A little bit about me first.
I guess you could describe me as a sports fanatic. I tend to get really into watching sports and sometimes doing sports myself, like how I started a new sport a couple weeks ago and I'm loving it. I have always watched World Championships, Formula 1, ski jumping world cup, summer and winter Olympics, basically any international sport competitions. When World Cup was in Germany in 2006 I had booked flights to Berlin for that time without realizing that World Cup is there at the same time. I only realized it when World Cup started that I am actually going to be in the same place at the same time. It was a fantastic holiday.
Last year the Athletics World Championships were in Berlin, I was there again, and this time I was actually at the Olympic stadium for two days watching the competitions. During World Cup we didn't get to go to the stadiums, so we went to the viewing parties in the center.
At some point I got obsessed with ski jumping, and especially the 4-hills tournament that is every year in Germany and Austria. It begins in Germany in Oberstdorf, continues to Garmish-Partenkirchen, then the two last competitions are in Austria, first in Innsbruck and the final one one Bischofshofen. These competitions are within one week of each other. Some day I will go to Germany, to Oberstdorf and continue the tour to Bischofshofen during the 4-hills tournament.
This is why I got a little obsessed with these 4 places and now we are only going to one of them, Innsbruck. Brain will hate me for this, but I have read so much about Innsbruck already and I cannot wait till we arrive to Innsbruck. I am so excited. Yes, the 4-hills tournament is not while we are in Innsbruck, but I don't think I could go as near that ski jump tower in Bergisel during the tournament as I can this time. €8.50 for adults. You can get there by tram 1, or by foot (20 minutes).
Bergisel Sprungschanze both pictures
Innsbruck is in the Inn Valley. The name actually means "bridge over the Inn". Innsbruck is the capital of the federal state of Tyrol. There are 119 000 people, making Innsbruck the 5th populous city in Austria. The Inn River flows through Innsbruck.
Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976 were hosted by Innsbruck as well as the Winter Paralympics in 1984 and 1988. In 2008 Innsbruck hosted several games of the EURO 2008 European football champinships. Ice hockey world championships were in Innsbruck 2005.
Innsbruck's climate is continental, which means that nights can get very cold during the summer and the days can be very hot. Days in general are either cool and rainy, or sunny and hot. The average annual temperature is 9 °C (48.2 °F). I had to look this average annual temperature of Finland and it is 4.8 °C (41 °F).
(Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
Places to see:
- Old town, probably in every city there is some kind of an Old Town that is worth a visit, Innsbruck is no exception.
- Goldenes Dachl - the Golden Roof. Built in 1500 for Maximilian I so that he could watch the tournaments in the square below from this three-story balcony.
- Kaiserliche Hofburg - the Imperial Palace. Later gothic style, built around 1460. Emperor Maximilian I held court here. Empress Maria Theresa renovated it. Open daily 9am-5pm, admission ends 4.30pm. There is an entrance fee, but it shouldn't be too much, I think. The outside is pretty anyway.
- Goldener Adler - possible to visit only from the outside. It is a historical building on Herzog-Friedrich-Straße 6, several famous people used to visit it and stay there
- Helbling House, a 15th century gothic mansion in the Old Town on Herzog-Friedrich-Straße. To be visited from the outside only.
- Ottoburg - an extremely old house on Herzog-Friedrich-Straße 1. For a long time it served as an excellent restaurant and bar.
- Court Church, Hofkirche. Emperor Maximilian I has his tomb in this church. There are 28 ginormous bronze statues. In Tyrol this is the most important monument to visit. It is open Mon-Sat 10am-6pm. Sundays and holidays 12.30-6pm.
- St. James's Cathedral (often called St. Jacob's Cathedral which is wrong) is a heavily baroque style Cathedral. Daily at 12:12 the bells in the north tower toll. Open Mon-Sat 10:15am-6:30pm. On Sundays and holidays 12:30-6:30pm, 7:30pm summertime
Wikipedia
End of Innsbruck, Austria - Part 1
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