Day 12: 09/09/15

Had lazy start to the day with a lie in. After breakfast we got the bus  to Brixen and went up the mountain to Filzamsee. Among with the cows saw some pigs on the mountain for the first time. Walked round the lake and watched Neptune raise from it's depths. We then continued on to Hochsoll.Surprisingly, as I thought school had started it still seems to be full of kids. There was also a small display of old tractors, and a tractor made of straw bales. Walked up the hill to Salvenmoos for lunch and a look at their goats, one of whom had a very impressive set of horns.

After lunch we walked back dowm through the Hexenwasser, stopping for the odd play and to visit the treehouse. My inner child is alive and well. We then caught the gondola up to the top. On the way up experinced a sudden stop, but arrived at the top safely. We then caught the gondola down the other side. Relaxed in the sunshine of the garden at the roundell.   Wallked the long way round to the traim station to see if there had been any changes, there hasn't been a lot the bullet is still empty.

Went to Glockenspiel for a pre dinner drink and then to the Eggerwirt for a posh meal out with wine. My dinner had an autumnal taste to it with pumpkin soup, venison snitzchel in mushroom sauce and apple strudel. After dinner we finished the night of in Flannigans and Sigi's.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness

Day 11: 8/9/15 Andrew's Birthday

Decided to challenage myself this morning and went for a run up the mountain. This quickly turned into more running than walking. Got to just above the start of the finish schuss of the Hannenkamm race when I ran out of way markers, so decided to start heading day. Salvaged some pride by running the downhill bit and a loop of the park on the way back.

After breakfast we set of to walk along the valley to the Fleckalm bahn. We walked past Schwarzsee, the black lake, so called because of the mud in it, which is meant to be very beneficial. The ducks certainly looked happy and healthy. There seemed to be a lot of cyclists about tha we kept having to dodge.

Took the Fleckham bahn lift up to the top. At the top there was quite a crowd of people enjoying the view. There was also a spinning wheel which would tell you how long it would take to walk for various places. Headed along the path back towards Hannekamm and stoped at Hannenkamm Sturbel for lunch. Andrew got a slice of cake with a candle in it to celebrate his birthday. Got the lift down and had a rest.

The evening started out at O' Flannigans, with some free beers. We then headed to Sigi's where the birthday drink was in a smaller glass and not so nice tasting. Feeling hungry we went to Zinkrug, where Andrew had his favourite dinner of pizza. Finished the night of at the glockenspiel.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness

Day 10: 7/9/15 Kitzbuhel

In an effort to of set all the drink and food I am consuming I went for a run this morning. The hills here are steeper than in Coventry and the views are certainly more breathtaking, they left me with no breath at all! By the finish was feeling very unfit but when I checked the time against running the same route last year I was four minutes faster, which made me feel a lot better.

After breakfast we went and got our lift passes and headed up the mountain. Had a nice four mile walk with various types of terrain and levels of steepness up and down which gave Andrew plenty of opportunity to experiment with his new walking poles. Stopped for lunch at the Hannenkamm Stuberl, which due to it not being very sunny was very full inside. Got back to the top of the lift just as the first few drops of rain came. We had coffee and cake before heading back for a rest.

In the evening headed out for a drink at O'Flannigans and Sigis. Ended up having a Sigis burger for dinner  I had the juicy lucifer, which had four types of cheese inside the burger and a spicy sauce. We then headed back into town. Had a beer at a bar that was very quiet then went to Glockenspiel. Here Andrew was persuaded to stay up to see his birthday in, which involved the consumption of several schnapps and flugherls, the singing of happy birthday, flowers and sparkler candles. After that it was definitely time for bed.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness

Day 9: 6/9/15 Innsbruck to Kitzbuhel

Enjoyed our final posh hotel breakfast of this trip before checking out and going to the station to catch the train to Kitzbuhel. We had an uneventful journey, changing trains ar Worgl with no problems. On arrival at Snowbunnys we were greeted by the newest residents ducks, who have their own paddling pool on the lawn, �� and rabbits ��.

