CHalet School Land Day Six

Basilica church interior

Today is Innsbruck, very much Chalet School linked. It was a baking hot day and brought to mind the outing to Innsbruck to buy Madge's birthday present in School.

On the way into Innsbruck, I spent my time checking the roadsigns, looking for the names Kolsass and Weer. In 1985, we went skiing over Christmas and New Year for the first time with a group of friends to Kolsasses-Weer as it was called then. It was a wonderful Christmas Card Land experience, which included midnight Mass on Christmas Eve in the beautiful little church, singing "Stille Nacht" and walking back to our hotel in the gently-falling snow - perfect Chalet School! As an after note, I didn't find them on the way in, but was successful on the way back to Pertisau.



View from the River Inn

The tour began on entry to Innsbruck at Berg Isel (the Olympic ski jump site - our driver grabbed the mike from the guide at this point to say "Eddie the Eagle") and the Wilten Basilica church with its beautiful ceiling.  On from there to be dropped at the old city. What was advertised as "a walking tour of the old city" started - and ended -  with being taken to the Goldener Dachl and left then to wander around under our own steam - black mark against Thomson under Trade Descriptions' Act, as far as I'm concerned! - for nearly five hours. It wasn't too bad. I'd come prepared with a list of things to do, which we proceeded to do in so far as we could. We were somewhat constrained by building works at times. I'd discovered that there was an exhibition by the Austrian Alpine Club in the  Hofburg, but that was one of the areas under building works unfortunately. We managed most of the other things on my list - the Inn River, the Triumphal Arch ........ We also managed some really wonderful ice cream - mine with strawberries, Dave's with pineapples. Mmm mmm!!!! Dave was brave enough to climb the Stadtturm for the views over the city - my calves were still so painful from the Krimml Waterfall descent, that I couldn't face climbing the many stairs.

Golden Roof, Innsbruck

Must share the final joke of the day from our coach driver. As we were leaving the city, he took the mike to tell us to look to the right to see the American Embassy. Like Pavlov dogs, we all eagerly looked to see - MacDonalds !!!!!!!

To end the day appropriately in CS fashion, we were entertained by harpist while working our way through another delicious five course dinner at the Post. She was rather older than Frieda Mensch, but nothing's perfect!