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 EAST EU11  #3  Innsbruck, Austria  

July 1-2, 2011

All photos not taken by me have a black border

Friday, July 1, 2011

            I woke at 3:30, 6:00, 8:10 and at 9:00, I finally got up.  I put on my running gear again and headed on a new quest for my run today.

             At 10:20 I began my run heading down the street called Im Tal toward the Isartor which you can see far off in the photo above right.  It is the last (of the four) remaining city towers that I had not seen or photographed on our previous trips.  As it turns out this is probably the most impressive of all the gates.  Here is how it looked from the city side as I first approached it.  Below is the normal view...

...and here is the wide angle view.

            Here is the main clock tower from one side (below left) and then from the opposite side (center.)  On the right is an enlarged view of the base...

...and below left, a full view of the mural of the Crucifixion.  Here is the plaque on the tower noting the renovations done in 2003.

            The tower was originally erected in 1337.  The long mural on the outside wall depicts a triumphal entrance of royalty into the city.

            On this side of the gate, you can see a completely different aspect of the structure.  Below are two views of it.

            Below is the mural on the front of the gate showing the procession of a king (center) entering the city.

            Having enough photos of the gate, at 10:50 I continued down Im Tal or Tal and discovered another SFCC.  It looked good but I wasn't ready for sitting down yet.

            Just across the street (above right) from the Isartor is the Hotel Torbrau [Tal 41, +49-8-924-2340] near Pflugstra�e which claims to be the oldest hotel in the heart of Munich.  It started out in 1490 and for the past 100 years it has been run by one family.  It is now run by Andreas Kirchlechner and his son (left.)  Its history is very interesting and can be read by clicking on the link above.

            From the map above, you can see where I was in relation to the center of Altstadt Munich (dark red.)  I walked down Tal a little farther and came across the beautiful building nearby housing the Weisses Br�uhaus [Tal 7, +49-89-290-1380, info@weisses-brauhaus.de,] another popular Munich beer hall.  Right click here to download a copy of their menu in English.  They are proud of their Schneider Weisse beers.

            They have a very long history (below left) as well, going back to the 12th Century.  Their head chef is Josef Nagler (below right.)

            As can be seen from the stock photos below, they have a lot of different rooms where you can enjoy food (Speisen) und drink (Tranken.)

            The founder of the brewery was Gerog Schneider and the present manager is Eduard Fichtner (below left.)  Here (below) are just three of their many brew variations; Blonde Weissebier (left,) Eisboch (center,) and dark brew (right.)

            I vowed that we would come and eat here on our next visit to Munich.  I then came across what I thought was an interesting little place on this side street.  The outdoor seating was nice (below left) and the interior looked liked it might be a beer hall.  Unfortunately, I didn't write down the name of the place.

            At 10:55 I arrived at the edge of the Viktualienmarkt and took some photos of Heilig Geist-Pfarrkirche, the Holy Ghost Church, which was built in 1392.  The fa�ade was added in 1885.

            Very nearby is the church called Alte Peter.  I photographed it while waiting for the Mass to start at 11:00.  I attended the Mass especially for my brother Gary.  After Mass, I took photos of the interior and exterior of the church.  Below left is the exterior of Alte Peter and on the right is the beautifully ornate pulpit. from two angles.

            Below are two different side altars.

            What was most interesting is that the whole Mass was said with the priest (below) facing the altar rather than toward the people.  That was the way it was always done prior to the changes of Vatican II by Pope John XXIII in the 1960s.  Pope Benedict XVI recently ordered that this option was permitted again in certain circumstances.  I haven't seen this since I was in high school.

             Below left is looking toward the altar and below right is looking toward the back of the church and the organ.

            The ceiling was a spectacular work of art.

...            The organ (below left) seemed in pristine condition.

            I left the church and at 12:05 I stopped for a cappuccino at a new place I happened upon called Myerbeer Coffee [Rindermarkt 15, +49-89-23-230-7067.]

              They were very friendly but they give you a free WiFi code that only lasts for 30 minutes.

            They have coffee shops all over Germany (map below.)  Their coffee (above) wasn't bad and the place was comfortable (above) but with 30 minute WiFi limit (card below right,) I won't be coming back.

