Travel

After a restful night at the Hotel Europa Tyrol, swathed in goose down covers, and a delicious breakfast of farm fresh eggs and wonderful Austrian bread, I headed out to Innsbruck's skiing locales. I can understand why this area is hailed as one of the top winter sports resorts in the Alps. It is situated in the heart of the Alps within easy reach of downtown with free buses and transportation to the slopes. There are actually six skiing regions with 60 mountain railways and lifts (more than 80 miles of runs). Snow is guaranteed until spring with modern snowmaking facilities as well as night skiing at some of the resorts. This is the place for snowboarders, carvers, deep-snow enthusiasts, alpine and cross-country skiers. There are gentle slopes for beginners, steeper ones for advanced skiers, awesome challenges for experts, unbelievable runs for snowboarding enthusiasts and free riders. Families and elderly people will find more leisurely paced runs. Children start skiing when still in "Pampers" as soon as they are able to toddle. My research also found that Austrian skiers rank highest, even over the Swiss in world championship events. The new ski-jump at the historic Bergisel mountain is mind-boggling. It ascends majestically into the air towering over the Olympic city of Innsbruck. The site has always been of major importance to the Tyrol. I learned that the brave Tyrolean's with their leader Andreas Hofer fought a battle here for their homeland. In 1925 the first ski-jump was built on this famous historic site. This sports stadium also hosted the Olympic Games of 1964 and 1976 and the Olympic flame was lit at Bergisel. Additionally, Pope John Paul II, held a mass for 60,000 believers in this locale. However, the Bergisel arena is not just a winter hot spot for sportspeople, it is a year-round training center for ski-jumpers on mats, even when there's no snow. In this instance, the ski-jumpers take a run-up on a special track made of porcelain and land on a surface cushioned with mats from fibrous tissue. Summer ski-jumping has many fans even though the skiers do not wear bikinis; it is too cold up in the mountains. It's just 255 steps up to the tower and 47 meters higher to the tower (I chose a modern inclined elevator for the climb) and I enjoyed a wonderful panoramic view of the mountain scenery and a peaceful little cemetery at the very bottom. I was then off to Lans, another small village outside Innsbruck with many historic 15th century farms and houses. Lunch was at the "Wilder Mann" restaurant with wonderful mushroom and barley soup (like my mother who was of Austrian Polish heritage used to make) and delightful Tyrolean Leber in Kapernsauce Mit Spatzln (Tyrolean calf liver slices in caper sauce with dumplings). That exquisite Austrian bread was all the dessert I needed to make my day. Lans is a dairy farm village, where the cows had their own comfortable homes attached to the main cottage with adequate heating and ventilation. Again this seemed to be a trip back in history for me and the stories my maternal relatives told about their lives in the old world. In fact, one of my mother's sisters (shortly after her arrival in America in the early 20th century) was so brain washed with the royalty of the Hapsburgs, Maximilian, Empress Maria Theresia and the various Kaisers and their castles that when she passed the regal uniforms of the doormen at the elegant New York's hotels she is said to have curtsied to them. Then it was a delightful drive in a winter horse carriage ride after lunch with Jacob and his horses Daisy and Hans through the countryside. Jacob placed a warm blanket over our laps. During our drive we stopped at a historic landmark cottage and looked through the windows that were open to the public. I saw some replicas of very primitive sparse furnishings used during the 1400s. At certain intervals, Daisy and Hans proceeded to gallop at remarkable speed. They seemed to do this on cue, even without the schnapps that Jacob dispensed to warm up his passengers. I ended this wonderful day with a walk through the Old Town to the "Ottoburg" restaurant. This was truly a romantic evening in one of the oldest buildings in Innsbruck purported to be built as a castle for Maximilian in a bygone era. From one of the original windows I could see the "gold roof," which is the famous landmark of the old town of Innsbruck. A fitting end to a visit to a colorful European destination with an explanation from my guides that they realized after a very short time that the Nazis were not good for Austrians.Copyright © by Marcia AbramsonE-mail: mascribe@aol.com