Spring is in full swing here and we are now past the official tulip season. So, it is a little late for a winter trip entry. But better late than never.
When we decided to travel, we had two options. One was to escape winter and go somewhere warm. The other was to embrace it and make the most out of it. We chose the latter. The destination was picked. We were going to Austria, where the edelweiss were still frozen dreams that waited to come out and open their starry petals at the kiss of the warm Alpine sun.
This was almost an impromptu trip. Both of us already knew that Innsbruck was really wonderful because we had friends who had been there. So except for booking stays and tickets we never did much research or rather I did not do much research.
On the morning of the journey, I had half a mind not to leave the comfort of my cosy duvet. We still had some packing left. However, we both managed to board our early morning train just in time and all I could think of was I neither had a pair of gloves nor enough pairs of socks to last a week in the Austrian winter. I managed to calm myself and focus on getting some sleep after the exasperated, “There will be shops that sell woollen socks and gloves in Innsbruck. Can you please calm down and try to get some sleep?”. By the time we reached Innsbruck in the evening, after several hops, it was pitch dark. We were both really weary and tired. All we could think of was hot food and sleep.
When we woke up the next morning and moved the curtains, we were in for a surprise. The sight that awaited us was the snow-clad Alps. The morning sun had turned them golden. That was the first sight that greeted us and it just made our day. We had totally missed it the previous evening since it was already dark when we reached our hotel. I knew we could see the Alps from Innsbruck but I didn’t know that we could see it up so close.
We spent the day and night roaming around Innsbruck. It is a very beautiful city surrounded by the Alps offering pretty views of the Inn and complete with a charming Christmas market. Wherever you go, the mountains are there. This was December and the city was redolent with mouthwatering aromas from the various food stalls scattered throughout the city centre which encompassed the Innsbruck Christmas market. We had roasted chestnuts, delicious currywurst with grilled potatoes and pickled cabbage, gluhwein, and different kinds of punch from some of the stalls.
The city proudly displays its history and the stalwarts that were part of it. As we walk along the green parks and cobbled alleys, it reminds us that these could be the very paths Mozart once walked. The Goldenes Dachl in the old town stands perfectly poised among its modern peers as a portal to the past. It could fit very well as one of the portals in The Ten Thousand Doors of January. The gothic church Hofkirche was another architectural gem that took you to the 16th century.
We had lunch at a traditional Austrian restaurant. The dumpling soup and goulash were delicious. It started raining as soon as we left the restaurant and we ended up taking shelter in the passage in front of the Goldener Adler. While we stood there, waiting for respite from the pelting cold rain, several groups of tourists halted in front of the hotel. Their guides enumerated in different languages all the famous people who had enjoyed the hotel’s hospitality. Sometime later, the rain subsided. We had coffee and on our way back to the hotel, I bought the softest pairs of socks made of alpaca wool and two pairs of gloves.
The next day, we went to Sölden. We took a train to Ötztal from Innsbruck. The train chugged through such a picturesque landscape which often left us oohing and aahing and pointing much to the amusement of our fellow passengers. From Ötztal, we took a bus to Sölden. The bus steadily climbed upwards through what my partner assured me were breathtaking views. I believed him because my eyes were closed the whole time and I was struggling not to spill my intestines out puking.
Sölden was full of people in skiing gear which was not surprising because it is a famous ski destination. Although its popularity soared when it became one of the James Bond movie locations, I felt that people loved it for its mountain peaks from which they could ski all the way down. Everywhere we looked, there were people coming back from skiing, people going skiing, and people taking a break between skiing. Coming from a tropical coastal village, none of us knew how to ski. Therefore, we constituted the pitiful minority of visitors who were not there to ski.