            I finally went into the Viktualienmarkt and took some shots of the interesting displays for sale like the cheeses (left) and the pastries (right.)  Several places were upset that I took photos and I have no idea why.

            As I walked back to the hotel on Pettenbeckstra�e near Rindermarkt, I got this very good shot of the statues of the cattle in the cattle fountain (Rinderbrunnen) (below) built in 1964 that I discussed last year.  This is the spot where cattle were bought and sold.

            At 12:50 I pulled more Euros from VPBank at an ATM.  I got back, packed up and brought all our bags down by elevator to the lobby.  At 1:15 we checked out of the hotel.  Since we parked the Peugeot in this little niche between the construction (below left) in front of the hotel entrance for the entire two days, we saved about �40 ($55) in parking fees.  Marcia enjoyed her book in the lobby while I loaded all the bags into the trunk.  I am making sure she has it easier this trip.

            I used my Accor Favorite Guest vouchers to pay 85% of the hotel bill.  Another advantage of being an Accor member.  The room rate was �30 cheaper than what I had booked it for from home.  I didn't question it.  I then asked them to book us there for our return trip in October.  That rate was twice what we were paying now because of Oktoberfest.  We were ready to start our trip and at 1:30 PM, I drove the 104 miles southeast then southwest toward Innsbruck (below.)  As we were leaving Munich, I got this shot of these interesting bridge columns and statuary (below left.)

            An hour into the trip, we had to stop and fill the tank at a Shell station.  I forgot to mention that this car uses diesel gasoline which in the EU is always cheaper than regular (in US, its more expensive.)   This is the first time we have ever driven a diesel engine car and our first fill-up.  We didn't notice any difference or any funny noises with the engine.  The tank-full still cost us �81 ($115.60) for 56.57 liters (14.94 gal) which comes out to $7.74/gal.  Diesel is usually colored black.

        We arrived in Innsbruck at 4:15 and, with the GPS, easily found our hotel from Booking.com.  The Best Western Mondschein [6 Mariahilfstra�e, +43-5-122-2784, office@mondschein.at] is right on the street alongside the River Inn.  It's the tallest, peach-colored building second from the corner.  It was a little chilly and Marcia was bundled up.

            I had to pull the car up on the sidewalk and then unload our stuff.  The people here are very nice.  Marcia went up to our room #48 (below right) and she had me go park the car this time.  That's when the deskman told me the complexity of the parking and that he would be monitoring me on closed-circuit TV from his desk.

            At first I wondered why and then I found out.  The problem here is that their parking garage is way up this side street (below) and they are VERY tight quarters in that second to the last building on the left side of the street.

            Of course, all the Booking.com website said about the parking was that it was free, which I jumped on.  I drove into the garage and the first floor, with only six spaces, was completely full.  I was then told I had to drive the car into the elevator (below) and after a half hour of maneuvering this large car, I finally got it in without scrapping the paint off.  Did I mention that you must BACK the car into the elevator?

            Then you push the button to go down.  When I came out on the floor below, it was incredibly difficult to maneuver it, first out of the elevator and then into one of the parking spots.  The lot was almost full when I arrived.  It was the worst parking situation I have ever encountered anywhere.  I would never do it again!

            I walked back to our room which was a little on the tight side as well but very comfortable.  Two side-by-side beds means no King bed here.

            After getting back and unpacking, we decided to wander across the river to the old town we have visited many times before.

            Above is a shot of our hotel and street and the sign for the zoo they have here and the Hungerburg Nordkettenbahn, the cable car up the mountain.  Neither of us was interested in taking it.

            Here (above) is the River Inn and looking back at the hotel.

            Above are photos of looking back from the old town to our side of the river.  While walking around, at 7:50, I checked the price at the Goldenes Adler Hotel, where we have stayed several times before and discovered it was twice the price we were paying at the Mondschein.  So, we saved some money there with Booking.com.

