Back in Austria!

 Thursday - March 24, 2022

Today we head to Austria, the last leg(s) of our trip, as our tour ends in Vienna, with us staying there an extra 3 nights before we fly home.  Before we left, we spent time on the hotel's front patio admiring the view of the mountains and the lake.

On the way to Austria, we stopped by the fanciest rest area I've ever seen in my life.  The bathrooms all cost a euro per person, but I have no problem paying the monies for bathrooms when they are this clean.  It was beautiful (the rest area, not the bathrooms 😂).  There was this beautiful skylight that filled the place with  natural lighting and it was themed and adorable.  It was like the Disneyland of rest areas!

We stopped there for about 45 minutes for a bathroom and lunch break.  I've found that in two trips to German speaking Europe (mainly comprised of Germany, Austria and Switzerland among others) that their rest stops are amazing.  They're large, clean, well themed, and they actually have really good food!  We all got bowls of beef and vegetable soup that my mom is still talking about (as she talked about the last beef and vegetable soup she had at a rest stop in Austria for YEARS) and we sat outside because it was so beautiful.  Also, because COVID was still raging at the time.  We ate our soup and then we wandered around the place on foot before we got back onto our bus because this place was so pretty.  Everywhere you look I feel like Maria will come running out and start warbling "the hills are alive..."

I don't generally love long drives - but I loved this drive because the scenery was so fantastic.  I kept taking ugly blurry photos with reflections😂.  

In between Switzerland and Austria is the 4th smallest European Nation: Liechtenstein.  We stopped there for a little under an hour where we explored Vaduz (their very small capital) on foot, then all took a quick coffee (and cake) break.

High atop the hill sits Vaduz Castle, where the Prince's family still lives (though Sue said they lived mainly in Vienna now) so it's not open to the public.  This used to be a backwater little country until they converted to using Swiss francs and all of a sudden they are billionaires. 

statue of a reclining woman by Colombian artist Francisco Botero

We reached Innsbruck in the afternoon with plenty of light left.  We're dropped off at our hotel and given an hour to settle in before we begin our city tour.  Our hotel was small, but super clean, adorable, and located literally just outside the walls of the old city, so it made exploring on our own after dinner super easy.

My mom was really tired and her hip was aching, so she opted out of this one while my dad and I went.  I became completely enamored with Innsbruck, particularly when I found the strudel shop about 5 minutes away from our hotel.

The old town of Innsbruck (the Altstadt) is incredibly well-preserved and looks much the way it did 800 years ago. Except the castle.  That went through reconstruction during the baroque period and is the only thing that looks kind of out of place.  They have hosted the winter Olympics a total of 3 times and it was mentioned many, many, many times.  They're also very proud that for a minute they were the center of the Holy Roman Empire when Maximilian moved the capital from Vienna to Innsbruck in the 1500's.  With the alps in the background, this is a stunningly beautiful place.  Our tour manager Sue said this is one of her favorite place and I can definitely see why.

the Hofsburg on the left with the alps in the background

the golden roof - the roof tiles are copper and was installed to celebrate the wedding of Emperor Maximilian.  This is at one end of the city square and he and his empress can sit on the balcony and preside and observe the city's events.

I couldn't get over how colorful and charming the Altstadt area was - I kept taking photos like I was gonna win money.  No regrets!

On the way back to the hotel Sue pointed out Strudel-Cafe Kroll, and it was love at first sight. I actually dream about going back to Innsbruck to try more strudels.  Unlike at home where we basically only have apple strudel, there are a million kinds in Austria!  Even savory ones.  I could live there for years just trying all the strudels and figuring out which is my favorite.

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant and their strudel...the best one I had on this trip.  Usually I have to smear a bunch of sauce on it because it can be dry, but this was was really delicious!  My parents thought so too and they're not generally fans of strudel.

I think they called this German pancake soup - it was thinly sliced strips of pancakes?  Maybe more of a crepe consistency, and not sweet so it wasn't as weird as I thought it was going to be.

Because my mom had been tired and her hip hurt, she spent the afternoon resting and napping.  She felt better after dinner and we took her into the Aldstadt for an after dinner stroll where we tried to repeat the highlights of what Sue told us.  I...don't know if we were successful though 😂.

After our stroll we went back to our hotel where we showered and got ready for bed.  Tomorrow we head to Salzburg - the ONE place I really really really  wanted to return to.  Yes, I am a heathen American who lurves Sound of Music beyond reason.