After having got unpacked a bit and settled in, went for a walk round town. Unfortunatly the cafe for coffee and cake was shut, so imstead we went to Huberbrau for lunch. After lunch spent the afternoon relaxing and watching the grand prix. Afterwards we headed our in search  of liquid refreshment. Our first stop was the Irish bar owned by a yorkshire man and a lancastrian O'flannigans. For once they were being Irish and showing the hurling final. Now, thats a strange sport, I can't even understand the scoreboard!

Next we headed onto Sigi's, which was very quiet. We then headed on to the Glockenspiel, which had a few more people in. We had a couple of drinks there, but as their kitchen was closed,we headed next door to Huberbrau to eat. Had a very nice meal and got chatting to an Irish couple that joined us at our table. Over several drinks we discussed religion, the refugee crisis and politics. The evening's irish theme was rounded of when someone came in with an Irish wolfhound. The dog nearly came up to my hips, and was fluffy and very lovely, letting me give it lots of strokes.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness

Day 8: 5/9/15 We're Going On A Bear Hunt

Woke to an unusual sound after last weeks weather, water falling from the sky. Lingered over what was a very good breakfast in the hope the rain would clear.  Fish has been missing from t breakfast buffets so far this trip but this morning I had a choice of smoked salmon, smoked trout and herring, and a glass of bubbly to accompany it. My coffee came in what looked like an antique silver coffee pot, it could have come straight out kf Downton.

Top of my list to do in Innsbruck was a visit to the Alpenzoo, and it's bears. However given the weather decided to start by visiting the Hofkirch. The church houses a massive cenotaph to Emperor Maximillian. The cenotoph takes up most of the nave and is surrounded by giant bronze figures of past great leaders including a  Arthur,  King of Englamd. I didn't think Arthur ever ruled England and fought against the english.

Had a look around the round the museum next door which contained displays about tryolean life and handcrafts. It included a display of nativity scenes, some of which were I suspect not entirely reliable  whilst some must seemed slightly strange. There were also displays about life and death and the festivals that are celebrated in tyrol through the year.

When we came out it was stll raining, so we then went to the tram museum. We arrived just in time to go for a ride on one of the old trams they were running. Have to say the new ones feel a lot smother, but it was still a nice way to see some of Innsbruck. The museum itself was very small with photographs and documents about the development of Innsbruck tram network.

The rain had begun to show signs of begining to ease and Andrew's shoes showed signs of leaking. So we went back to the hotel for Andrew to change his shoes. Then we headed to the Alpenzoo, the zoo is part way up the mountain outside Innsbruck. To get there we caught the kettlebell mountain railway, which acts as a ski lift in winter. The zoo itself was bigger than I expected, we saw fish and toads and lizzards as well  as wolves and wild boar. There was a small collection of domesticated animals, cows, pigs,goats, chicken etc. There were also a few unexpected things, one being the tombstone of a man from Coleshill, the other a moose. However the zoo kept the best to last, walking down the path to the viewing point of an enclosure, I turned the corner and found myself face to face with a bear! The bear kept coming up to the window to say hello. Andrew eventually managed to drag me away from bear watching and we headed back to the hotel for a break before dinner.

We dined at the Theressien Brau. As they had pork knucle on the menu Andrew was very happy. The bar brews it's own beer which tastes very nice. The bar blends traditonal beer hall with a modern industrial feel from pipes running across the ceiling and making up the shelving around the bar. After dinner we just headed back to the hotel bar for a couple of beers beforw bed.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness

Day 7: Verona to Innsbruck

After breakfast checked out the  hotel and headed to the train station. Our train for Innsbruck  left on time.  We had some great mountain views as we headed through the alps. After my first visit to Italy here are some things I noticed about it:
1.) There are lots of mopeds
2.) You don't need any special clothing except a helmet to ride a moped, sundress and flip flops will do.
3.) It's more a cafe bar culture, than a bar culture.
4.) If you just order coffee, you will get expresso.
5.) Cars don't stop at pedestrian crossings unless you've actually started crossing the road.

