From Innsbruck to Germany

On Friday morning, April 27, it was alas time to leave Salzburg, a town I had grown to love in a very short time. I was headed next to Innsbruck, a train ride of about two hours.

When I arrived I walked to my hotel, the Hotel Weisses Kruez. I was thrilled! Not only was it in the pedestrian-only historic part of town, but there was no construction site across the street. In fact, my room was on the top floor at the back of the hotel with a gorgeous view over the rooftops of Innsbruck and the Alps beyond. Definitely the nicest room of my trip to Austria!

The hotel itself was built in 1465, and the building has tons of character. And the most interesting thing about it is that Mozart stayed there with his father Leopold in 1769 while on their first journey to Italy. Leopold wrote in a letter to his wife, “We are in good health, thank God. We are staying at the Weisses Kreuz.” Perhaps they were in my very room!

After checking in, it was time to start walking the same streets that Mozart and his father might have so long ago. My location was ideal for that. Right at the end of my street, which beautifully framed a view of the Alps, was the Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof), a building many view as being the most important in Innsbruck. And it’s not really the building that’s famous so much as it’s that golden roof. Legend says that the house itself was built in the 1400s for Duke Friedrich, who was known around the neighborhood as Freidl the Penniless. He just had to prove that he really wasn’t poor, so he had his roof covered with gold, something that would occur to any of us, don’t you think? Regardless if this story is true or not, the golden roof really exists. In fact, its roof contains 31 pounds of gold. Imagine what it’s worth!

I next walked down to the river on which Innsbruck lies, the Inn River (Innsbruck actually means “Bridge Over the Inn,” referring to this river). It’s lined with beautiful Baroque-style homes with great views of the Alps beyond. It was here that I found a place for lunch, the Cammerlander. There’s no history to this particular restaurant that I could determine, but it’s the only one in Innsbruck actually out by the river, making a peaceful place to sit for a while.

After lunch I went to none other than Swarovski Crystal Gallery, a few shops down from my inn. The headquarters of this world-famous crystal maker is in the province of Tirol, of which Innsbruck serves as capital. They had a wonderful holiday-related exhibit, with everything made from tiny crystals. I didn’t buy anything, but I did find the exquisite little frog that my parents gave me to remind me of the tree frogs that used to sit on their windows at night in Venice, Florida.

I should also mention that right next to my hotel was, yes, you guessed it, McDonalds. However, with its quaint little wrought-iron sign, it’s hardly recognizable.

After further exploration of the streets of Innsbruck, my next stop was the Domkirche zu St. Jakob (St. Jacob’s Church), a Baroque-style cathedral built in 1722. There was music playing inside, creating a very peaceful setting. And outside, in a small garden across from the church, it was even more peaceful. I found a quiet place on a bench and read there until dark clouds started rolling in and I felt a few raindrops.

The timing was perfect. I had read on that bench for so long that it was now time for dinner! The place I chose for dinner that night was the Goldener Adler, the restaurant that’s a part of the most famous hotel in Innsbruck. Just look who has stayed here throughout its over 600-year history: Mozart, Maria von Trapp, John Glenn, John Paul Sartre, and Albert Camus. I guess I was in pretty good company!

I started out with what they call the Adler-Royal, a glass of Sekt (Austrian sparkling white wine) with a splash of blackberry liquer. Wonderful! For dinner I had fresh trout, caught that day in the Inn River. This turned out to be one of the best meals I’ve had my entire time in Europe.

As I was eating my trout, I noticed another woman on her own come in and take a seat near the window, across the dining room from me. Imagine my surprise when she pulled out a John Lescroart book to read! For those who don’t know him. Lescroart is a local Bay Area author who writes a series of books featuring the attorney Dismas Hardy. Chip and I just love these books and have read them all. Those of you from DVC might be interested to also know that John is married to Barbara Sawyer’s daughter Lisa. Although Lescroart is popular locally, you’d really never expect to see one of his books being read in a small restaurant in Innsbruck.

So, being the nosy person I am, when I got ready to leave, I walked over to her table, excused myself for interrupting, and told her that I noticed that she was reading Lescroart. I then asked if she was from San Francisco. It was at this moment that I realized that she wasn’t a she at all, but rather a man dressed up as a woman, complete with a dress and long blonde hair. I should also add that s/he didn’t make a very attractive woman at all! Well, it turned out that s/he wasn’t from San Francisco but was actually from Switzerland, on holiday in Innsbruck. S/he was also excited to know of my connection to Lescroart, and I promised to tell him that I saw his book being read in Innsbruck by a Swiss tourist. Barbara, if you could pass that on…

Anyway, I called it an early night, going back to my hotel to figure out what I was going to do the next day, Saturday. Quite frankly, I was stumped. You see, I had pretty much done it all in Innsbruck today. I was actually a little disappointed in the town and found that it didn’t have much to offer. Most people use it a base from which to go skiing or hiking, not as an actual destination. Oh well, the next day could just be a relaxing day…

I got up the next morning and had breakfast in the Mozart Stübe (Mozart Room). Sitting next to me were an older couple, Gill and Kalani, from Mississippi. We struck up a conversation, and I learned that they both worked for the University of Southern Mississippi, although he had retired a few years ago. In the course of our conversation, they asked if I had been to Mittenwald. Where? I had never heard of it. They went on to tell me what a charming town it was, and suddenly I knew exactly what I was going to do that day. After breakfast I walked right over to the train station and bought a ticket to Mittenwald.

