Who's been to Innsbruck?

[saab2000]

So I have a bit of vacation at the end of February and I am going to jet off to Europe to visit family and friends. My sister will be there with some others in Sölden, Austria, near Innsbruck.

I used to fly to Austria, but never Innsbruck. I have no doubt it's beautiful.

Would rather just go to Switzerland... :rolleyes: But my in laws are German and my sister is in Switzerland so I guess Österreich is an acceptable compromise. :D

[Bruce K]

I was there in the early 70's twice.

Once as a High School senior and once as a college freshman.

It was a beautiful old city with fantastic mountains nearby.

The Old City had a nice old style bar or two.

That probably doesn't help much for a visit now.

BK

[Blue Jays]

It's beautiful. If you can also manage to visit Vienna and Salzburg via train, even better! If you enjoy history it will be a great vacation for you. Enjoy.

[e-RICHIE]

klammer atmo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtB5SW7HYyY

[capybaras]

A friend lived there for a year and became good friends with the owners of Hotel Mozart. She says they are lovely people. It looks like a beautiful city.

[dave thompson]

You'll like Innsbruck. Lovely area, stunning vistas, great food and drink.

Pics taken near Innsbruck in 2005.

[Ray]

I was there for a couple of days in the summer of '81. I remember watching snips of the royal wedding when I was there - no idea why I remember that. Nice town, incredibly beautiful area in region full of beautiful areas. The ski jumps were cool too.

-Ray

[jerk]

Austria is strange and weird...I remember seeing a bunch of college kids demonstrating against some right wing nut job who was running for something and an old lady sweeping the sidewalk in front of her knickknack shop; tells me in german, "sad look at those fools. its because of people like them that we lost the war. I'm voting for whomever those communist are against."

no individual defines a nation as a whole, but the whole neutrality thing coupled with no de-nazification always made the place seem a bit isolated and degradedly warped.

jerk

[maunahaole]

"

no individual defines a nation as a whole, but the whole neutrality thing coupled with no de-nazification always made the place seem a bit isolated and degradedly warped.

jerk

Please provide an opinion as to the current Governor of California.

[djg]

I was there once, but it's been ages. There's some beautiful country around Innsbruck, and some good skiing also (although I lost a rental ski sort of high up on the mountain at a place called Axamer Lizum once ...).

It's an odd place in various ways, but you ought to be able to have a good time on your visit.

[Karin Kirk]

I have fond memories of skiing in Innsbruck, Saab, and I bet you'll love it.

It was my first ski experience outside of the Northeast. The trip was a catalyst for the path of my life! There are lots of great ski options. My visit there was too long ago for me to recall specific names of places, but it sure was fun and beautiful.

Have a great trip!

[jerk]

Please provide an opinion as to the current Governor of California.


of all the charachters in predator, i would have put my money on carl weathers being the odds on favorite for being elected to executive office...would have picked the alien to place and whomever played the indian to show...but the body and arnold proved we all really do just live in a gigantic cartoon.

jerk

[Blue Jays]

I similarly have wonderful memories from skiing at Bad Gastein, Austria. Carefully check the weather if considering Innsbruck for skiing since it can occasionally be warmer than other areas of the country.

[saab2000]

Interesting. I have of course been to Austria many times. But mostly in airports. I have actually spent time in Vienna and it is one of my favorite cities in Europe, behind Zürich and Lugano or course! :D

But seriously, I liked Vienna and walking on the Danube/Donau with thousands of ice skaters was very cool.

When I flew in Europe we overnighted in a Gasthaus in Salzburg which was family owned and like living in a large house. Incredible compared with the anonymous brick and mortar corporate places we stay at here. We told them what we were hungry for and the cook made it. Or at the bar in Graz with a tall Edelweiss Hefeweizen. Not bad.

I am looking forward to going.

BTW, the modern history of Switzerland is not always squeaky clean even though I want it to be. Unfortunately, no place has a squeaky clean history. There are bigots everywhere, including Austria and even the US. For all my love of Europe it is the big pink elephant in the room.

[goonster]

Innsbruck is a gorgeous city, and is one of the ancient centers of Catholic power in the region (Salzburg being the other), back before the Habsburgs, when towns proclaimed their allegiance to the bishop by the color of the church steeple. Green for Innsbruck, red for Salzburg, I think it was.

Enjoy and, for crying out loud, relax. Austrians like to think of the Swiss as somewhat dour and socially constipated. Go with the flow. Enjoy the wine.

If Bavarians are the Texans of Germany, Tyroleans are the Texans of Austria. It's a bit unfair to lump the whole country together. Those mountain folk like to cling to their differences.

(Franz Klammer was Carinthian, by the way)

Austria is strange and weird...I remember seeing a bunch of college kids demonstrating against some right wing nut job who was running for something and an old lady sweeping the sidewalk in front of her knickknack shop; tells me in german, "sad look at those fools. its because of people like them that we lost the war. I'm voting for whomever those communist are against."

no individual defines a nation as a whole, but the whole neutrality thing coupled with no de-nazification always made the place seem a bit isolated and degradedly warped.

jerk

They were probably protesting Joerg Haider. I'm not a fan, but most of policies would probably be considered ever so slightly right-of-center in the U.S.