            At 8:00, we strolled into a friendly place called Gasthaus Elferhaus [Herzog-Friedrich Stra�e 11, +43-51-258-2875] and I had a glass of my very favorite beer, Zipfer Urtyp and Marcia had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.  Zipfer, in my opinion is one of the best beers brewed in the world and I was longing to get to Austria to enjoy one.

            We sat at the end of the bar, right behind the taps (below left.)  Believe it or not, they didn't have Zipfer on tap so I had to have it in a bottle.  The bar is very cozy but the smoke may get to you after awhile.  They have a back room for dining (stock photos below.)  Reviews I've read say the food is typical Austrian and pretty good.

            As you can see (below,) they are just down the street from the famous Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof) which anyone can direct you to.

            Below are stock photos of the front of the place and the entrance.

            We had gotten some recommendations by the hotel staff for Italian food so at 9:15, we walked our way back over the bridge, past our hotel and along the river, to Trattoria da Peppino [Kirschentalga�e 6, +43-51-227-5699.]

            It was a quaint little place with a small dining room (above right.)  This stock wide-angle makes it look bigger than it is.

            Here is there menu.  For some reason I was in the mood for two pasta dishes.

            Their wine list (below) "Cantina Weinkeller" was not extensive but all Italian.

            We both had a glass of Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) to start and then shared a bottle of Vino Nobile di Multipulciano Poliziano '07 (Multipulciano d'Abruzzo), along with tap water and we had to pay a coperto (service fee) for the both of us of �3.6.

            I started with a dish of spaghetti carbonara (below left) and Marcia had a bowl of minestrone soup (below right.)  They were both wonderful.

            I then enjoyed this dish of Tortellini di Casanova with cheese and speck (ham) (below left) and Marcia had an entr�e of Vitello (veal) Fettine Pizzaiola (below right.)

            Its hard to believe but my blood sugar test two hours after eating this pastalicious meal did not go above 100 (which is good.)  I was beginning to think the Metformin medication was really working.  When we finished dinner, our waiter, Manuel (from Molise, Italy) gave us a complimentary nice cold glass of limoncello for me and a glass of Sambuca for Marcia.  Manuel treated us very well and we rated the dinner as excellent.

            We walked back down along the river to our hotel and at 11:15, I  went into the hotel bar called the "Innside Pils Pub" while Marcia went upstairs.  Get it?  The River Inn is outside, so it is the Inn-side Pub.  There I had the pleasure of meeting Charlie Ischia (red shirt,) whose mother Hilda is the owner of the hotel.  He recommended I try a new Austrian beer I hadn't tried before called Zillertal pils.  It was good.  Johannes was the young (19) bartender (below left; on the right.)

            After one beer, I had a coke, bid them good night and went upstairs to bed at 1 AM.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

            Our 2011 tour really starts here since we have now entered one of the five countries we are here to explore.  The satellite map (right) shows how Austria straddles the Alps (snowy white.)  The emblem of Austria (left) comes from the old Hapsburg coat of arms.

            The problem is, we have stopped in Innsbruck so many times on our trips from Munich to Italy that it just feels so familiar to us.  Therefore we will not stay here longer than one day and this will be our only stop in the Tyrolean Austria; that little finger that sticks out to the west.  We will therefore miss the cities of Bregenz, Lienz, Kufstein, Landeck and Feldkirch.  There is a lot about Innsbruck in the previous Diarios.  Below is the Innsbruck flag (left) and coat of arms (right.)

            Innsbruck is the capital city of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria.  It is located in the Inn Valley at the junction with the Wipptal (Sill) River, which provides access to the Brenner Pass, some 18.6 miles (30 km) south of the city.  Located in this broad valley between high mountains, the Nordkette (Hafelekar) [7,657 ft (2,334 m)] in the north, the Patscherkofel [7,369 ft (2,246 m)] and Serles [8,917 ft (2,718 m)] in the south.  Below are some stock photos showing these impressive Alps.

            Below left is the top of Mt. Patscherkofel.

            The city is an internationally renowned winter sports center and it hosted both the 1964 and 1976 International Winter Olympics.

            The population of the city is 120,147 making it the fifth largest city in Austria.  Its elevation is 1,883 ft (574 m) and covers an area of 40.5 mi² (105 Km.²)  Below is a stock aerial photo of the city in the winter.

