It’s been 13 days since we left the UK to start the first part of our world tour/mid-life crisis as detailed on my last post – and I still can’t quite believe we did it.
First stop, Munich
We flew from Heathrow looking every bit like tourists, our belongings stuffed into two large suitcases and two backpacks. Safe to say we’ll be staying at places with washing machines over the trip!
Munich was our starting place, mostly because it was a decent and affordable way to get over to Europe and onto our next destinations. Our hotel was well-positioned to see the sights including the central town and a pretty good zoo. One day we did 30k steps!
Over the boarder
Our next destination was Austria, specifically Seefeld. We travelled on Flixbus, a coach service that seems to be all across Europe and beyond – and is unbelievably cheap. Reading reviews, the quality does vary as it’s run by local providers. The bus station in Munich was a bit dodge, but the bus and trip itself were not, and the views of the mountains as we surfed down nearly empty roads, the sun brightening the way made us excited for our upcoming adventure.
Seefeld was a lovely town, with traditional-style Alpine guesthouses and a number of pricey shops and bars. It’s a big place for skiing (Nordic events at both the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics were hosted there), but we arrived in “downtime” – after the Winter season but before the Summer one. It meant several things like restaurants and chairlifts etc were closed, but it wasn’t crowded and the weather was nice (if chilly!)
As we’re travelling sans car for part of our trip, we’re relying on public transport and our feet to get around. As part of our stay in Seefeld, we were provided with a e-card that gave us free trips on certain local bus and train journeys – result! We also got the train back across the Austrian-German border to Mittenwald. BUt just the once as tickets leap up in price if you do that, even if the journey is short.
Mittenwald was lovely, again with an Alpine vibe of curled wood houses and rolling green hills. A steep walk from the town centre led to an enchanting plateau with a beautiful lake and welcome cafe.
Innsbruck and the “World’s First Museum”
On the Austrian side, Innsbruck was also a good stop with Schloss Ambras and the old town being highlights. Ambras was home to the rich person equivalent of a hoarder, Archduke Ferdinand II, whose vast collection of armour, weaponry, art and well, odd stuff, is now on display in the castle. I found the Chamber of Art and Wonders to be the most interesting, as it included items like portraits of Vlad the Impaler and a hirsute family as well as stuffed sharks and carved stones.
Most of our time was spent walking in and around Seefeld, hiking being what the summer season is all about. The trails were good, with some just having a bit more snow on the ground than expected!
Now we’re over the border in Italy, following a nice train journey in first class for a ridiculously cheap price of around £30 each – the UK could never.
Follow me on You Tube
As part of our trip, we’ve purchased a Go Pro and are attempting some travel vlogging. It’s a learning curve and I’m delving back into my uni days to my video editing experience. It’s fun if nothing else and if you’re interested you can find our channel here.
I’ll keep posting here too. I’ve got plenty of places in Italy I can report on, with more than a few literary links.
Wordland 