After breakfast checked out the hotel and headed to the train station. Our train for Innsbruck left on time. We had some great mountain views as we headed through the alps. After my first visit to Italy here are some things I noticed about it:
1.) There are lots of mopeds
2.) You don't need any special clothing except a helmet to ride a moped, sundress and flip flops will do.
3.) It's more a cafe bar culture, than a bar culture.
4.) If you just order coffee, you will get expresso.
5.) Cars don't stop at pedestrian crossings unless you've actually started crossing the road.
As we got closer to the Italian/Ausrtrian border, there wasan obvious increased police presence at some srations. There were no problems until we got to Brenner. There was a group lf about 8-10 young african men on the platform, and police standing by the train. The men made no attempt to get on the train until anothe passager started telling them the train was going to Munich and encouraging them to get on. The police then got on the train and made them get of again saying they didn't have tickets or passports. This delayed us a little but we weren't too late arriving into Innsbruck.
The weather had turned cloudy. After checking into the hotel, the Grand Europa, which for Chalet School fans is where Madge and Joey stay when they first come to Austria, I set out to buy new shoes. My old ones had disintegrated in Rome, but up till now I had been living in sandals.
After having got new shoes we found a cafe next door to the shop and celebrated arriving in Austria with coffee and cake. We then had a walk around the Old Town. Innsbruck is surounded by mountains, so you find yourself looking down a main shopping street and seeing a mountain at the end. Most of Old Town hada "hapsburg" style to it, although some areas do have modern buildings mixed in as well. Eventually found a bar to have a drink, which had a large mental bird in it.
Decided it was time for something to eat, so found a nice beer hall type place for some good austrian food. After dinner we decided to see where else we could find. Walking away from the restraunt, we spotted a sign 20 craft beers, craft beer in Austria, what was this? We headed down the steps into the cellar, to be greeted by whitewashed walls with pictures painted on them. Passing through a door we entered the bar. At one end of the long narrow room comfy sofas and stools were placed around a table of packing cases. Beer taps gleamed in a row on the bar, whilst a screen listed the elixers available. Beers from Austria, Germamy, Denmark, Holland and others. Should I try the monks elixer, maybe not at 10%. Settled for an Austrian brewed summer ale. It gleamed golden in the glass, the taste dancing across my tongue.
Emerging later into the moonlight, we headed for the hotel and bed.
from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness
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