cowbells clanging from all directions.
The first hour of the hike was fairly flat, however we were both very happy to reach our first destination – the Boscheben mountain hut. We had a fantastic meal of wurst, dumplings, and kraut, all the while admiring the scenery of the mountains from our picnic table. After lunch, we both felt energized, so we decided to tackle the summit. It was a bit tougher than we expected; however, it was well worth the hike. At a height of 7, 382 feet, the summit provided us a view of Innsbruck that was breathtaking.
As we descended the mountain, we went off the beaten path and made a steep climb downhill. It was brutal on the knees, and we were both very tired at the end of our 3.5 hour hike! We hopped back on the cable car, and returned to Innsbruck. Once there, we grabbed some ice cream and wandered through the Altstadt.
We happened upon the Goldenes Dachl, the Golden Roof, which covers a balcony overlooking the square below. It was created for Emperor Maxilimian during the 16th century so he could watch the tournaments in the square. The roof is indeed covered in 2,657 gold-plated tiles, hence the name. We admired the roof as we finished up our ice cream.
I am not quite sure what we were thinking when we decided to climb the stairs of the Statturm (City Tower), a former prison cell which was built in 1450. It must have been the catchy sign outside the entrance that beckoned us – “only 148 steps to a panoramic view of the city!” 148 grueling steps later, and we were afforded the promised 360-degree view of Innsbruck. Though my legs were shaking, the climb was worth the reward. The view was impressive, and we enjoyed people watching from atop the tower.
After snapping some pictures, we decided to make one last sightseeing stop before heading back to the hostel. A few blocks away we entered Dom zu St. Jakob (St. James’ Cathedral), which was rebuilt from 1717 to 1724. Though much smaller than the cathedral in Salzburg, it was no less impressive. The marble work alone was astonishing – many different colored marble slabs were used to create the effect of panels around the altars. Like the Salzburg Cathedral, the interior is decorated in a Baroque style. We enjoyed exploring the interior of the cathedral, admiring the details of the art and stonework.
At this point, we were exhausted, so we headed back to the hostel and took a nap. We woke just long enough to go out and grab some dinner, but then it was back to the hostel for a much-needed night of rest. We are both excited to explore more of Innsbruck tomorrow!