Where was this? You speak German?

I can see how Austria can seem a bit of a cypher and how it defies the easy stereotypes once one looks a little closer. It's not all Julie Andrews, atmo.

[saab2000]

Yes, the protests were likely against Jörg Haider. He may not even be right of the right in the US. But the issues are not the same and his policies are not easily pigeonholed into simple 'right wing' labels. Anyway.... Enough divisive politics!

Yeah, I suppose the Swiss are a bit socially constipated, but only when viewed from the outside. For the insider it's not always so. The life in Zürich or Lugano is quite vibrant. But not always welcoming to the outsider and the simultaneous inferiority and superiority complexes of the Swiss can make them really annoying! :D

I'll do my best to enjoy Innsbruck!

[jeffg]

Saab,

I know you are a fan of Switzerland, but having lived in Vienna and been to Innsbruck many times, I think you are in for a treat in terms of sheer beauty and culture. I was first there in 1993 and had a great time. Rather than the Hotel Mozart why not (another) place where Mozart stayed, the Weisses Kreuz? Right in the old town near the Goldenes Dachl. Simple but nice accomodation and a good base for exploring the town.

If you are skiing in Soelden, however, you will be quite a ways from Innsbruck and in the midst of the Tyrolean ski scene. There is quite a bit of skiing in Soelden and glacier skiing as well if snow is sparse. I would ski a day or so in Obergugl though, for a more relaxed scene and even more gorgeous scenery.

If I had my druthers, though, I would Ski Sankt Anton or, better yet, Stuben/Lech/Zuers. Vorarlberg would be more your style since they essentially speak Swiss German (80% of the population voted post WWI to become part of Switzerland).

Jerk: I think you are referring to Joerg Haider as the right-wingnut those youth were protesting against. Austria is indeed a bit odd, but very interesting. Art is much more a staple of political discourse and Haider went from trying to co-opt artists to villifying them as anti-Kultur (an old Bismarck/fascist tactic). In my opinion writers such as Bachmann, Bernhard, Jelinek, etc. are much more interesting than their German (or even Swiss German) counterparts and occcassion debate (and much resentment) by polemicizing about what Saab referred to as the big pink elephant in the room ...

[jerk]

t wasnt herr haider, it was a few years before that. anyway, austria was frucked....they were like germans without the guilt or any noble annoying earnestness...despite ostensibly being a catholic nation....them "communist" college ladies were alot of fun too later that night at some hurting disco.....they liked my story about the old Nazi bag anyway....

jerk

[spiderman]

for my 21st birthday
i learned to downhill ski in innsbruck.
i had only ever been cross country skiing before...
...i learned that the top of a mountain
is a very poor place
to have someone call your bluff!
outside of bled, slovenia
the single most beautiful place i've ever been...

[andy mac]

a fun town and the austrian ski vibe is pretty good this time of year. will probably have it's fair share of poms and aussies misbehaving too.


:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:

[Erik.Lazdins]

klammer atmo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtB5SW7HYyY
I was 10 when I saw that on tv with my family. Stratton or Bell Mt.(hill) Jersey became my personal Innsbruck.

[e-RICHIE]

I was 10 when I saw that on tv with my family. Stratton or Bell Mt.(hill) Jersey became my personal Innsbruck.
you a jersey boy too atmo?

[Erik.Lazdins]

you a jersey boy too atmo?

Somerset!

[e-RICHIE]

Somerset!
bayonne atmo.
we prolly played your temple team in biddy basketball.

[jeffg]

t wasnt herr haider, it was a few years before that. anyway, austria was frucked....they were like germans without the guilt or any noble annoying earnestness...despite ostensibly being a catholic nation....them "communist" college ladies were alot of fun too later that night at some hurting disco.....they liked my story about the old Nazi bag anyway....

jerk

Austria is just fine -- they are just like Germans, except they are Austrian!

[jeffg]

I was 10 when I saw that on tv with my family. Stratton or Bell Mt.(hill) Jersey became my personal Innsbruck.

Franz is from Carinthia, but he is also well know for shredding the Valluga off the top of St. Anton ... some of the wildest and best skiing I have ever seen, and, no, I have not skied from the top of the Valluga down to the Vorarlberg side, with certain death if you miss one of the first 2 or three turns!

[djg]

Yes, the protests were likely against Jörg Haider. He may not even be right of the right in the US. But the issues are not the same and his policies are not easily pigeonholed into simple 'right wing' labels. Anyway.... Enough divisive politics!


I'll do my best to enjoy Innsbruck!

well, with Haider, it's not that rare a package of "right wing" views for Europe maybe -- and some of those are views we, here in the US, would consider right-wing and some perhaps even left-wing...and then there's just the scary stuff that hides out in the mountains of Idaho. Sometimes you have to look real close to see things, like in those "where's waldheim" cartoons.

[Polyglot]

I used to fly to Austria, but never Innsbruck. I have no doubt it's beautiful.

If you are going to be flying into Innsbruck, you better be flying a STOL. They used to have a short runway and steep approach that could only accept STOL. Perhaps something has changed but I doubt it.

It is beautiful little city, but there isn't that much to do other than the great sports opportunities. You can drive to 4 different countries in less than 1 hour.