Innsbruck

We went to the visitors centre yesterday and told them we wanted to go up to the top of the mountain.  She said it would be raining all day and advised us not to buy an ‘Innsbruck card’ which would give us free entry to the cable car, the Swarovski complex and heaps of museums and other attractions.  We decided to risk it and went to bed as the rain poured down. 

Woke up to a bright sunny day and got going early before the weather moved in.  Neither Pam nor I had done lots of research on the cable car.  We caught a funicular from the old town and got off at a cable car about 2 kilometres away.  The clouds hid the mountain but we had come this far.  Got on the cable car, every time it went past a pylon it rocked a little.  Pam was overjoyed.  By this time we were in the cloud and could see nothing.  At one of the pylons the ‘pilot’ stopped the car, put his head out the window and started yelling, of course we couldn’t understand a thing.  Next we heard footsteps on the roof of the car.  Remember this is hundreds of metres up, halfway up a mountain.  Lots more yelling, people were looking nervously at each other.  I thought there’d be a James Bond moment, Pam was hyperventilating and started kicking me, ‘Why, why, why’ she kept saying.  Eventually got going and arrived at the top, Pam questioned the pilot, he was just a maintenance man who he picked up and carried to the top.  Pam was not happy.  Even worse, this was just the first leg, she wanted to walk the rest of the way, I dragged her kicking and screaming in to the next cable car just as we started travelling above the clouds.   Finally arrived at the last stop, got out and almost froze, jumpers on and we found out if we wanted to get to the very top it would be a 15 minute walk over and around rocks and slopes.

As is often the case – all’s well that ends well.  I have seen the Dolomites before and have taken lots of photos of them; never in a million years did I think I’d be standing on the top of one.  You can see some photos but the whole landscape is intimidating with sheer cliffs, rugged peaks and desolate landscape.  It was a moment neither of us will ever forget.  Pam may have forgiven me however…..we were off to the Swarovski complex in the afternoon – I think she will exact her revenge. 

Swarovski – started by Daniel Swarovski in Innsbruck in the 1800s’ and there is a huge factory about 20 minutes out of Innsbruck.  They have since added a visitors centre and Swarovski museum which is stunning.  I thought I’d be sitting around whistling Dixie for a couple of hours however the displays were colourful and very interesting with a little history and a lot of glamour.  Got out at about 3.30 without having to mortgage the house again so all is not lost. 

Drove back towards Innsbruck with a little detour in to Mutters, very pretty town near where we are staying.  The thunder storms started rolling in so we called it a day at about 4.00 and returned home for a little rest and relaxation.  Lucky the beer is cold.

Not afraid of anything!!!

Except this

Heading up towards the clouds

Into the clouds

Above the clouds

Serious selfie

We could go around the mountain

Or up the mountain

To the top

No problems?

I need a little sit down

Or a look around

See the hikers coming up the slopes - crazy

Hello there

Now we have to go down again.

BMX rider on the way down - this is the easy section at the top

Lucky we go in early before the crowds.

Swarovski entrance to the museum and shop

Largest crystal in the world

Crystal wall

Getting 'crystaled'

Crystal forest

Crystal train set

Clouds and pond

Selfie reflection

The 'factory'