            Below is the famous covered walking bridge (left) over the Inn River and the City Tower with the famous Golden Roof in the background to the left (right.)

            Below is the famous German artist, Albrecht D�rer's (1471 - 1528) "View of Innsbruck" the way it looked in 1495.

            Innsbruck became the capital of all Tyrol in 1429 and in the 15th Century the city became a center of European politics and culture as Emperor Maximilian I (1459�1519) (left) resided here in the 1490s.  The city benefited from his presence; for example, the building  of the Hofkirche (1553�1563) by Ferdinand I (1503�1564) as a memorial to his grandfather.  Maximilian was buried in Weimar Neustadt, the place he requested but because his plan for his own tomb was much too big to be built there, Ferdinand built it here (aerial above right) but he was not moved here.  Below are many stock photos of this empty funeral monument called a Cento.  Below are stock photos of the Hofkirche from the front and the back.

            Below are many stock photos of the ornate memorial tomb and the many metal statues of Tyrolean royalty, both male and female.

            Below is a shot of the intricate ceiling and then side altars.

            During the Napoleonic wars, Tyrol was ceded to Bavaria, which was an ally of France.  Andreas Hofer (1767�1810) (right) led a Tyrolean peasant army to victory against the combined Bavarian and French forces, and then made Innsbruck his capitol.  The French and Bavarian army later overran the Tyrolean militia army and, until 1814, Innsbruck was part of Bavaria.  After the Vienna Congress, Austrian rule was restored here.  Hofer was captured hiding out in Italy after he was turned in by a neighbor.  He was executed in Mantua, Italy (below left;) his remains were returned to Innsbruck in 1823 and interred (below center) in the Franciscan church Hofkirche.   Napoleon had sent an order that Hofer be given a "fair trial and then shot."  He later claimed Hofer was executed against his orders.

            In 1818, his family was given a patent of nobility by the Emperor of Austria.  In 1823, Hofer's remains were moved from Mantua to Innsbruck, and in 1834, his tomb was decorated with a marble statue (above center) with a relief plaque below it  depicting Hofer's victory (below.)  In 1893, a bronze statue of Hofer was erected in Bergisel (Innsbruck) (above right.)

              Interestingly, the term "dollar" is derived from the Austrian "thaler," a silver coin first struck in the city of Hall in Tyrol in 1486 during Maximilian's reign.  On a bleaker note, below is Hitler doing the same thing, triumphantly entering Innsbruck during the Anschluss in March 1938, whereby Germany just annexed Austria.

            For those interested in visiting Innsbruck, you may find this list of museums and other places of interest worth copying and printing out as a reference:

Innsbruck Sites

 Goldenes Dachl Late-gothic alcove balcony, with 2657 fire-gilded cupreous shingles. It was built on behalf of emperor Maximilian I.  The ONE thing everyone HAS to photograph.

 Annas�ule (St. Anna Column), Maria-Theresien-Stra�e. The column, which is made of Tyrolean marble, was created in 1706, in memory of the drawback of Bavarian troops

 Triumphpforte (Triumphal Arch), Southen end of Maria-Theresien-Stra�e.  It was built in 1765 to mark the marriage of archduke Leopold and the spanish princess Maria Ludovica. The north side displays mourning themes on the occasion of Franz Stephan of Lothringen.

            I woke at 7:30 and 9:20 and just got up right away for some reason.  At 9:30 I went down to the 2nd level  (flower boxes, below left) and decided to have breakfast at the hotel.  This is unusual for me but I was paying for it whether I ate it or not.  For 35 years I eat only one meal a day and do not snack during the day.  This was unusual.  The breakfast layout was very nicely done (below right.)

            I had some very good scrambled eggs with some ham and cheese as well as a soft-boiled egg and two cappuccinos.  I sat right in the corner table looking out that window on the left.  It was very nice and relaxing.

