Innsbruck, Austria…Day 4

The mountains are calling and I must go.—John Muir

I don’t know if John Muir was ever in Innsbruck. If this is how he felt, he may never have left.

I don’t know who the official pretty city-rating people are, but if I was in that group, Innsbruck, Austria would definitely be at the top of my list. It sits in a valley completely surrounded by the Alps, which were snow-covered while we were there. It takes effort to keep from being photo bombed by an Alp when taking a picture.

We arrived in late morning after a night in Schloss Matzen Castle. We checked into the Hotel Nala which has to be the coolest hotel ever. Even the website is cool. I can’t express the level of coolness of this hotel…and very artsy.

While waiting for all the rest of the crew, my wife and I had a glass of Riesling in the beautiful courtyard. We then headed out for lunch at Machete Burrito Kartell. I must say this was the best burrito I have ever eaten.

We found a nice playground and park across the Inn River that runs through Innsbruck. We let the children play and some of us older adults rest. Of course on the way to the park we stopped so my daughter and I could get a pretzel and a croissant to eat on the way to the park.

We walked around the Old Town in Innsbruck. It is a very easy stroll through this part of the city. We loved the wide pedestrian Herzog-Freidrich-Strasse with its outdoor cafes and shops and historic buildings. Innsbruck’s Old Town has a nice mix of old and new. The old buildings intertwine with modern shopping.

We saw the Golden Roof, probably the most recognized spot in the Old Town. Built around 1500 and used by Emperor Maximillian I and his wife to gaze down on the festivals and stay above the tourists.

We also saw St. Anne’s column on Maria-Theresien Street. It was built in 1703. When you are lost from your group, this is a good place to meet, very easy to find.

Old Town in Innsbruck is very lovely and relaxing. Innsbruck has such a different feel from other cities in Europe that I have seen. It is much more laid back. We were there in early April, so I’m sure it gets much more crowded in the summer. We had a pleasant day, in the 60’s and sunny.

We decided to get take out pizza for our dinner since we were tired and didn’t want to take the children out again. There is a really nice pizza place across from the Hotel Nala called Gusto Pizzeria. It is owned by a lovely Turkish couple. The pizza was really good. But a word of warning, if you want a Margherita pizza, it means cheese only in Turkey. There was a communication problem but it was my fault because I did not read the description that was in English. It was a really good cheese pizza. The other pizza was very good also.

It was a good day in Innsbruck.