It didn't rain! & hiking in the Alps is officially going on my list of most awesome things I've done so far in my life.

The ticket office to buy the Innsbruck Card didn't open until 9am, so there was no sense getting up super early. Even though it wasn't raining and didn't look threatening when we got up, it sure wasn't sunny or clear. I was slightly concerned that going up would be a bit of a let down because of the low visibility, but who knows when I'll get another chance to hike in the Alps, so we decided we would go up anyway. We got the Innsbruck Card without any glitches, stopped for a quick coffee and pastry, and were on our way to the closest Nordkette station.

It took about half an hour or so to reach the top. First you take something that looks a little bit like a roller coaster (thank goodness it doesn't feel like one), and then you transfer to a cable car that takes you the rest of the way up. The cable car takes you as high as Hafelekar, and then it's a really easy hike to get to Hafelekarspitze. Aka if you wanted to go up into the Alps without going hiking, it isn't difficult at all.

The view from the top was amazing, even with the cloud cover. It was the first time I've been above the clouds if you don't count airplanes, and I was definitely feeling the change in elevation! It took a bit to get used to; I felt like I was huffing and puffing for the smallest of inclines! Like I said earlier, there were a lot of clouds covering the city, but that was okay because the best view was on the opposite side of the mountain we were on. From there, you could a dozen or so different mountain peaks that were very dramatic and rocky, and below everything was the lush green valley.

We hiked along Goetheweg to a couple other peaks, but unfortunately I can't remember their names. It wasn't a very long hike—just late morning-afternoon—but it was an amazing first hiking experience, and I am really anxious to go again. I can't even begin to describe the view from up top. Pictures of the Alps are amazing, but being there in person is just on a whole different level. I've never been somewhere so peaceful and away from everything in my entire life.

Well, actually I take that back. We weren't away from "everything"—we ran into a flock of sheep during our hike. We saw them from a ways away and were careful to be quiet so that we could take pictures, but that proved to be unnecessary because they couldn't have cared less when we walked right next to them on the path. I kind of felt like I had been transported into the movie Heidi with Shirley Temple ;]

I really can't say in any other words how much I loved the hike or how beautiful the landscape was, especially with the clouds rolling in and out, revealing and hiding different sections of scenery throughout the afternoon. I've never been camping (I know, I know....) but I'm pretty sure I'd be up for a camping/hiking trip now. Throw whitewater rafting in there, too!

After we got down the mountain, we hustled back to our hostel to change for the Swarovski Kristallwelt. The tour information guide said that there was a shuttle bus from the Hauptbahnhof to Swarovski Kristallwelt that left at 5, but when we go there we saw that we had missed the last bus that actually left at 3. Kind of a bummer because the place looked like it would be really cool (check Google images if you're interested), but it just wasn't meant to be. Austin and I were both pretty exhausted from the hike, so we headed for the park to relax a bit. I remembered then that our Innsbruck Cards were good for going up the Alte Rathaus, so we decided to head there. It was a pretty good view of the city, but I wouldn't pay the 3euros (or whatever it was) to go up if you hadn't already bought the Innsbruck Card.

From the Rathaus we headed back to the river so that I could take some more pictures, and then we went to the Rathaus Galerie. In addition to the Rathaus (town hall), there are also some stores. We checked out those really quick, and then headed to the top floor to go to 360°, a bar with a view of the entire city that my friend had recommended. It was pretty neat—the bar was circular shaped, and a deck wrapped around the entire thing. There were benches/couches on the outside, so we sat at a table and waited for one of those to open up. It was a really great view of the city and the mountains, and it still wasn't raining =]

After taking in the view, we grabbed a light dinner to save room for gelato. It was the best gelato I've had since Italy, and I was reminded of how much I loved the gelato in Vienna years ago. We walked along the river searching for a recommended piano bar for a while, but never ended up finding it. That was okay, though. Austin was taking a train back to Poland that left around 7, and I needed to get back to Salzburg in plenty of time to catch my train for Jena that left around 1, so we both had relatively early mornings.

All in all, it was a great trip to Austria. The Alps are amazing, and seeing all of the spots from one of my favorite films was really neat, not to mention the concert at the palace. I am looking forward to getting home to Jena tomorrow, though, especially considering my days there are so numbered =/

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye!

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Sorry, but I couldn't resist ;]