Swiss Dreams Hotel Walzenhausen Neustift im Stubaital

... we had finished at the zoo, the sun was trying to come out and the snow had completely melted off the trees.

We caught the bus into the old city where I was determined that I was going to have some genuine Sacher torte so went to Cafe Sacher which is home of the original Sacher torte (it originated in Vienna). Sacher Torte is actually chocolate cake with a layer of jam in the middle ...

... where the snow had stuck. We then went to the Hofkirche which was the church which has the tomb of Maximilian I (although he’s actually buried in Vienna where he died) and 28 bronze figures that were commissioned by him. They are of people who he saw as being important during his lifetime, including King Arthur of England. The bronze was painted black as some stage although certain parts of the statues have been polished by people’ ...

... a large room and then walked into the old town to have dinner at a restaurant that had Austrian food. The prices seem quite reasonable after Switzerland, but that might be because they are in Euros. I had a goulash which was quite nice but salty. Again German is the language used but most people speak English so we haven't had any problems. It was very cold as we walked home and Tara kept saying, I hope it snows tomorrow (it certainly felt cold enough).

... right along the water. I must have been running slow - I was running along the path humming to the Eurythmics, and staring at the mountains in the distance when a little boy whizzed by me on a Unicycle. I'm not sure - but I can't imagine you can go fast on one of those things. I must have been humming loudly, because the little boy passed me, and turned his head fully around and ...

... The scenery was definently worth it, with the Gerlos pass having a lovely Waterfall..the waterfall started a few km's up and was pretty impressive. By the time we had done the second pass it was getting quite late...but not dark yet.
The drive to Innsbruck was via motorways, but scenic enough as we got to our hotel around 7pm..just after dark. We went past the Swarovski Factory on the way into Innsbruck ...

... in the US. After exploring for about an hour, I met up
with the guide and about 10 other people for a guided hike in the alps. This
hike might have been the deal of the century. It included a local guide, Oleg,
transportation in a nice coach bus to a location in the mountains about 30 min
outside of Innsbruck, hiking boots, a backpack, and a “Innsbruck medal” all FOR
FREE. The other three Americans andAustralians kept ...

... up the mountain to get a better look at the ski jump. The GPS took us to a viewpoint instead of to the actual jump, which is why I got a good picture of it. We then followed the signs to the ski jump, but the parking lot was swarming with people going to and from their tour buses and we decided we weren't in the mood for that kind of sightseeing.

We got on the highway and headed to a suburb of Innsbruck called Wattens where the Swarovski Crystal Worlds museum is located.

... well as a crystal on display that is larger than my head. The exhibits in each room vary considerably. In this case I think the pictures describe the museum much better than I can. Once at the end of the museum rooms, the visitor must pass through the showroom and store before leaving the facility. Mom and I had a lot of fun in the store and the men waited patiently for us to decide on ...

... photos you will realize is a pretty bad thing to do since it was really steep, probably near 60 degrees or so. Also i wasnt wearing the right socks, so my feet were freezing. Poor me. Twas cool to see the Austrians hike tho, since they really dont have any need for paths (which are just for sucker tourists like myself) and instead just walk straight up and down the mountainside.

Sadly, I dont remember much about Austria. Too bad because I have read so much about it lately as the music and art centre of Europe in the 1700s, I'd love to check that out.
I asked my dad recently if we had been there before. He said, 'oh yes, many times, we loved it'. Hmm, what a pity. I suppose it still counts because the images of scenery must be in my mind somewhere... curse this short memory of mine!