The Tyrolean Alps are gorgeous. They tower above the valley floor, but it doesn't take a genious to figure out they are much more beautiful from their peaks and ridges.
In Tirol, you MUST find a way to go up. Today, we satisfy our fix and meet up with Herbert Reiter, Niki's mentor teacher at the Handelsakademie in Imst, where she taught English from 2003-2005. Herbert, like many a Tiroler, is in love with the mountains. Though he is in his 60s and recently picked up the half-marathon bug, he still claims that the fresh mountain air, not the running, is what keeps him young and fit.
After aquick stop to say hello to the admins & office staff at the HAK, Herbert takes us on a familiar route to Venetalphütte, a pub that sits along the ridge overlooking Pitztal, Inntal, & Gurgltal (tal is the German word for valley). This was the very same route he took us snowshoeing back in December of 2004. Along the way, we chatted & picked from an abundance of wild berries, herbs, flowers, & mushrooms. Roughly 3 hours later, we were nearly atop the Alps having a beer and some Speckknödl- and Käsknödlsuppe (Tyrolean versions of soup with dumplings).
Fresh air, spectacular views, great food, & even better company. There is not much more to ask for in life, we only wish Keegan and Averi could be here with us.
Unlike a hike in the Cascades, the mountains in Tirol are working farms. You might not see any bears or mountain lions, but you will surely run into some Cattle roaming the mountainside chomping happily away at the grass. The cows come to the barn on their own to be milked when their udders are full. Goats and sheep are typically fenced off in rather large chunks of hillside.
After our hike, we made our way back into Imst, which is growing and expanding exponentially. What was a sleepy alpine village just 8 years ago is now bustling with traffic, cranes, construction, and even a new mega-roundabout. Yet, Imst has continued to battle and win the fight to avoid having a single stoplight in the valley.
We end the day with a Schnapps at Herbert's house, thanking our food fortune to have such amazing friends spread out across the globe.
