Innsbruck – Austria

I am now in Innsbruck Austria. The immediate impression you get when you first enter Innsbruck is that this town is first and foremost an Alpine community. The town sits in a valley bookended on two sides by towering snow capped mountains. During the winter months, Innsbruck is mostly known as a skiing destination, but during the summer months its becomes a favorite place for cyclists, hikers and climbers and for tourists who want to take in the vibe of being in an alpine setting.
Innsbruck hosted the Winter Olympics back in 1964 and also in 1976. From my hotel room I can  look out my window and view the ski jumping facility.
Downtown Innsbruck is what you expect of any major tourist town, its a bit garish, again its looks like the folks from Disney were hired to design the Alpine looking buildings with their steep pitched roofs, turrets and  spires.
This seems to happen to many popular tourist destinations around the world, tourists have an expectation what a place should look like and over time, the town planners slowly transform the town to meet those expectations of further attracting more visitors to their town.
I was planning on only spending two days in Innsbruck,  two days is enough to take in all the sights of Innsbruck, but on the day I was set to leave, a violent weather system swept into Innsbruck, bringing in high winds and heavy rains. There was no way I was going to attempt riding a motorcycle across mountains roads in such weather, it would of  made for a long miserable day of travelling. I am in no rush, so I’ll spend anothet day in Innsbruck.

One of the popular things to do in Innsbruck is to take the modern Nordkette cable car from the center of Innsbruck to the top of the mountain. It takes two separate cable cars to transit to the top of the mountain. It was a perfectly clear day, fantastic views of Innsbruck below.  At the top of the mountain tree s a cafe. Lots of trails for hiking. No chance to take any photos, my camera battery died. I will need to return another time. They charged 32 Euros to ride the cable car to the top of the mountain.  Travelling is not cheap.

Some photos from my stay in Innsbruck Austria.

View of Triumphal Arc

Walk along Maria Theresa Street in Innsbruck

Scenic view along the Inn River in Innsbruck

View along Inn River

Colorful buildings along Inn River in Innsbruck

Backside view of St James Cathedral

 

Outdoor book library

View of ornate Helblinghaus Baroque building

 

Walk along Maria Theresa Street

City Tower

Walk along Maria Theresa street

Tram in Innsbruck