The sun sets on Italy, and rises on Austria
Friday, June 14
Schwimmbad-Camping, Hall, Austria Much as we would have liked to stick around Iseo, with its lovely location, nice neighbours, great bar-restaurant and vibrant town, we felt that we had to move on and explore more of Europe. The only problem was where to go next. We had our eye on a campsite in Natter, a village near Innsbruck, with very good reviews and so, after packing up our things in Italy we set off for the 200-mile or so journey across the spectacular Brenner Pass. The drive took us right into the heart of the Italian/Austrian Alps – a little hairy at times, especially through the rather dark Italian tunnels. Nevertheless, we made it to Natter in good time only to find that the campsite was full, probably due to the BMX rally being held around the area. We were offered a temporary pitch with the promise of something more permanent in the morning, but it felt a little remote, far from the nearest town, although very well appointed. So, having discussed what to do we decided to move a few miles down the road to Hall where we knew there was another ACSI campsite, again with good reviews and with good links to Innsbruck. It turned out to be a smart move on our part because Hall itself is a wonderful, beautifully preserved old town, full of amazing old buildings and churches while the campsite is a little cramped but with good facilities and right next to a municipal swimming pool (with free access for campers). On Friday night, we strolled around the town where there was a wine festival going on. The beautiful people were out sipping their samples (€25 for a two-day pass) but we decided that it was too much of an incentive to get bladdered and with the reputation that Austrian wine labours under that can’t be a good thing. On Saturday, with the encouragement of Roger, the slightly camp Dutch deputy campsite manager, we cycled into Innsbruck, partly along cycle paths and partly through some lovely suburbs which line the banks of the river Inn. We locked our bikes up in the centre of the city and set about exploring what must be one of Austria’s loveliest and best-kept secrets. While everyone is probably heading for Vienna or Salzburg, this Tyrolean delight calmly goes about its business surrounded by some of the most spectacular alpine scenery. Like, I imagine, much of Austria, this is a happy place, full of nice, friendly people who, on this sunny Saturday, were casually shopping in the smart arcades, relaxing with a beer or coffee in the alfresco bars or lounging in the parks by the river. The longer we spent in Hall the more we liked it. The folk on the site are nice, the townsfolk are super friendly and it’s the kind of place we can spend a week or even longer. There’s an Aldi and a Lidl nearby and on Monday we cycled to the TIC to buy a 24-hour Innsbruck Card which gives you unlimited access to public transport and most of the excellent tourist sites in and around the city. It’s our plan to use it on Wednesday and see the Zaha Hadid-designed ski jump and go up the funicular and ski lift to the top of the mountains overlooking this beautiful valley. Before then, though, we had England’s match with Tunisia to get through on the Monday night. We chose to see it in the camp bar, along with eight or nine other England fans. I’m not sure what was more frustrating – watching England’s increasingly desperate attempts to get a winner against very limited opposition, or paying €18 for a very average bottle of Austrian wine. In the end, the €19 (no, I’m not sure where the extra Euro came from, either) was just about worth it and Harry Kane’s last gasp winner brought almost everyone in the bar to their feet and sent everyone (almost everyone) home happy. Tuesday was another nice day, perfect for a bike ride and we vowed to find the elusive riverside track that ran between Innsbruck, Hall and Wattens. We followed our instructions from the TIC and found the route that took us under the rail track and out by the river. We followed what was initially a good, solid track but then turned into a gravel track, then a rutted farm track through fields and as we got close to Wattens we agreed we must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. This became obvious when we could see people cycling happily and fluidly along a track on the other side of the river. Eventually, we came to a bridge across, took it and found the ‘real’ track. On this, we continued on to Wattens which turned out to be a lovely biggish town. Like Hall it was a prosperous place, with a large football ground and a fabulous leisure centre and outdoor pool attached, which was full of kids enjoying the late afternoon sunshine. Wattens is also famous for Swarovski and though we had bought an Innsbruck Card that gave us a pass for Swarovski World decided against a tour of its plush manufacturing and visitor centre. The card, though, came into its own on Wednesday when we rose early to have a full day in Innsbruck. The card, bought the day before for €43 each, are activated when you use them for the first time and last for 24 hours. We activated ours on the bus taking us from Hall to Innsbruck, the main city of the Austrian Tyrol, which is about five or six miles down the road to the west. The card gives you free use of the buses and the trams (every 15 minutes from Hall) and free entry to just about every tourist attraction in Innsbruck (and Swarovski World). First stop was the funicular and the cable car gondola which took you to the top of Hafelekar which, at 7,400ft, is pretty high (Ben Nevis is 4,413ft) and which has snow at the summit throughout the year. Despite the low cloud which obscured the view a little to the south over Innsbruck, the whole experience was quite amazing, from the heart-in-the-mouth steep funicular and gondola ride, to the last 15-minute hike to the very summit. We took some pictures, of course, and watched two Japanese girls go to great lengths to get their own selfie. One of them was wearing an anti-pollution face mask although the air up at the top must be just about the cleanest in Europe! After an hour or so exploring the summit and marvelling at the views of the surrounding alpine peaks, we took the reverse journey down and wondered what to see next. We went first to the Golden Roof house in old town Innsbruck (disappointing), had another lovely ice cream in the Rathaus shopping arcade and then took a tram to our other must-see, the Panorama painting and the ski jump at Bergisel, directly opposite Hafelekar across the Inn valley. Admittedly, we were only keen to see the ski jump but first we felt obliged to see the Panorama, which we thought would be a picture window looking across the valley. In fact, it is a remarkable 3-D, 360-degree painting showing the heroic Tirol riflemen taking on the Bavarian forces during the 1809 rebellion. We used audio guides as we went round the extremely large painting, showing key scenes from the battle (actually four different battles fought during the year). The guide told us what we were looking at and, just as interestingly, the history of the panorama format – a kind of precursor to the movies. In comparison, the ski jump was a mild disappointment. We’d just missed a demonstration from a top local ski jumper on the dry slopes but it was easy to get a sense of how amazing and brave these athletes must be to throw themselves off the jump and fly into the great beyond. It certainly gives you a better impression of Eddie the Eagle! There could have been more things to see in our 24-hour period but, to be honest, after cross-crossing Innsbruck we were knackered and decided to take the next bus back to the campsite. After a quick tea we joined our new friends, Dennis and Norman, in the bar with Roger, the Dutch deputy manager of the site for what turned into a last-night celebration. It seemed like half the campsite was leaving in the morning. When it came time to pack things away the next day, we said our goodbyes to our temporary campsite pals and head off to Germany, over the dramatic Ferne Pass into Bavaria. Thursday, June 21 Camping Christophorus, Werte, Germany A drive of about 130 miles through more dramatic alpine scenery brought us back into Germany and a lovely little village in the very prosperous and very beautiful Bavaria. The site is on the edge of two lakes, one for swimming, one for fishing, but by the time we arrived it was getting a little cold for a dip. Instead, we set up camp and later went for a very good meal at the camp’s own Greek-themed restaurant. Friday’s activity was a bike ride to the nearby village of Kirchberg, a short visit to the mobile Italian deli which visited the camp and, as there was a bit of wind getting up, some tidying round back at the van and some research on where to go next. We’ve chosen Baden Baden... so good they named it twice Pictured from top: a last look at Lake Iseo in northern Italy; two views of the landscape around Hall in the Austrian Tyrol; amazing scenery at the top of Kafelekar; a view across the valley from the ski jump; more Innsbruck, the Panorama, the funicular station and sightseers enjoying the real panorama
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