We left Cesky Budejovice early in the morning, but despite what we felt was a head start, it took us until late afternoon to reach Innsbruck and drive up the mountain to the peaceful village of Mutters, where we stay each time we visit the area. The drive, in addition to being lengthened by endless miles of major road construction, was hot.
Gruss Gott is how Austrians greet each other. We said it over a hundred times one day while we were hiking and met other hikers!
Owing to a miscalculation on my part, we only had an overnight there (I had lengthened our stay in Prague but had not adjusted for it!), and this was the first time we had experienced any intense heat. The rooms in our hotel were not air-conditioned, but hardly needed to be since there was always a cool breeze in the mountains. Or almost always.
We decided to take the tramway up to the top of Patscherkofel, the mountain down which Franz Klammer roared to a gold medal in the 1976 Winter Olympics. We had climbed there before and hoped it would be cool after the hot day. It was, and we met a charming young man running the tramway, with a happy face and a head full of dreadlocks. He told us he had been a roofer before taking the job, and he was earning more doing it.
At the top, we had a beer at the restaurant and wandered around admiring the mountain roses. An elderly woman tramped by us with an armful, headed back to the tram. Gene went over to the start of the downhill run. It is straight down, not something you could hike, and vertigo-inducing.
We had a beer at this mountain top restaurant.
The views from the mountain were spectacular and we watched a rain storm move in. We were told the tram wouldn’t run in a storm, so we had to head back down early. 
After we returned to Mutters, Gene took some pictures of the village, which has grown enormously since we first visited in 1972.
Here is a picture of a formerly typical house, where the cows are kept on the ground floor. He was amazed to find one still existed in the village. The farmer welcomed Gene into is first floor barn!
What a great trip – sounds like so much fun! I was in Innsbruck years ago – would love to go again. Thanks for sharing the pics!
Glad you enjoyed this!
Your pictures are beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Elizabeth. The trip was arduous but with great times! Next year we are circumnavigating Iceland!
What a lovely place, Noelle. Beautiful photographs too.
Thanks, Robbie!
LOVELY!!! we <3 Austria…
Thanks, Melanie, We do too. Next time we SWIM in Lake Lucerne…
It’s a lovely part of the world-glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks, Jemima. I hear you’ve had more hot weather…
How beautiful! I just went to Vienna and drove past Innsbruck by train. Didn’t have time to stop there, though.
Kathrin — http://mycupofenglishtea.wordpress.com
Kathrin, if you pass Innsbruck next time, follow the road up to Mutters for a wonderful view of the valley and city!
Thank you for the tip!!
How wonderful all your photographs Noelle! Enjoyed your story very much too.
Thanks, Gaia! We had a great time – more photos coming in a day or two!
Looks like you had a fabulous trip! 💕
Well, it all started in London! Two more stops to come – Switzerland, Dijon and Reims.
Wow… you are still on your travels? I didn’t realise… that’s a long time away from home. How wonderful, though… I would love to take a long trip like that.
Twenty days, seven countries. It was a marathon. We’ve decided unless we are heading to Asia, two weeks is a good limit.
Er, three !