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The drop in temperature is significant and we have to have the heating on to get up, but it's a bright and sunny morning and the autumn colours are reflecting beautifully across the flat lake as we have breakfast.
There is a free bus service from the campsite to Innsbruck, sadly we find the buses are not wheelchair accessible, but there is an alternative. We walk away from the campsite beside the fields of grass and maize towards Natters. The sun is warm and the air is clean and fresh with the smells of new cut grass and silage. Either side of us mountains and trees rise to a clear blue sky and kites or buzzards scream overhead, flapping to find the thermal currents they need to soar.
Natters is a small, quiet town with chalet style buildings; wooden balconies and flower troughs, white plaster sometimes painted with religious images and a cream church with grey onion spire.
At midday bells ring out from the church accompanied for a short time by the test of the avalanche siren.
We find the tram station and try to work out how the ticket machine operates, until a local helps us. It only lets us buy one at a time rather than 1 standard [€5.20] and 1 special rate [€2.60] together. The tram arrives within a few minutes and we are on our way to Innsbruck. The track descends steeply through a series of curves until we arrive in the city. The first stop is near a tyre centre which has many sets of 4 wheels on racks all with newly fitted winter tyres, which are compulsory here from October to April. A few more stops bring us to the marketplace where we alight.
We find a bar with dozens of tables outside a stop for coffee. In the nearby market square is some sort of African festival; drum music, flags from numerous African countries and stalls selling African style clothing and trinkets.
After coffee we make our way into the old town area. The buildings are mainly 5-6 storey, narrow and extremely ornate, either with paintings, mosaics or complicated baroque mouldings. One has a balcony which is sheltered by gold coloured tiles. It is mainly bars and restaurants that are doing good business in the sunshine, and shops selling souvenirs, clothing or jewellery. From some of the food sellers we get the strong scent of cinnamon, sugar or spiced sausages.
We indulge in a couple of cakes and watch a street performer making huge strings of football sized bubbles.
Between the streets the view up to the mountains is often visible. The mountain tops are bare rock where long periods of ice and snow prevent growth, but about 70% has trees which in places have been cleared to make the incredibly steep ski-runs. In places, at the top of the runs, there are buildings shining white in the sun, probably cafes or ski centres.
Although the mountains look gigantic, their real enormity is shown when a glider flies by part way down the slopes, or the tiny dot of a cable car moves across the landscape.
Out in the main town a carriage drawn by a bored looking, dalmation spotted horse clops by amongst the trams and buses. Traffic is calm and stops, without fail, at pedestrian crossings. The whole city seems friendly and easy going.
After a few hours we find one of the stops for our tram which is due in 6 minutes and ride back to Natters. Ali leaves Nick on a very pleasant, sunny corner and visits the little supermarket before we head back to the site. It is around 17:30 and the air gets cold as the sun sinks behind the trees, but despite the cool air we succumb to stop on the terrace beside the lake for a small beer, looking at the reflections and watching dragonflies, before returning to the van.
- comments
Jacquie Burns We loved your day outing:-) Thanks for telling us about your blog.
Ron Bloomfield At last I found you!! Innsbruck sounds idyllic. You may have suggested next year's holiday.