We also got some great advice for a place to stay and hike on Switzerland from a woman we talked to at the Eagle's Nest. She recommended we spend some time in Tausch and do day hikes in the area. She told us it is absolutely the most beautiful spot in the Swiss Alps.
I'm really looking forward to hiking in Chamonix with Eva, MaryAnn and the guys, but I'm nervous about it. I havn't had my hiking boots on in a month and I was out of breath walking up some of the hills at the top today. I think it will be somewhat painful getting in hiking shape again, but being in the mountains makes me feel so good it will be worth it.
We took a walk around the neighborhood for about an hour after dinner and it was nice to just walk on quiet, uncrowded streets in a regular neighborhood rather than on the city stereets. It was a pleasant evening and as usual in the small towns we've visited, hardly anyone was out and about.
8/18: We took the 9AM train to Innsbruck and arrived about 11AM. Innsbruck is situated on the Inn River, in the heart of the Alps. Everywhere you look there are big mountains. A truly beautiful place!
We walked to the tourist office and got some literature and then Shari set off to try to get us a room in a private home while I watched the bags. Luckily, the place she tried was full, because we asked tourist information of they knew of any inexpensive places, and they recommended a small hotel, the Innsbruck, just a 5 minute walk across the river. For 3 euros, they will call and book the room for you, so we had them call and there was a double room available.
It's a nice clean, small hotel, and we have 2 windows and a sink (with towels) in our room. The showers and toilettes are down the hall. It cost $45 euros per night for the room, which includes breakfast for each of us, and it is in such a convenient location.
We also got a free Club Innsbruck Card which gives discounts to a few of the tourist attractions in town, and free guided hiking tours. The hikes are led by Austrian guides and they leave each morning at 9AM from the center of town. We will take the one tomorrow and see how it is. I better bring some moleskin in case I start to get any blisters. We can also take the cable car or funicular up the mountains (there are a few different mountain transport systems here) and do some hiking on our own.
The Swaroski Company has offices located in the town of Wattens, 9 miles east of Innsbruck, and they have a tourist attraction called Swaroski Kristallwelten (Swaroski Crystal World), also located there. It is labeled as a multimedia theme paark featuring moving walls, sculptures and sparkling crystals in underground caverns. We went and it was pretty hokey and not worth the entrance fee. At least we got a discount with our AAA cards (4.72 euros instead of 5.45 euros). I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. We had taken the bus out to Wattens, which was 3.20 euros, but we took the train back because we could ride for free with our Eurail pass.
It started raining while we were waiting for the train, about 4:30, but it didn't last too long. The woman at tourist information had told us the weather was iffy for the next few days, maybe rain in the afternoon. Hopefully, it will be clear for our morning hikes.
I bought a couple of beeers to drink at the hotel and when I got to the room and tried the TV I found 4 English channels! It had started raining on the walk from the train station to the hotel, so I was quite happy to organize my stuff for the hike tomorrow, watch TV and drink beer. I went out about 8:30 to get some pizza and then went back to the room and ate watching TV.
8/19: What a teriffic day! We had a nice breakfast at the hotel - cold meats, cheese, granola, yogurt, fruit, juice and coffee - which seems like the typical European breakfast that is included in the room price. We went over to the meeting spot for the hike about 8:30, and by 9 we had a group of 11 hikers and one guide. One woman only had on sneakers, so they gave her a pair of boots to wear on the hike. They will also supply a pack if needed. They drove us in 2 vans about 45 minutes out to the hiking trail. Then we hiked about 5 miles round trip. We started at 1,000 meters and hiked up to 1,600 meters to an old church that was built about 900 years ago. They still have half of the building as a chapel and use the other half as a kitchen. There are picnic tables, and they serve drinks, soups and sandwiches. We had brought our lunch, but I bought a beer to have with my sandwich. Shari and I were the only Americans on the hike. We mostly talked with a woman (a little older than me) from Italy, and two women in their late 20s/early 30s - one from New Zealand and one from Denmark.
It was a beautiful day and a beautiful hike. It was hot, but most of the trail was in the shade so it wasn't too bad. It was also a pretty gradual ascent, so it wasn't very difficult. We spent one hour at the church and then walked down partly on a different trail to a road that went through lovely farmland. We were met by a bus at 3:15PM and got back to Innsbruck at 4PM.
During today's walk I became friendly with the woman from Italy, Rosealma. She lives in Genoa and she gave me her email address and told me to contact her when we are in Italy, and we can stay at her home for free. She lives near Tuscany so we will definitely be near where she lives, and I would really like to stay with her. She is a neat perosn - very interesting and really enjoys the out of doors.
Innsbruck is the prettiest place (but not the most spectacular place) I've seen since I left home. It's like something out of a picture book. Everything is so clean and pretty here - the mountains, the fields (they are so green), and the houses. It is absolutley charming and I'm sure it is equally lovely in winter.
After we got back, I went and dropped my stuff at the hotel and went in search of a hairdresser. I lucked out and found a very good place. The last time I got my hair cut, in Scarborough, England just after the coast-to-coast walk, the hairdresser did a very bad job cutting my hair. This hairdresser gave me a great haircut. I then went back to the hotel, took a shower, went back out to sit outside at a table in this quaint area in town to have a beer and write my notes and read my book.
It's hard to explain what I feel sitting and watching people walk by, looking at the mountains, and hearing all the different languages being spoken. I feel so incredibly fortunate for being able to travel for a year and to meet so many different people and have so many different experiences.
8/20: Another good breakfast and then off to another hike. Today there were 14 of us plus Rudy, the guide. Six people were there from yesterday's group, including Rosealma (from Italy) and Carolyn (from New Zealand). We hiked about the same distance and elevation as yesterday, but we were transported by bus each way (about a half hour ride).
After the hike Shari and I walked around Innsbruck a bit, did some grocery shopping and then laid down for a rest.I got a teriffic station on my radio, which I listened to for about a half hour before I went over to my favorite pizza place for a beer and to people-watch and write notes and read. It started raining about 8:30PM so I got some pizza and went back to the room to eat and watch TV.
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