            Marcia was also up and about early and at 9:35 she was buying contact lens solution at Renate Hopffer [Riesengass 5].  [Hoffer with a "P" thrown in.]  She got back and we packed up our bags and at 11:20, we checked out of the hotel.  The elevator doors have beautiful brass embossments (below left.)  We finally got to meet Hilda (below,) the owner.  She is a very nice lady; she let us leave our bags in the reception area while I went out for my run and Marcia went for lunch.

            If you don't have a car, this is the place to stay, in my opinion.  If I come back with a car, I am going to call ahead and ask that someone park my car and later get it back out for me.  Outside, they have this most interesting signage.  The logo is because Mondschein means moon shine which of course means something else in America.

            At 12:00, Marcia had lunch at Weinhaus Happ [Herzog Friedrich Stra�e 14, +43-51-258-2980.]  Now that we are about to explore this delightful Tyrolean city, here is a map of the central area.  Our hotel is outside the map and we have to cross the Innsbruck bridge (Innbr�cke) to get to the major sites and the old downtown. 

            It was now 12:00, and 2.5 hours since I had eaten that big breakfast, so I decided I could be able to do my run.  I started along the bank of the River Inn and came into this nice little park (green in upper left of map above.)

            As I got closer to the river, I had to take this shot of the angulated pedestrian suspension bridge.  It was quite futuristic architecture.  The park was a great place to do a run.

            Before I got into the park I decided to take a left turn up the hill and take a closer look at the church there.  At 12:20 I took some photos of the Pfarrkirche St. Nikolaus.

            The statuary on the front looked brand new (below left.)  The doors were locked but I was able to take a photo through the glass of the door.  Notice the beautifully patterned columns.

            Next door to the church was a cemetery.  The first big memorial (below left) had this inscription on it "Den Bomben-Opfern 1943-1945" which means "The Bomb Victims of 1943-45."

            It was a large and beautiful place.  There was also a bronze military statue with many plaques I could not read.

            It was flowered, clean and well-kept.  As I kept going back down on the main street, I saw this building (below) across from St. Nikolaus which was probably the rectory.  Then I come across this car advertising the exact car model we had leased, a Peugeot 508.  It was even the same color.

            This street (below left) ran all along the river and I finally reached the park I mentioned earlier.  The architecture of this school (below right) was worth a photograph.

            As I ran into Walther Park (the park I mentioned earlier,) I saw that there were many statues and memorials throughout such that I had to run in circles to photograph them.  This one was of Franz Thurner (1828-1879) (left,) the founder of Innsbruck's volunteer fire departments and gymnastic clubs and was a defense attorney for Tyrol.

            The next monument was for the park's namesake, Walther von der Vogelmeide (1170�1230,) the most celebrated of the High German lyric poets of the Middle Age.

            His famous poem was "Unter den Linden."  From the German Emperor, Frederick II, he finally received recognition for his defense of the empire over Papal excesses, by receiving a small fief in Franconia, though he complained that "it wasn't worth much."  Around 1224, he settled on his fief near W�rzburg.  He was active in urging the German princes to take part in the crusade of 1228, and may have accompanied the crusading army at least as far as his native Tirol.  He died around 1230, and was buried in W�rzburg (right,) after leaving instructions that the birds were to be fed at his tomb daily.  His original gravestone has disappeared; but in 1843 a new monument was erected over the spot in Lusamg�rtchen (Lusam garden), today sheltered by the two major churches of the city.  We will be in W�rzburg  in September.

            Above left is a depiction of Walther and on the right is one of his participation in a singing contest.

            There was also this pediment in the park with an inscription which means "The average height of the yearly atmospheric precipitation in Innsbruck is 31.5 in; Medium 27.85 in, High 28.4 in, Low 27.2.

            There was a statue of St. Joseph (below left) and a large crucifix (center,) which you won't find in any American public park.  I then left the park and went down H�ttinger Gasse (right) toward the bridge.

            I went across the bridge to photograph this stone crucifix affixed at the midpoint.

            Now to give you a feel of the buildings and architecture here in the old part of Innsbruck.

            Most of the nicer buildings seem to have outdoor caf�s.

            Below right is the City Clock Tower which is near the pub we dropped into last night.  If you look carefully, you can see the archway which goes along the entire street.

            Below is what the archway looks like as you walk down it.

