Thursday, September 25. We had no specific plans for the day since we had missed the Neuschwannstein tour, so we readily accepted when two of the RAJA wives asked us to join them on a drive to Innsbruck, Austria. Although we had driven around the edges of it more than a dozen times, we had never gone into the city itself. Upon arriving there and finding a place to park the car, we roamed the Old Town, mostly along Maria Theresien Street. That narrowed and became Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse as we entered the Altstadt (Old Town)

 

Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse

Jane & the Golden Roof

We had lunch next to the Catherdral (St. James or St. Jakob in German) (18th century). It was right around the corner and a block down from the Golden Roof. We paid for our hosts' lunches in appreciation for them inviting us along (also because the husband of one of them had been our primary chauffer since we turned in our rental car).

While the ladies used the rest room, I waited in the empty bar. The bar itself was lined with etched Zillertal Weissbier glasses in two sizes. I was examining them when the owner walked in and asked if I would like to have a glass. I thanked him and he asked which size I wanted. As I hesitated in making a choice, he said, "Take one of each." I was only too happy to do so. The restaurant, probably due to it's prime location in the Altstadt, was very expensive, and to some extent I figured I had paid for the glasses. Nevertheless, it was a very nice gesture on the part of the owner.

Afterward we split up to do some sightseeing and, of course, some shopping. First Jane and I visited the Cathedral  and the adjoining square. The highlight of the Cathedral is its massive silver altar and the 1560 painting of Mary above it.


We next walked over to the Hofberg (Imperial Palace), originally built in 1460, but rebuilt in the mid-18th century. We did not have time to tour the Imperial Apartments inside, so we just saw the exterior. On the way we passed a small hotel, the Weisses Kreuz (White Cross), where Mozart, then 13, stayed with his father in December 1769.

Front of the Hofburg

Jane at Hofburg courtyard

Mozart slept here

And of course we could not miss the world's largest Swarovski crystal store. Jane found a beautiful pair of earrings to match the pendant I got for her on our recent Elbe River cruise. Mission accomplished, we headed back up Maria Theresien Street to meet our companions and retrieve the car. Jane had her usual afternoon ice cream along the way. The one-hour drive back to Garmisch was uneventful.


That night our group had the Bavarian buffet at the Edelweiss. As before, the food was only so-so.