Weekend in Innsbruck

January 29-January 30, 2011

Our January travels took us to Innsbruck, Austria. We started out driving to Hall first, which is a stone's throw from Innsbruck and a much smaller, salt-mining town and less touristy. We arrived just in time for lunch. It was cold and cloudy but that did not overshadow the Gothic church steeples.
Looking down the street as we walked through the little town squares.
We found a great spot for lunch. It was a combination of Chinese food and Austrian fare. Sounds a little weird but it was so good. We're sure the waitress was confused when we ordered Chinese family style and a pork cutlet with paprika sauce (below). You can hardly see the pork for the sauce it's covered in. We had more than enough food for us and we nearly finished it all off.
I am enjoying my beef stir fry with veggies. We were served a huge plate of rice along with it. Porter and Eli had their first real rice instead of just rice cereal. We found rice in their stroller all throughout the weekend.
Winter is a great time for traveling because of some lower prices and most places are not as crowded. Well, the good comes with the not-so-good right? Some places are closed. The salt museum being one of them. This is a reconstructed salt mine.
Porter and Eli in front of the salt museum. I am in heaven with my take-away coffee and cinnamon roll. Evan's large donut oozing with chocolate is not in the picture because he had already finished it off!
The Hall Mint in Hasegg Castle was also closed starting just this week! It's okay though because the sun was making an appearance and we could still walk around and see a lot of the window displays and weave around the grounds. In the 15th century, Hall started minting coins. One in particular, the Taler, later became the 'dollar' in English.
What we missed: a 16th century minting press powered by water and made of wood. We were told by the Smiths that it was a stroller friendly place and the boys would probably be entertained by the different mint workings' displays, and there is a place to mint your own coin.
Surrounded by beautiful snow-capped mountains. Porter and Eli are snoozing.
As we walked to the main street, we came through an archway to see this. We had perfect weather.
Busy townspeople out and about for the afternoon with the mountains in the background.
On our way back to our car, after a little shopping, this view popped up just on the other side of the store we were in.
After our afternoon in Hall, we drove to Innsbruck to spend the night and the next day. I am continually grateful for the places we have stayed with the boys. They are very helpful to find a room large enough for us (and all our gear). Below is our improvised high chair. Our room was spacious and had two baby cots for the boys. We propped them up with pillows and hoped our set-up would work.
Porter and that thumb after each bite! They did so good eating right next to each other.
Porter and Eli with the map. They were our tour guides for the evening.
On our walk to dinner, we passed an Italian pizzeria just for our boys.
We walked around the square looking for a place for dinner. We were able to see the Golden Roof lit up at night and see how quiet the town truly is without all the tourists. We picked a quaint little restaurant where we sat next to an Austrian family with twin toddler girls. Oh man, how life will change when the boys are no longer satisfied with the stroller during dinner!

Overnight, as the boys slept in baby cots without bumpers, they were right next to each other and could see each other. They talked and talked and played for at least 30 minutes before drifting off to sleep. It was really cute to watch them turn towards each other and babble and reach through the slats towards each other.

As we stepped out to a chilly but beautiful day in Innsbruck, this was our view from the front door. The picture just cannot pick up the sunlight glittering off the snow-capped mountain.
Our breakfast companions are getting sleepier and sleepier with every passing minute.
Evan was watching Porter and seeing how long it took for him to blink!
When Eli is in the stroller, he always has "one last stand" before shutting his eyes. Today it was swinging his pacifier back and forth multiple times.
Done. Out for the count.
Porter woke up as we were bundling up to leave.
Ohmygoodness. That face. I love this little man.
On our way to the main square. It was a great day to walk about.
Man! If only we were returning to Innsbruck on Feb. 24th, we could see David Hasselhoff--they love him over here.
Beautiful background.
The airport was just in the distance. As we walked to the center, we could hear the plane and all of a sudden there it was just over us.
The only reason the tourist buses stop here: The Golden Roof. When Stephanie (who just posted about her news) and I traveled here a few years ago, our bus stopped in Innsbruck just long enough for us to get off, snap a picture, go to the bathroom, and get back on the bus. We were early enough this morning to snap some pictures before the tourist buses arrived.

Emperor Maximilian I (1494) built this palace, including the balcony covered in 2,657 gilded copper tiles.
Evan's favorite place: the Speckeria.
View of the 18th century Baroque Hofburg Palace, built by Maria Theresa.
The tram ride up to the Alpenzoo (Alpine Zoo) and the ski lifts.
It was quite a view from the top. We walked around for a bit and then rode the tram back downtown. There were teens on mountainbikes who rode the train just to bike down on the ice/snow.
The steep ride up and down alongside the mountain.
Innsbruck was home to the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics. Somewhere out there, unable to see because of the glare, is a view of the Ski Jump used in the Olympics, that has since been re-done.
Looking up towards the skiers from the tram.
A ski lift super packed with eager skiiers.
Our little bears on the tram on the way down.
A church around the corner from the palace. I love the architecture and the clocks on both sides of the towers. The bells rang out a few times while we walking around--large, loud, beautiful bells.
The city tower which used to be the town watchtower. The prison used to be on the second floor.
Innsbruck and Hall were a great, not-too-far weekend getaway for us to get used to having our small travelers with us on overnights, and they did such a great job being out and about! We look forward to our next family getaway.