Europe Adventure 2007

Awaking very early we were the first to breakfast and therefore had pick of the first slice of fresh apple strudel and tea cake. Warm and full of food we boarded the bus at 8am with the locals off to work and enjoyed listening to a dialect that is not entirely Italian, German or Slovenian. Our bus took a familiar route down the Val de Fassa before diverting to Bolzano where we connected with a train to Innsbruck.

ITALY: Our final thought on the splendid time we have spent in Italy (totalling just over 5 weeks) is that it is jam packed with some of the greatest sights, tastes, adventures and people. Having reviewed our time and destinations it is impossible to say that we would have been happy to miss anything however we do feel that the route has been relatively comprehensive without being excessive. We will be back, most likely during Winter for the snow as soon as we win Lotto so that we can go crazy with the fashion, food and Ferraris.

Crossing the border to Austria we were totally engrossed in a Gravitational Physics 101 lecture from a very friendly Assistant Professor working on the LISA project. It is not every day that you get to ask what gravity really is and get the most up-to-date laypersons answer from someone who is helping to launch rocket ships into space to find out. We now have a very brief understanding of black holes, laser beams and other useful galactic cooking tips.

AUSTRIA - Innsbruck - 20 June

Steve may be good at some things; carrying heavy loads, eating leftover pasta, pitching a tent almost anywhere and playing charrades with non-english speaking bus drivers, however, when taking directions from the tourist office at the Innsbruck train station regarding the closest campsite he was obviously dreaming about strudel.

We walked, and walked... and walked some more before arriving at the campsite in the rain where the very friendly blonde receptionist asked how the bus ride to the front gate was. Steve broke a small sweat and said 'eh...I may have forgotten about the second bus connection... would you mind not mentioning it to my wife'. It should be known that Camilla had an inkling that we had taken a rather longer approach than was necessary and probably read that from Steve's face when he offered to carry all her bags to the pitch.

As it was raining heavily all afternoon we caught up with tenthold items such as cooking, tea, washing and drying, reading about Innsbruck and planning our following day. To make it interesting the gliders were wizzing over our heads to finish their decent and the thunder in the hills could be heard echoing off the 3000m high cliff behind our tent.

Day 1 - 21 June

Innsbruck is fantastic for adventure sports of all kinds with a great program of free, inexpensive and exhuberent activities to choose from. As impoverished backpackers we thought it best to join the free guided walk through the mountains. After a dry bread breakfast we arrived at the congress building early to be met by Martin the Austrian tour leader and one other hiker. Not the crowd of thousands we were expecting, it may have had something to do with the thunderstorm looming overhead and hailstone warnings which those with a TV may have been privy to.

Setting off on a 50 person coach we wound our way up to the 1964 / 76 Winter Olympic skifield venue to commence the walk. With the pass we were aiming at visible up in the clouds we were keen to get going. Martin on the other hand set the pace a little slower than expected. As we dodged the butterflies overtaking us we at least had time to admire the thick flower growth, old trees and noisy bell-bound livestock.

Nearing the top of our ascent the thunder clapped louder and we realised that it was coming from overhead of the valley we were aiming at. With only seconds to have the new information register Martin pointed out that we could see the highest peak in Germany and the Italian Alps from our vantage point. As Steve pulled the camera out from under his jacket Martin could be seen leaping like a mountain goat hundreds of metres further down the ravine.

Our shoes and knees got a real workout as we slipped, slided and cursed having to keep up with the ill prepared mountain guide / pace setter who evidently did not choose to bring all weather gear as we had. After 30 minutes of non-stop scramble down from the pass the weather fined up slightly and we arrived at a traditional Austrain mountain hut at 1740m. Only seconds from devouring our somewhat squashed salad rolls Martin had a hissy fit that we were not going to partake in a full hot lunch. Whether he missed out on his kickback from the takings or not, we are just not use to lavish hot meals being available on every bush walk and tucked into the soggy rolls.

Running in the rain the rest of the way downhill, only to take a snails pace on the remaining uphill sections were were greeted at the end of the walk by sunshine and a spare 30 minutes before our pickup. Martin, please don't quit your dayjob! The walk in all was wonderful and the free time in Tesfel afforded us the time to admire one of the stunning 17th century churches with elaborate frescos and a fully adorned mummy / skeleton.

Back on the now shrunken minibus we drove along the Autostrade across a 190 metre high bridge in horizontal rain. Back in Innsbruck however the weather was breaking into pockets of sunshine. Walking through the old town was a real treat including admiring the famous Golden Roof before a well deserved reward of Strudel and silver service tea in a charming little Strudelhaus.

After adminiring the Swarovski crystal displays we got lost in the two main multistorey outdoor adventure stores. After our kneebreaking experience Steve has invested in some alpine walking sticks (hmmmmm) which are expected to get some use in the coming weeks.

Dinner was soon to follow where we planted ourselves in the main square watching the trams go by and framed by the towering mountains behind. Dinner was a traditional affair with Snitzel and chips for Camilla and a country chicken, speck (smoked bacon) and potato casserole for Steve. Austrian beer was the chaser and well deserved at that.

On our way back through the network of trams and buses we joined a retired Queensland couple at the infamous second bus connection to chat about motorhomes. They had only two days before taken delivery of a brand new mobile mansion in Strasbourg. Keen to discuss every detail of the purchase, design, delays, and general operation we were privy to the grand tour on our arrival (no walking) back at camp. It should be noted that although we love our little Chateau the inside of a new motor home is shmick, maybe when our knees can't cope with hauling luggage and crawling into tents will we consider this upgrade.

Innsbruck is fantastic, very pretty and a real gem in the Austrian Alps. Like Italy, the location looks superb under a velvet cover of snow and may require a visit again in the coming years.