30-Jan-2025
So, farewell, Bologna; indeed, farewell, Italy... At almost seven weeks (counting Sardinia, Sicily, and the peninsula), this is way the longest time either of us has spent in this country.
I will NOT miss the recycling regulations (not because it's a bad idea, but because the implementation is so variable, and so nonsensical sometimes). I will miss pretty much everything else...
Bologna night view on our last bin run...
Anyway, today we caught the train to Innsbruck. As soon as we had decided that we might as well pop back to Britain briefly, to have a few more days with the folks there before heading for home, Innsbruck became a logical interim stop. An additional motivation was guilt... On our last two trips across Europe (from Istanbul and to Istanbul), we kept transiting through Austria, but not overnighting there, and that started to feel a bit rude.
So, overnighting in Innsbruck we now are, although only for two nights, rather than the projected three, because it's jolly expensive at this time of year...
We rode a very cool Austrian train:
Excellent design: High-backed seats; two levels of pull-down tray; phone charger and plug socket; footrest...
It takes almost five hours to get to Innsbruck
And the scenery is awesome:
You start in the misty Po Valley
You stop at Verona, inter alia
And then you head into the mountains
Totally surprised by the number of vines up on these slopes...
We're starting to see snow now, and soon there'll be frozen waterfalls
You reach your maximum height, of course, at the Brenner Pass, 1,371 metres above sea level.
We're staying at an Ibis, which is just across the road from the station. The forecast for tomorrow is very iffy, with possible snow. So, as soon as we arrived, we dived out again for a walk around the town -- just in case we end up spending all the rest of our time in the hotel room...
There are good views from here, so there would be worse things than being marooned here for a day
Innsbruck is a very striking city. Again, we're somewhere markedly different, even after just five hours on the train. And it's new for us to see people wandering through the streets with skis on their shoulders, and catch sight of a ski jump from the middle of the town...
There's plenty of colour and pomp:
St James's Cathedral is magnificent. Its plain facade belies an interior that is absolutely spectacular, even for visitors who have recently seen some of the glories of Sicilian Baroque:
An adorable Tyrolean crib scene
And, of course, there's this amazing setting, where you're literally ringed by mountains:
To close, some sunset views from our room:
Let's hope we get to see a bit more of it all tomorrow...