In the German tradition of compound nouns – a trip to see Max in Austria , carrying my gear on my back. Arrived late Saturday 21st after smooth flight. There’s a very long and unhappy story behind me travelling alone. The Home Office changing rules on dual-nationals returning to the UK meant Lianne couldn’t join in the end. ( See various news reports of poor teenagers being denied boarding to get back home and stranded in far flung countries – quite disgraceful).
Sunday 22 Ski Stubai
Yay ! Max took me skiing the way the locals do it – a crowded 80minute bus ride to the Stubai Glacier – and fabulous powder / sun conditions. After the first run I already knew it was a mistake not to have done the prep exercises, but still good fun. Even managed some turns in deep powder , till the tips of the skis sunk in and I face planted.
In BDO news ( Brilliant Discount Offers) : it was a Testival day , when various ski brands bring along their latest products for a free trial. I just randomly took the first pair of skis that fitted, providing my driving licence as collateral. But when I got back at 3:15pm, they had all packed up and disappeared ! Wandered round in mounting panic , till a chap strolled over with a broad smile and my licence. Apparently the loan kit had to be back by 14:30, but that bit must have got lost in translation. Max later looked up the skis I had tested and they cost 2000 euros 😲. No wonder they were happy to see me roll up. Further panic as Max realised only when half way down the bubble back to the bus stop that he had left his snowboard at the top. Pleaded to get on the last one back up to the top, and then he had to belt back down by board . A slightly stressful end to a fab day .
Monday 23 – Panorama view
My aching body demanded a quieter day – so went off to explore the south side of Innsbruck and its hills. There’s a nice panorama point to look back over the town
Tuesday – Nordkette / Hungerberg hike
In the interests of political balance, I went North this time – hiking the lower reaches of the Nordkette mountain chain that separates Innsbruck from Germany . A bus from centre of town takes you part way up ( to Hungerburg) , then it was a really peaceful, scenic circuit through pine forests.
There was loads of bird-song too, and I’m 90% sure I recorded this rather rare woodpecker rattling away at the pines ( the Merlin bird app is brilliant at recognising !)
Good quality first effort on the new blog. Lovely pics, interesting narrative. Highly recommended.
Lovely pics- but I hope Lianne isn’t permanently confined to UK – all been a complete mess.
Don’t worry – a True Blue British passport is even now being hand crafted for her in some foreign factory. Just a bit late for this trip.