As we got closer to the Italian/Ausrtrian border, there wasan obvious increased police presence at some srations. There were no problems until we got to Brenner. There was a group lf about 8-10 young african men on the platform, and police standing by the train. The men made no attempt to get on the train until anothe passager started telling them the train was going to Munich and encouraging them to get on. The police then got on the train and made them get of again saying they didn't have tickets or passports. This delayed us a little but we weren't too late arriving into Innsbruck.

The weather had turned cloudy. After checking into the hotel, the Grand Europa, which for Chalet School fans is where Madge and Joey stay when they first come to Austria, I set out to buy new shoes. My old ones had disintegrated in Rome, but up till now I had been living in sandals.

After having got new shoes we found a cafe next door to the shop and celebrated arriving in Austria with coffee and cake. We  then had a walk around the Old Town. Innsbruck is surounded by mountains, so you find yourself looking down a main shopping street and seeing a mountain at the end. Most of Old Town hada "hapsburg"  style to it, although some areas do have modern buildings mixed in as well. Eventually found a bar to have a drink, which had a large mental bird in it.

Decided it was time for something to eat, so found a nice beer hall type place for some good austrian food. After dinner we decided to see where else we could find. Walking away from the restraunt, we spotted a sign 20 craft beers, craft beer in Austria, what was this? We headed down the steps into the cellar, to be greeted by whitewashed walls with pictures painted on them. Passing through a door we entered the bar. At one end of the long narrow room comfy sofas and stools were placed around a table of packing cases. Beer taps gleamed in a row on the bar, whilst a screen listed the elixers available. Beers from Austria, Germamy, Denmark, Holland and others. Should I try the monks elixer, maybe not at 10%. Settled for an Austrian brewed summer ale. It gleamed golden in the glass, the taste dancing across my tongue.
Emerging later into the moonlight, we headed for the hotel and bed.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness

Day 6: 3/9/15 Verona

Had breakfast at the hotel then set out to explore the sights of Verona. We began by walking to Castel Veldicchio. The castle had been in militrary use until the 1920's when it was turned into a museum and nkw houses Verona's fine art collection. We didn't go into the museum but had a look around the courtyard which includes remains from an earlier building, possibily 4th, century. We then walked across the castle  bridge to the other side of the river. We walked along the river bank to the roman theatre. Parts of the site were closed for earthquake protection work. However we were still able to see the amphitheatre and climb through the ruins to see the views from the top.

After we came down, we climbed back up even further to Castel San Pietro. The castel is shut to the public, but the views from the top were well worth the climb. Stopped on the way down at a bar for some much neeeded refreshment with a drink of very delicious lemon soda.

Back down at the bottom we crossed over the old bridge and made our way to the cathedral. The current cathedral is built on the site of previous churches, with some parts still well preserved. In one of the older parts is a 12th century baptismal fonr of carved wood. It is a suitable size for full imersion baptisms and looks much  better than the paddling pools I've seen used.

Aftere the cathedral began a search for food. After much wandering of the streets we found a place called Cafe Monte Baldo. They offered two tasting menus, a valpolicella one and  a soave one, with each course matched with a different valpolicella or soave wine. Andrew had the valpolicella one, whilst I tried the soave one. My first course was spaghetti with clams,  whilst Andrew had papperdella with duck and both came with excellent wines. My second course was cuttle fish and prawns with polentra. It was the first time I had tried cuttle fish or polenta and I must admit I wasn't that keen on them. The prawns and the wine were very nice. Andrew had veal for his main course, along with another excellent wine. We then had an almond biscuity cake thing with delicious dessert wine and finished with coffee.

We began to amble back to the hotel and on the way came across Juliet's balcony. Quite how it can be hers when she didn't exist, except in Shakespere's imagination, I am not sure. However something in the story obbiously speaks to people given the crowd there and the amount of love graffiti on the surrounding walls.

Much later in the evening, when we finally began to feel hungary again we went for pizza and a bottle of wine in the warmth of a italian evening before we head north and over the alps to cooler weather tomorrow.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness