Monday, November 05, 2007

Innsbruck



As we drove away from the castles, this was our last view of Neuschwanstein. It will always be a place I love!




We drove out of Germany, deeper into the mountains of Austria and marvelous silhouettes appeared.




Then when we looked the other way while driving along, this was in front of us! You just never know what you'll find around the curves when you are in the mountains.




Every village is so scenic - and has a church spire rising above it.




In some fields, these little huts were scattered all over. I wish I knew what they were for.




The Alps are filled with ski hills which sometimes become hiking trails in the summer.




One of my absolute favourite pictures of our whole trip! This scene greeted us first thing in the morning when we stepped out of our hotel in Inzell (a small village outside of Innsbruck).




We were ready to hit the city on a glorious sunny morning. It had been overcast every day since we arrived in Europe so this was an energizing start for our day's activities.




Once we navigated our way into downtown Innsbruck, there was lots to see again. I can't find any information about this particular spot but I'm sure there are stories hiding somewhere.




Such a happy building!




The Swarovski Crystal Gallery - I didn't even go inside (too much temptation, I think!).




The Golden Roof built by Emperor Maximillian I was a balcony where he could greet his people and watch whatever was going on in the streets below.




The buildings continued to amaze me! So many details, beautiful colors and flowers hanging down.




I love how the restaurants have tacked little patios on to the sides of their buildings.




The Triumphal Arch, at the edge of the medieval city, was built by Maria Theresa to commemorate a happy occasion, the marriage of her son Leopold II to a Spanish princess, and a sad occasion,the death of her husband Franz, who died the day after the wedding.




The mountains surround the town and next time we'd love to take a tram ride to the top. There are 150 lifts and 1250 miles of trails in this immediate area.




The Inn River winds through town. This picture reminds me so much of Banff, which is exactly what we were reminded of here.




Don't these two look like total fugitives?! This statue on the street corner reminds me of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.




Bob looked so good in this Austrian hat that he just had to buy it.




It was a wonderful warm autumn day so we had lunch in the park before we headed out on the road again. This was the first of our marvelous days in Austria - a place we definitely need to visit again for a longer time.

8 comments:

  1. Wow, those are some amazing pictures, I can't wait till I visit Europe someday! I love the picture with all the huts in the field:) It would be interesting to know what they were for! Hope you're having a good week.
    Rachelle

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  2. I think that was one of our best days in Europe. The weather was perfect, Innsbruck is beautiful and all around us was beautiful scenery. I'm still partial to this little town and would love to go back for more. Next time we should go and just stay in this area for five days. I love the statue photo. What a story there must be behind that. It sounds like you enjoyed the trip.

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  3. I just love Austria, and Innsbruk especially. Did you go to Salzburg too? The huts are very possibly for the animals over the winter, though they may be a little small. In Switzerland, all the animals are indoors over the winter, and they have them all over the place.Maybe for people with just a few animals?
    How about some photos of your snow????

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  4. This looks like an amazing vacation. I would love to visit this area someday because both of my grandparents lived in Germany, Hungary, Austria before they moved here as teenagers. i have had a tough time pinpointing their exact hometowns, but I know the general location. My grandma was raised on a farm and i would be so excited to see the countryside dotted with barns and farm animals!

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  5. You know we never got to see Neuschwanstein, but we were so close--only a couple of hours away. Travelling with a 10 month old makes travelling a little more complicated. After seeing your pictures though, we really did miss out on something breath taking!!

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  6. WOW the scenery is amazing. The mountains with all the little villages. Is is possible that the huts are for tobacco. We have some here near Lake Erie. They burn the tobacco right on the farm I think.

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  7. Absolutely stunning scenery! I kept thinking of the movie "The Sound of Music"
    What a lovely place to visit.
    xo

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  8. Such beautiful photos! I love the mountain views! So glad you are still sharing your trip with us!

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