Off to Innsbruck for lunch.

This is a day trip to Innsbruck from Bolzano, the train to the border is free with my three day Bolzano pass. At the border, we switch trains the ride is so smooth downhill to Innsbruck it is hard to believe we are moving at all. I must not compare these trains, it costs many times more in Austria.

The views are striking as we start down from the Brenner pass.

Not so exiting factoïd: Atmospheric pressure at Brenner is 863 kpA down from 980 kpA at Bolzano, which means boiling water for tea would be about 95 degrees centigrade not the usual 100 found at Bolzano.

The bridges are astounding. Really, jaw-dropping feats. Over and over.

We were going to visit the IKEA store but it was closed on Sunday;  lucky for us a very friendly local blurted out all the rules and saved us from meandering aimlessly for hours on the R buss.

Lunch is at the Cafe Central. In the shade, nice and breezy. Much to my relief, our smiling waitress handles English perfectly.



Coffee comes with a chocolate coated coffee bean on the side, chocolaty, crunchy, not so interesting.

The strudel with vanilla sauce was delicious but a little dry; more sauce maybe? The white vanilla sauce comes in a little jug and  is quite delicious.


The veggie burgers are delicious as well as the home fries.









Walking to the bridge near the old city next. The river is flowing fast, you wouldn't want to fall in as no-one would could swim out.


The 140 step clock tower is right there, but it is just too hot to bother.


The Golden Roof is golden and a testament to the madness of Maximilian I. A stern reminder that the absolute power corrupts absolutely.

15:27 our train to Bolzano awaits. The return trip is nothing like the dreamlike comfort we enjoyed on the way to Innsbruck.  The train is super crowded, with 1000 teachers coming down from Munich for a conference on teaching German abroad in Bolzano. The train is packed with every reserved seat in occupied. There is nowhere to sit, not even the stair wells. I stand all the way.  Now I know why some pay for a reserved seat.

Sometimes it is hard to start a conversation, the problem is that speaking French as a group other people will not assume you speak English at all and even attempt a conversation with you. But eventually our neighbour started questioning us in haling English. I used my phone to translate a quick profile in English and it was promptly translated to perfect German. From that point forward, the conversation forged onward with gusto.

I'm sweating profusely as the air conditioning on the train couldn't keep up. I was glad to get off and grab an intense yellow vanilla gelatto while waiting for the bus. I just don't feel like walking the 2 kilometres back to the apartment.

The apartment is large, cool and clean. The furniture is so European and quite stylish to my eyes.

I'm glad to be back and enjoy the rest.