Small city feel

That’s the impression we get on our first day - its a small city, flanked by mountains.  Built along the valley alongside the river, surprisingly its a very bicycle friendly place.  Cycle paths everywhere.

We start the day with a hop-on, hop-off bus tour to give us some perspective.  We find that the old city centre is very small, and thats surrounded by some very grand middle class suburbs.  The architecture is varied and in places grand.  

One of the “must-do” things, is a trip on their modern funicular from Congress station (close by) to the high peak of Hafelekar (2256m) that looms over Innsbruck.  Its a futuristic funicular that alters its shape as the slope of the ground changes.  The 4 carriages start off on the same level, then when it travels below the River Inn the first carriage is lower than the next; then when it starts to ascend the mountain the first carriage rises above the next one, and so on.  It all happens so smoothly its unnoticeable.  And the stations themselves are some of the most modern in the Alpine region.

This was taken from a middle carriage as we passed through one of the stations - its curved metal roof to the right.  To the left is part of the mechanism that hinges each carriage.

The trip to the top involved the funicular and 2 cable cars.  Its a good job I’m coping with heights now!

Can’t get enough of these mountain views (though it was a pity it was a bit hazy today)

As the shops were shut, we had to suffer the option of eating al fresco in the Old City tonight - another balmy evening.