Cappuccino at 3pm? Not EEEEMpossible in Austria.
I am easing into the Austrian lifestyle, sipping a cappuccino 2,000 feet above the valley floor. I must say that the pace of life here is something I could get used to, having jumped on the Nordkettenbahnen (metro / mountain train) to the community of Hungerburg, a collection of a couple dozen scattered buildings clinging to the steep slopes above Innsbruck. The view can only be described as "bird's eye," as one can survey the entire valley and distant snow capped peaks. I wanted to whip out oil and canvas and go Bob Ross on all those happy little trees. I settled for taking about a hundred pictures. We exited the ergonomically designed station and eased fifty feet to the trendiest spot, a cafe known as Wolke 7.
Bob Ross - THE MAN.
The Nordkettenbahnen whisks you up the mountain.
As the Nordpark ski resort website attests, "In no other place in the world is the dividing line between an urban area and rugged mountain terrain so thin." Just 10 minutes earlier, we had been walking through the altstadt (Old Town). Now we are as high as the clouds, sitting halfway between the city and the sky. In just 10 minutes, we could jump on the final gondola and be skiing or snowboarding at 2256 meters above sea level. However, for the time being we are content to just blend into the crowd.
As we settle into our seats, I survey the crowd. It is an eclectic mix of people, a perfect representation of the international visitors drawn to Innsbruck's natural beauty and terrain. In the corner an English couple, nursing hot soup; a trio of students in mitts, hats, and backpacks; a pair of Italian skiers decked out in fur-trimmed coats and thousands of dollars in accessories; outside, a pack of local snowboarders wearing North Face and Quicksilver, loudly bragging about their pipeline exploits. The waitress in black-rim glasses signs along to American music on the radio - Beyonce's If I Were a Boy.
Snowboarders outside the Wolke 7.
We finish with carrot cake and chai tea (with Milch - milk - and Honig - honey - of course). The cake is decent, but I quickly come to the realization that the Austrians may never match the dolci south of the border in Italy. My wife whips out our Macbook, and picking up the free wifi signal, cruises the latest celebrity gossip back home. I write in my journal, noting how normal all of this now seems. Yet it is, in a word, awesome. Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick, once said of such environments, "It is not down in any map; true places never are." I couldn't agree with him any more.
Innsbruck at Twilight.
~ J. Twice
IF YOU GO:
Wolke 7
Hoehenstrasse 147. Innsbruck, Austria
Nordpark Ski Resort.
2 comments:
sweet post homie.
ps:cappuccino is eeempossible at 3 pm here only cuz we stupid italians like to have it for breakfast only(and not with aperitivo or after dinner...)
;)
dude,i agree with u,we should have cappuccino all the time!
If you don't offer your photos via iStock or something, it's a terrible tragedy.
If you DO, it's not on your profile page, and it's a terrible tragedy all over again.
:)
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