Travis and Alazda's European Adventure: Innsbruck

As we departed Munich, we hopped on a train headed south through the Alps for Innsbruck, Austria. We were fortunate enough to find 1st class train seats and enjoyed wonderful views of the mountain valleys as we quickly rode through the area. Once we arrived in Innsbruck, we found a bus and headed towards our hotel located in Gotzens, just outside of Innsbruck in the mountain foothills.

Our hotel had a balcony with an incredible views of the mountain valley and nearby city. We were able to get situated and hopped back on a bus downtown for a dinner and a show. The show for the evening was a local production named Tyrolean Evenings, a folk show which has been performed by the Gundolf family for years. While the show was a bit touristy, it provided a great glimpse into the Austrian history and culture and we enjoyed it quite a bit. We were treated to a folk band, a singing saw, yodeling, woodchoppers, cowbells and various Tyrolean dances and songs. We sampled some local beers and wine during the show and were able to snap a few pictures with the performers when the show wrapped up. Travis enjoyed an Edelweiss dunkel and a Forhenburger pilsner while Alazda enjoyed some local white wines.

The next morning, we enjoyed a breakfast in our hotel's lounge which had an glass ceiling allowing us to enjoy terrific views of the Austrian mountain valleys. It was quite enjoyable to sip coffee in the shadows of the Alps. We then checked out of our hotel and headed towards Innsbruck's old square. We were able to visit a few sights such as the Goldenes Dachl, a gold roof dedicated to the emperor Maximilian I. While it is a popular tourist attraction, we struggled to see what the fuss was about. While downtown, we were also able to capture some terrific photos while browsing some local shops before we headed back to the train station for our next destination - Switzerland!

- Travis and Alazda