Day 10

The plan for today was initially to find transportation to a town called Mieder to go on an alpine coaster. We were considering getting a taxi but we were having trouble finding one so we asked at the front desk, which, as it turned out was a fortunate thing. When we explained what we were wanting too do, the deck person said it most likely would not be much fun for us. It turns out that the coaster at Meider is really just for young children not at all like what Owen and I did last year. With that news we shifted gears. Again the desk person

came to the rescue. She outlined a great hike nearby that was just a short bus ride away called the Zirbenweg.

We hopped the bus right outside the hotel and rode it up to a town called Tulfes. From there we rode a pair of gondolas up to the top of the Tulfeinalm. From there the trail stretches 5 miles across to an adjacent peak, the Patscherkofel and another gondola back down to the valley. The hike was beautiful and had amazing views when the clouds across the valley would open up and reveal the Alps on the other side. Along the trail were signs giving facts about the flora, fauna and history of the mountains. Tavis was in fine hiking form on this hike and generally hiked ahead of me. Owen and Cindi kept more measured pace and stopped more for pictures etc. We happily reached the end of the trail and rewarded our efforts with lunch at Das Kofel Restaurant. The pleasure of eating good food and drinking good beer at the top of a mountain is

unbeatable. Our lunch was made all the more pleasant by a visit from the resident dog, a very sweet Australian shepherd mix, who gladly accepted morsels in exchange for her presence.

After lunch it was down the gondola to a town called Igls and on to Innsbruck by bus. We caught the train back to Hall with just enough time to go to the Hall mint museum. Cindi and I had been there 20 years ago and it was essentially the same with the addition of an audio guide for all the exhibits. Both boys enjoyed the museum and minted their own coins at the end.

After the mint we returned to Gasthof Badl for a short rest and to change shoes after being in hiking boots all day. The rest was good but brief and we walked off to the train station to head back into Innsbruck. When we arrived Cindi commented that the walk from the train station in Innsbruck was totally unfamiliar to her despite having been

in Innsbruck in 2003. Neither of us could remember how we got to the Altstadt last time; it was almost like we were dropped right in the middle of it from nowhere. After a bit we realized that this was because we had not come from the train station but had come down the gondola from the Karwendelblick, one of the large mountains overlooking Innsbruck.

We made our way to the Altstadt which was much more familiar. The Herzog-Friedrich Straße was very busy and crowded. There was a nice hum of people and music to lend to the atmosphere. We decided on getting Italian food since we missed out on it yesterday. We selected La Trattoria from online reviews. It was quite busy but we were able to get

a table. The menu was fairly extensive with many pasta dishes and a good selection of pizzas. Tavis went for the classic Margahrita pizza, Owen did a marinara pizza, I got a classic calzone and Cindi got a lobster pasta. When the food arrived, Cindi’s dish looked suspiciously like it had clams not lobster. She said it was still good. Owen’s pizza was the simplest of the meals and hands down the best. It was simply marinara sauce on a crust with basil and oregano, no cheese. It was really good. We might have to do that at the Brewery.

After dinner we walked around the Innsbruck Altstadt and eventually made our way back to the main Platz. When Owen and I were here last year, one of the most memorable things was getting gelato at Tomaselli Gelataria. The line was long but moved quickly and we got our gelato fix. While we enjoyed the gelato and the beautiful evening, we were treated to a very good street performer playing guitar, harmonica and singing. He was very good. The first song he did when we walked up was Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark, which seemed foreshadowing given the upcoming concert on Sunday.

After a long day hiking and on the go, it was time to head back to Gasthof Badl and get some sleep. Tomorrow is onward to Munich for our final days of vacation.