Mittenwald in in Germany, right over the Austrian border. It’s about an hour away by train, and what a spectacular ride it is. To get there, the train winds its way up and up through the Alps, making its way through tunnels built directly through the rocks, with delightful Alpine villages in the valleys below along the way. After about an hour, the red train I was on pulled into Mittenwald, and suddenly I was in Germany again, my third time in less than a month!

What convinced me to come to this quaint little German town is when the couple from Mississippi told me that Mittenwald, located in the Bavarian Alps, is home to some of the premier violin makers in the world. I played a violin as a child, so this sounded divine. What I didn’t know, though, is how picturesque this town would me. I was immediately enchanted.

Mittenwald sits a little over 3,000 feet above sea level, completely surrounded by mountains. The town itself is tiny, making the mountains seem even more massive. In 1786 the German writer Goethe described Mittenwald as “A living picture-book.” Over 200 years later, this is still an apt description.

Quaint Alpine-style homes, shops, restaurants, and businesses line the streets, many of them pedestrian-only. And many of the buildings are adorned with delightful frescoes, enough to put a smile on anyone’s face.

Small canals line the streets, their running water making for a peaceful environment. Along these canals are tiny stepping bridges so that you can cross over at almost any point. Pedestrians make their way along these streets, most of them local, and some carrying wooden walking sticks.

Before I did anything else, though, I had to visit the Geigenbau Museum, Mittenwald’s violin museum, located in one of the oldest homes in town. In this delightful museum, I learned that Mittenwald is one of the most important centers of violin making in the world, along with Brescia, Cremona, Vienna, London, Paris, Mirecourt, Schönback/Luby, and Markneukirchen. Violin making in this town dates back to 1685, when the Klotz family established the first violin making workshop there. And the tradition continues today; if you look carefully, you can spot violin making shops on some of the side streets in town (called Geigen und Musik Maller).

On display in this two-story museum were a violin making workshop and many examples of violins that were made throughout the centuries. And it wasn’t just limited to violins. Also on display were violas, cellos, basses, guitars, and zithers. Charming music-related frescoes adorned the walls. I enjoyed the displays, watched a video about a violin making school that still operates in Mittenwald, and learned that even Mozart played a Mittenwalderin, which is the name given to the violins produced here. And to make it even better, I was the only one in the place. Heaven!

After leaving the museum, I walked to the Parish Church of SS Peter and Paul, considered one of the finest churches in the Bavarian Alps. It was built in 1749 in Baroque style, and this gorgeous exterior you see is actually painted. Amazing! Sitting outside the church is a sculpture that serves as a memorial to violin maker Matthias Klotz.

It was well past time for lunch at this point, so I headed to the main pedestrian-only street and had lunch at the restaurant at the Hotel Gasthof Alpenrofe. It was a gorgeous day, so I sat at an outside table next to one of the running canals, dining on rostbratwürste of course! And check out this guy sitting a table just a few away from me. Priceless!

After lunch it was time to head for the hills! I walked out of the business district of Mittenwald, through a pleasant residential section, to the Karwendel Bahn (cable car), which would whisk me up more than 4,000 feet to the very top of the mountain Karwendel.

On the way up I was the only one in the car, with the operator of course. All I can say is Wow! I think these pictures can describe what this ride was like much better than I can put it into words. But it was a thrill ride, to say the least!

When I got to the top, I immediately noticed that the temperature had dropped substantially, and the ground was covered with snow. There was a restaurant up there with a wooden deck, on which many people were sitting enjoying the sunshine and view. I walked along one of the paths, and here I am, up in the clouds with the birds, literally (look closely)! It was absolutely exhilarating!

Unfortunately I couldn’t stay long as I had to be sure to catch the last cable car down. As awe-inspiring as it was, I don’t think it would be much fun to be stuck up there overnight!

The ride back down was just as exciting, and soon we made our way safely back to Mittenwald.

From there it was just a short walk to the train station, and an hour later I was back in Innsbruck.

That night I had a fantastic dinner at Thai-Li. Yes, my first Thai food since January. Does this look good or what?

The next morning I couldn’t wait to have breakfast at the inn before flying back to Florence. I was praying that I would see that couple from Mississippi. And, sure enough, there they were. I thanked them profusely for telling me about Mittenwald. I never would have discovered this enchanting little town without them. Vielen Dank! (Thank you very much!)