While Radhika and I are relatively easy going during our
vacations, and tend to take things as they come, our friend, Ravi, is much more
systematic. Consequently, he had a clear cut list of all the things that needed
to be done in each of Innsbruck, Salzburg and Vienna.
Our bucket list for Innsbruck included travelling to
Nordkette, a peak just outside Innsbruck, using the Nordkettenbahn, a cable
railway system, which takes you from the centre of Innsbruck to Hafelkar, a
peak that is 2000 metres higher in just about half an hour; the Alpenzoo, which
was touted as the highest zoo in Europe; the Bergisel Ski Tower, where the ski
jumping competition for the Winter Olympics was held; and the Swarovski Crystal
World.
We decided to head out to Nordkette first. The Hilton
Innsbruck is well located in the heart of the city, and it was just a brief 15
minute walk to the Congress building where the Nordkettenbahn station is
located. On the way, we visited a tourist information centre, and purchased an
Innsbruck pass, which gave us access to all the local public transport, and a
number of key attractions. Needless to say, we did not proceed non-stop, but
instead took our time taking a number of photos of the city. One of the primary
attractions in the heart of Innsbruck is the Goldenes Dachl (or the Golden
Roof), which was designed as a kind of Royal Box from where the kings could
observe functions in the city. Personally, I thought it was rather ordinary
looking – other buildings in the Altstadt or Old City were just as
impressive.
Some Pictures of Innsbruck's Altstadt
The Goldenes Dachl
The Nordkettenbahnen comprise three interlinked cable based
transport systems – the first, the Hungerburgbahn, is a funicular railway that
starts in the city centre, traverses a beautiful bridge over the River Inn (which
gives Innsbruck its name – bruck means bridge), and then climbs up the Alps to
Hungerburg. The stations on this line are amazingly modern, and designed by an
Architect called Zaha Hadid, who has designed a number of the impressive modern
buildings in the region.
The Ultramodern Hungerburg station
The interesting thing about the cars on the
Hungerburgbahn is that they are pivoted to remain horizontal even when the
train is climbing a steep incline. From Hungerburg (which is about 800 metres
above sea level), you take the Seegrubenbahn, a cable car, that takes you to
the Seegrube station in the heart of the Alps, about 1900 metres above sea
level. There is a beautiful restaurant here, which offers panoramic views of
Innsbruck and the surrounding peaks. The final leg is another cable car that
takes you to the Hafelkar station (2250 metres), which is just below the
Hafelkar peak. There is also an amazing mountain biking trail that can take you
down from Seegrube back to Hungerburg.
When we reached the Congress station where the Nordekettenbahn
starts, Radhika suddenly noticed that Avinash was not carrying his back pack.
Fortunately, he remembered that he had removed it at the tourist information
centre where we had stopped to buy our tickets. I promptly ran back to the
centre. I need not have worried, the bag was safely lying where he had kept it.
Clearly, Austria can compete with Switzerland, not only in its scenic beauty,
but also in the honesty of its people.
Avinash... with his bag
... And Without It
After this slight misadventure, we were on our way, settling
down in the Hungerburgbahn on our way to the Hungerburg station. From there, we
took the cable car up to Seegrube, and the next one to the Hafelkar station.
The views from here were spectacular, and I will let the pictures do the
talking.
Green Hills Lower Down
The Mountain Biking Trail
And Raw Rock Faces Above the Snow Line
There was a short walking trail from the Hafelkar station to
the Hafelkar peak. Radhika, Avinash, Tanvi and I decided to hike up, while Ravi
and Mandavi took care of Aryan, their one year old, who was understandably not
keen on moving out of the warm surrounds of the station. After spending over an
hour at Hafelkar, we returned to Seegrube by cable car, and had a meal (just Spaghetti
with Tomato Sauce or deserts for veggies) at the restaurant there.
While the open air seating had spectacular views, thanks to
Avinash’s aversion to smokers, we were forced to settle for the inside seating.
If at all I have a crib about Germany and Austria, it is the absence of a ban
on smoking in public places. Passive smoking is something that I am no longer
used to, and as Avinash said, it is a noxious habit that stinks up the entire
area.
After lunch, we headed down to Hungerburg, and decided to
walk from there to the Alpenzoo, which claims to be the highest zoo in Europe.
The collection of animals was nothing to write home about, but there was a nice
kids’ play area, and Avinash and Tanvi had an enjoyable time there. What we
found interesting is that they even had cows in the zoo.
The Path to the Alpenzoo
A Bear
And the Kid's Play Area
Eating Ice Cream Sitting in a Basket
It was late evening by the time we got back to our hotel. Ravi and Mandavi had discovered an extremely
interesting Pizza and Pasta joint called Vapiano, which had an outlet right
outside our hotel. They had an extremely interesting smart card based ordering
system, and live counters where your pizza or pasta was custom made for you.
After the rather unappetizing spaghetti we had eating for lunch, having an
extremely well made Aglio Olio was like heaven. We all concluded that this
chain has potential in India, and for all I know, Ravi may be about to take
their franchise for this market. Vapiano would prove to be our favourite dinner
joint for the rest of our journey.
After dinner, Radhika, Avinash and I headed out for a postprandial
stroll. While heading back, we spotted a EUR 20 note lying on the ground. We
debated whether to pick it up, but decided that perhaps someone would come
looking for it – and decided to leave it lying there. As we walked past it, a
bunch of kids walked in the opposite direction, and the note promptly
disappeared. I guess even the Austrians can’t resist the allure of cash lying
on the ground.
Some More Shots of the Altstadt
The next morning, we
headed out for the Bergisel Ski Tower. This was a bit further away, and walking
all the way was not an option. But
instead of taking our cars and hunting for parking, we chose to take the
electric bus. (Which is powered by overhead wires like a tram or train). The
willingness of skiers to risk life and limb by jumping off this sort of a fall
really amazed me. In fact even in the absence of snow, there were professionals
who were “dry slope” jumping, which was something I had not realized could be
done. From our perspective, the views made it worthwhile.
There were Several Three Wheeled Bikes Racing Up and Down the Road to Bergisel
Some Views from Bergisel
After spending some time at Bergisel, we debated what we
should do that afternoon. I was not very keen on the Swarovski museum, which I
had heard was rather kitschy, and debated whether we should go for a long drive
into the hills instead. But I was promptly out voted, and so we got into our
cars and drive down to the Museum. Before going, Avinash had said he was tired
and not keen on going anywhere. But somehow, he seemed to enjoy the place a
lot, and ended up posing for numerous photos.
The Swarovski Museum - Located Below the Mound of Grass in the Background
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