Markets, Mountains and Maximilian

Another frozen morning, another early start as we make the short walk to Salzburg central, destination Innsbruck.  Grandma and Grandad wound up there in their European tour of 1992, and I have always found the photographs a source of fascination, a beautiful and historic city surrounded by tall, snowy mountains.  Our train is clean and comfortable, and the ride is smooth as we leave the suburbs of Salzburg behind us and head into Alpine country.  Our journey takes us through the southeast corner of Germany, before the line plunges south for the Alps, and the scenery becomes at first beautiful, and then spectacular.  Two hours after departure, we roll into Innsbruck, population 120,000, and capital of the Federal State of Tyrol.

Lizzie enjoys the train journey to Innsbruck

It is the first sunny day of our trip to Austria, but to compensate for this, the temperature is absolutely bitter, an obvious indication that we are some 570 metres above sea level.  The town's Christmas markets aren't open when we arrive, although the famous Golden Roof is shining in the sun.  The roof was built by Archduke Friedrich IV in the 15th century, as the residence of the Tyrolean sovereigns.  The roof itself sits atop a three-storey balcony, built for Emperor Maximilian I to use as a royal box, from which he would watch tournaments in the square below.  The roof was built to honour Maximilian's second marriage to Bianca Maria Sforza of Milan, but not wanting to make enemies of his first wife's allies, he diplomatically had an image of himself between the two women painted on his balcony.  Maximilian was either very clever, or very stupid!

Lizzie with the Golden Roof

Innsbruck gets its name, quite logically, from the bridge that once crossed the River Inn.  It's a beautiful river, tinted blue presumable by copper deposits, reminiscent of the Adige River in Verona, just the other side of the mountain range.  Across the river stands one of the city's enormous mountains, Hafelekar, which towers 1,680 metres above the city.  Its summit is reached by way of a funicular and then two cable cars, which take us up into the snow, above the trees and, seemingly, into the sky.  Among the passengers, we are in the tiny minority who are sightseeing rather than skiing, and when we reach the top we are left alone, as others race off to the ski routes.  What results is an overwhelmingly peaceful, stunning experience.  All around us there are mountain peaks, the Innsbruck Pass far below us, the city in miniature, looking like a Lego model, but with no noise emanating from it.  Word on the mountain is that the mercury has dipped to minus twelve, and I can well believe it; I feel colder than I have ever felt before.  After some minutes trampling in the snow, we re-enter the cable car station where a small cafe, hot chocolate and sachertorte awaits.  In my mind, this must be one of the more interesting places to work, and I can't imagine the journey would ever get boring.

The River Inn

Lizzie on Hafelekar

Back in Innsbruck, we go in search of the Hofkirche, which houses the tomb - if not the body - of Emperor Maximilian I.  We are treated to personal service and taken to a small room to begin watching an interactive exhibit on the life of the Emperor, his ambitions and demise.  The quality of the exhibit is a matter of opinion - I think it's brilliantly done, interesting, fun and informative, whilst Lizzie says it's too much like Disneyland.  Whatever your opinion, you can't argue that the presentation gets across the salient points of Maximilian's life; essentially, that he was Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death in 1519.  The church itself is dominated by his tomb, which actually serves as his cenotaph, as he is buried elsewhere.  Surrounding it are statues of all the people the Emperor wanted at his funeral - European heads of states and other dignitaries.

Maximilian's cenotaph

Lizzie will tell you how much I like to visit a church when I'm travelling, and our next stop, Innsbruck cathedral, ranks as one of the best.  The enormous facade is made to look even bigger by the small square that sits in front of it, making it near-impossible to get a decent photo.  The interior is spacious, lighter than I would have imagined, and with a certain peaceful spiritualness.  It also makes a wonderful retreat from the cold, becoming increasingly bitter as the night falls.  We leave the church, but quickly find a delightful little cafe just off the main street, Maria-Theresien-Straße, where market stalls are beautifully lit up in the dark, crystal-like shards jutting up from their rooftops.  At the end of the Maria-Theresien-Straße is Innsbruck's triumphal archway, whilst in the other direction, the lights of the Hafelekar mountain station twinkle in the high altitude distance.

Innsbruck Cathedral

Innsbruck Cathedral Square

We arrive back at Innsbruck station to a cacophony of noise and disturbance - it seems that police are in attendance further down the line, resulting in delays across the local network.  Long queues form at the information desk and we watch the arrivals board with bated breath.  Thank goodness, our train to Salzburg is on time - in fact, it's twenty minutes early - and there will be no more waiting around in this frozen corner of Austria.  Our ride back to Salzburg is uneventful, our view restricted by darkness so that all we notice are the ski slopes, illuminated for the evening enthusiasts.  To us, this last view is an appropriate one - our mountain adventure is the abiding memory of Innsbruck, perhaps even of the entire week.

Innsbruck Christmas market