Between Rows of Corns - Jenbach to Innsbruck
Friday August 16, 2019
I am surprised and happy to see that my clothes have dried overnight. I am also happy to say we have no scary adventures today. The route is one of the less remarkable sections of our trip. The Inn Valley before Innsbruck is very built up. It has to accommodate a highway, railway, river as well as some agriculture and industry between the confines of the mountains to either side.
The first seven km's take us down to the valley floor. From there it's flat. The mountains are lovely, we again have a beautiful day but the ride itself isn't fascinating. Some days the scenery is so incredible, I want to cycle as slowly as possible. Here it would be better if we were faster cyclists and had the monotonous part over with sooner. But we're not fast and just plod along, stopping to take pictures anyway. Maybe I'm tired from yesterday, but this day seems to go on forever.
The Inn Bike Path doesn't take you through any towns so around noon we cycle in to Kolsass. After asking around, we are directed to a place that has take-away sandwiches - perfect. Then we look for a shady spot, with a bench perhaps. The best bet is to look for the church steeple and there will certainly be a bench in the shade outside the church's cemetery.
We pedal on and close to our destination we again leave the bike path for a visit to the historic town of medieval Hall. Salt mining in the Middle Ages transformed Hall into one of north Tyrol's most prosperous towns and it was an important trading post on the River Inn. It is an enjoyable stop - I'm trying to remember, do we have an ice cream or are we just happy clicking our cameras.
We usually book a day or two in advance. Finding a room in Innsbruck wasn't easy, not an affordable room, anyway. Somehow we didn't realize that the tourist season would have such an effect on the availability of accommodation. Usually, we like to travel in the pre-season, June and early July. August came as a bit of a shock. We found a room in a hostel, some distance from the Innsbruck's old town. That's okay, we will have time for Innsbruck in the morning. The hostel is basic but fine, and we have a room to ourselves, just more expensive than we expected. Prices are going up in general and we are beginning to realize that rooms just don't cost what we think they should, especially not in August.
I am surprised and happy to see that my clothes have dried overnight. I am also happy to say we have no scary adventures today. The route is one of the less remarkable sections of our trip. The Inn Valley before Innsbruck is very built up. It has to accommodate a highway, railway, river as well as some agriculture and industry between the confines of the mountains to either side.
The first seven km's take us down to the valley floor. From there it's flat. The mountains are lovely, we again have a beautiful day but the ride itself isn't fascinating. Some days the scenery is so incredible, I want to cycle as slowly as possible. Here it would be better if we were faster cyclists and had the monotonous part over with sooner. But we're not fast and just plod along, stopping to take pictures anyway. Maybe I'm tired from yesterday, but this day seems to go on forever.
The Inn Bike Path doesn't take you through any towns so around noon we cycle in to Kolsass. After asking around, we are directed to a place that has take-away sandwiches - perfect. Then we look for a shady spot, with a bench perhaps. The best bet is to look for the church steeple and there will certainly be a bench in the shade outside the church's cemetery.
We pedal on and close to our destination we again leave the bike path for a visit to the historic town of medieval Hall. Salt mining in the Middle Ages transformed Hall into one of north Tyrol's most prosperous towns and it was an important trading post on the River Inn. It is an enjoyable stop - I'm trying to remember, do we have an ice cream or are we just happy clicking our cameras.
We usually book a day or two in advance. Finding a room in Innsbruck wasn't easy, not an affordable room, anyway. Somehow we didn't realize that the tourist season would have such an effect on the availability of accommodation. Usually, we like to travel in the pre-season, June and early July. August came as a bit of a shock. We found a room in a hostel, some distance from the Innsbruck's old town. That's okay, we will have time for Innsbruck in the morning. The hostel is basic but fine, and we have a room to ourselves, just more expensive than we expected. Prices are going up in general and we are beginning to realize that rooms just don't cost what we think they should, especially not in August.
Not all that bad, is it?
I don't take pictures of the not so attractive parts.
Somehow reminiscent of the Aztec god of corn, Centeotl
You get the idea, lots of corn and flat
A shady spot for our picnic outside the cemetery gates
Here we are in Hall.
In Hall
Lovely baroque interior of St. Nikolaus in Hall
Detail, St. Nikolaus, Hall
Market Square, Hall
Now for Janos' video! It shows a little more reality than my "pretty" pictures. At the end he included our walk in Innsbruck, which was actually the next morning.