            Just around the corner, you come to Innsbruck's main attraction, Der Goldenes Dachl or Golden Roof built by Maximilian. Below left is the whole building and below right is the artistry below the roof.

            This is what everyone comes here to see and photograph, so I did also.

            At the end of the street is the Goldenes Dachl hotel and restaurant that used to be very good when we visited it in 1997 but we stopped when the last meal we had there was pretty bad.  Maybe its better now.  Below right is the street alongside it filled with tons of booths and stores selling tourist stuff.

            Here is the street looking back up the other way.  Notice the ubiquitous "M" sign for McDonalds on the left.  Several shops were selling classical Tyrolean clothes.

            Now I am approaching the famous and beautiful Helbling House.  Below right and the next two are photos that Marcia took of it.

            It is even more spectacular when you see it in person with the sun reflecting off it.  Here are 3 stock photos.

            The main shopping street (below) is Maria-Theresien-Stra�e which is very wide and full of people, mainly tourists in the summer.

            It is named after the great Austrian Empress, Maria Theresa (1707-1780.)  The thaler coin below right became the most famous coin in the world.

            I came across the Church of the former City Hospital Dedicated to the Holy Spirit.  Below are photos I took of the exterior and the interior.

            The ceiling was quite impressive.

            As you approach the center of this large plaza street you arrive at Mary's Column (below.)

            The column is made of pink marble and the base has four statues on it.  The statue of Mary with a halo of stars is at the top.

            Marcia got a coffee and a snack at Konditerei Caf� Munding (right)[Kiebachgasse 16, +43-51- 258-4118] which is a very famous old place in the old town.

            While she was there, I finally found the big shopping center (left) which is called the Kaufhof Tyrol.  It is a large modern spectacular place and they are very proud of it.  Here is where I was told I would find the Saturn store where I could buy some phone chips.

            I went inside and was amazed at its size.  At 1:40 I bought a travel bag just for my running gear and also the perfect inflatable neck pillow at a place called Maniolo's [31 Maria-Theresienstra�e, +43-5-120-0000.]

            The girl in the store next to it was nice and let me have an empty shoe box so we could store all our travel guide books behind the passenger seat in the car.  I finally found the Saturn store which was way up on the top level.

            I bought two new Austrian phone chips for our phones for �51.78.  They were the Bfree phone system.  I also bought a laser mouse and a 3-way Euro plug.  They had a map showing what countries they had Saturn stores in.  Looks like I'm good for Austria and Hungary but not the other 3 countries I'm going to.

            I walked around looking to get a cappuccino and finally spotted one (below right.)

            At 2:30 I sat down in their outside seating area and had a cappuccino at their fancy Segafreda shop.

            Certainly interesting to see two modes of transportation.

            I finally made it back to the bridge.

            Below is my photo of our hotel and a stock aerial photo of it from across the river.

            Below left is a stock photo of the plaza and on the right one of the Triumphal Arch which I showed in previous Diarios.

            At 1:00 Marcia bought an Austrian freeway sticker at Innsbruck Information [Burggraben 2, +43-5-125 -3560] for �7.5 for 10 days.  We got away without one in 2009 but have been stopped in the past to pay a �200 cash fine on the spot - not fun.  She was also back at the Renate Hopffer for more contact lens solution.

            It was great fun getting the car out of their garage via elevator but I accomplished it with Marcia's help this time.  At 3:45 Marcia drove the first 100 miles heading south to Italy and Sirmione.  Below are shots of the built-in GPS screen as we were leaving Innsbruck.

            At 4:00 we had to pay the Brenner Pass toll of �8.  At 4:15 we stopped at a BP gas station and bought six diet cokes, three waters and some gum.  We continued on but after two hours Marcia had to stop and take a nap at a Fini gas station pull off.  At 7:00 we went inside and bought a music CD and some chips.  The jetlag is hitting us both pretty bad.  Soon we will be in Italy.

KJH                                                   Go To -> NEXT DIARIO #4 

Kenneth J. Hoffer, MD

KHofferMD@AOL.com                       

Innsbruck, Austria

Sent 1-25-2012

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