Helen Mirren served me my afternoon kaffee at Cafe Munding in the old part of Innsbruck. She wasn't in the mood to be messed with. She wasn't retired, but did exude an air of being extremely dangerous. Plus she was dressed head-to-toe in a sort of black jumpsuit, obviously designed to allow unrestricted karate moves against any customer ordering anything difficult. Not that celebrities are in short supply. The other evening we were served in a hotel restauran...

Daughter C and I had decided a day off was in order. Which presented two problems for me: one is that a day off not seeing what there is to see in Innsbruck seemed to be transgressing some law of tourism, and two, what would I blog about? I needn't have worried. Early afternoon I decided to explore some of the old part of town, the one with the charming ornate buildings, narrow streets, bell towers, churches and hidden treasures only discovered by nosing around....

Having crossed some borders in the last week, my international vocabulary is under stress. I am getting tongue-tied, and have to make a conscious effort to remember which country I'm in. (I know, first world problem...) I needn't worry, because the locals know instinctively that I am not one of them. I don't understand how. This morning I walked into our local Innsbruck cafe and the fraulein behind the counter immediately greeted me with 'Hello' before I could e...

Apple strudel was on my mind as I walked the almost-empty streets in search of a convenience store. The local one was closed, being Sonntag here in Innsbruck, and everywhere else in this time zone I guess. Innsbruck is nestled among mountains. Some places are perched, others are adjacent, clinging, or sprawled, but Innsbruck is just nestled. The last time I saw it was just over thirty years ago. I arrived in darkness and left at dawn - having only the time it t...