By: Marcia Abramson
The only snow I saw in Innsbruck was up high on the upper regions of the Alps which border this quaint old-fashioned city. The temperature was a balmy 46 degrees throughout my sojourn. The clamor from the ski resorts was, "Just give us a little snow and we will make the rest if Mother Nature helps with the cold," conducive for making snow. But I was happy to trek through the old-fashioned city of castles, quaint ancient villages, beautiful Swarovski shops with the largest display of crystal jewelry, figurines, stemware and numerous other goodies that I have ever seen in one location; fashionable boutiques with holiday clothes festively embroidered in traditional Tyrolean motifs, and, oh, those wonderful bakeries filled to the brim with the luscious Christmas ginger bread cookies in addition to an overwhelming 135-different types of bread. There is also a leering devil figure made of ginger bread known as "Krampus," a reference to St. Nikolaus' evil counterpart, a furry, chain-rattling character who terrorizes misbehaving youngsters and some adults, too, who happened to find themselves confronting a group of Krampus costumed young people. The architecture reflects a strong Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque influence which makes this town a real thing of beauty. As I walked through the Old Town part of Innsbruck, I also could not help but notice the "golden roof" of one of the famous old buildings as well as the magnificent Yuletide lights that brighten the streets, buildings and trees. A courtyard was pointed out to me as housing the residence of one of the relatives of the Von Trapp family made famous by the Americans in the "Sound of Music." The original Von Trapp family fled Salzburg, a nearby town to escape the Nazis, and made their home in Stowe, Vt. I stopped in to see the Imperial Court Palace as well as the Tyrolean Regional Heritage Museum filled with fabulous works of folk art, Christmas cribs and the traditional garb of the rural population. Old World tradition is alive and well in Innsbruck, and this is the time of year during Advent (the four weeks before Christmas) and the New Year to celebrate. I walked down Fairytale Lane to find every storefront decorated with replicas of nursery book favorites. There was Jack and Jill, Hansel and Gretel (Hansel locked in a gingerbread jail), The Old Lady in a Shoe and so many others to put a smile on my face and bring me back to my childhood. Innsbruck is also a university town with a first-class medical school. In the evening the Old Town is filled with students enjoying exhilarating hot "Punsch." It is served steaming hot in ceramic mugs which make wonderful souvenirs and are yours to keep after leaving a $2 euro deposit. This is no ordinary punch. It is more than just apple cider or wine spiked with schnapps. I enjoyed this with all the students on a pedestrian cobbled street adorned with all kinds of craft kiosks and a "puppet mobile" for the very young set. I also recommend a visit to the open-air Christkindmarkts, or Christmas markets, which are scattered throughout Austria and have been a seasonal event in Innsbruck for more than 500 years. The wooden stalls are decorated with white lights and evergreen boughs and the scent of roasting chestnuts and bratwurst make for a nice reprieve from the ubiquitous shopping mall invasion. The Christkindmarkts are a gathering spot for families and young people and are at their liveliest in early nightfall. After freshening up at the five-star classic Europa Tyrol Hotel, we headed for the oldest building in the Old Town and a thoroughly delightful restaurant, the "Ottoburg" where I dined on iced beef "carpaccio" (Geeistes rinderfilet carpaccio) and Wienerschnitzel with a green and potato salad. I had a delicious homemade cheese strudel (hausegemachter toffenstrudel) and saved the world-renowned Austria Sachertorte for another night. My next columns will deal with the opening of Swarovski's "Crystal Worlds," a wondrous museum for children and adults of all ages, ancient villages and the world-class famous Austrian Alpine Ski Slopes.
Copyright © by Marcia AbramsonE-mail: mascribe@aol.com