The next day we went up the Gaislachkogel. We had to take two gondolas to go all the way up to the peak. The gondola rides were beyond comparison. I do not think I can put my experience into words. It was thrilling and unnerving at the same time. I was mesmerised by the rise and fall of the valleys and slopes, all covered in snow and dotted with coniferous trees. Sometimes the snowy carpet was marked with footprints of animals although none were in sight. The mountain was full of people going shoop shoop shoop and some of them doing some very neat tricks while they were at it. Seeing them, I really wished I could ski too. The exhilaration was so palpable that I felt thrilled just seeing them slaloming all the way down.
The snowy mountain range gazing at the blue skies was so beatific. It was mighty and mysterious and magical. Every wind that blew that shook us a little, every crunch of our boots on the pristine snow, and every puff of breath that left wispy trails in the air made it more real to me because I was still reeling from the otherworldliness of it all. I never imagined myself on top of a mountain peak. I was really on top of the world in every sense possible. It was all the more sweet because it was so unexpected. I had no idea we could go to the top of a mountain because I never did any of the planning for this trip. All I did was pick Austria as the destination. All I knew before we began our journey was that we were going Innsbruck and from there we were going to another place higher up and much closer to the mountains. But I never thought we would be standing on a mountain peak and I was so glad I went without googling anything. We were famished by the time we got down. I had my first schnitzel on the way back to our rental and I loved every bit of it.
The next day, we wanted to go to another peak. But we could not because for that, we needed to get to the mountain pass by car and from there we had to take a gondola. We could not find any cabs that would take us there and later, we were told that the road was blocked because of snow. So, we aimlessly wandered around. We found the beginning of a hiking trail through Brunnebenwald and we decided to follow it.
It was a spur of the moment decision, perhaps a foolish one for many reasons. We only had a small bottle of water between the two of us, all we had to eat was a bowl of cereal for breakfast, we did not have anything to eat with us, and nor was I dressed for a hike. Usually when we go for hikes, we go well prepared. Besides, we have never been on a winter hike. Whenever we went hiking, we went in summer.
We had to climb a lot through the snow, sometimes it was deeper than expected. We had to be careful not to slip and hit our heads treading on the treacherous frosted path. The fact that I was wearing jeans made it harder for me to climb. My jacket was not made for hikes and it hindered my progress. But when I opened it, I could not bear the cold that hit my chest. I was soon hungry and tired from exertion and staggering on my feet. But somehow I pushed through and it was totally worth it.
The forest was truly enchanting and straight out of a fairytale. It was fully clad in snow that shone like diamond crystals when the slanting beams peeped in through the canopies. We could see and hear birds and squirrels and when they flitted through the snow-laden branches, the icing cascaded down like pixie dust in the dappled light. Up and up we went through the hairpins, occasionally stopping to touch the icicles that formed on the ridges and taking a breather, and reached Brunnachalam. Ensconced at such heights were a row of mountain huts. But they were all closed for the winter. This was where I stopped.
As much as I liked to see what awaited at the end of the trail, I did not relish the prospect of climbing several kilometres down in wet socks. The snow was deep here and it only got deeper as you went ahead. I decided to wait there while my brave husband waded through the knee deep snow and was amply rewarded with the sight of a pretty waterfall that was fully frozen and a herd of startled chamois. He took pictures for proof so I had to believe him, however grudgingly. We made it back before it turned dark and went into the first Italian restaurant we saw. I was so tired and starving that when I went to use the restroom, my fingers were shaking and I struggled to unzip my jeans.
I spent the next day inside our rental reading and relaxing. Then, it started snowing. The swirls kept falling and rolled down its thick carpet all over Sölden. It kept snowing for a few hours. When it subsided, we went for a stroll around Sölden exploring its alleys and lanes and quaint bridges that crossed the Ötztaler Ache at various points.
We left for the Hague the next day. Past the hilly roads, the picturesque train ride (this time in monochrome because of the snow but picturesque all the same), and the beautiful cityscape of Innsbruck, we flew to Amsterdam. The Hague was covered in a blanket of snow which happened while we were away. All of a sudden, the flatness of the horizon felt bewildering. We had already begun missing the mountains that watched over us in the vistas.