Eight hours after a late phone call on Friday, I joined my friends on a trip across the border to Innsbruck, Austria.
Innsbruck should be well known to ski enthusiasts, as a ski town and host city to the Winter Olympics. But for us non-skiers, the opportunity to get up close with the Alps is also a special experience. May proves to be a perfect time to visit the Alps. The snow hasn’t completely melted while the vegetation starts to grow again. This contrast is particularly colourful and startling under the blue sky and plentiful sunshine. We took the cable car up the Nordpark region of the Alps, and trekked the last section up to the peak at Hafelekarspitze. The layout of Innsbruck became immediately clear from the peak. It’s a city founded in a valley surrounded by the Alps and an extensive area of lush-green, with the river Inn snaking through the city.
My friend and I took the chance to have lunch in the mountains before heading back downhill. After a whirlwind walk through the Alpine Zoo, we boarded the sight-seeing bus to the Ambras Castle in the suburbs. What caught most of our attention, in the garden of the castle, was a peacock which seemed to understand Chinese. Every time we called it ‘You pretty bird’ in Chinese, it would immediately show off its beautiful plumage without fail, put it up for enough time and go for a catwalk so that everyone had the turn to admire the beautiful colours. We thought that the peacock was probably a Chinese migrant and was only too glad to put on a good show when it saw some compatriots like us!
We took the sight-seeing bus towards the evening, and alighted at the Triumphpforte (Triumph Arch) to set off our walk into the Old Town. The buildings and their architecture were so well preserved that many of those were still standing after several hundreds of years, including the Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof) which was erected since 1500 and is a must for all tourists. After walking through the Old Town, we reached the Innbrücke (Inn Bridge). It’s probably the place where Innsbruck shows its most scenic side, where the river Inn, the Old Town and the Alps all appear to meet. This says so much about how Innsbruck’s pretty scenery and heritage are shaped by the Alps.
友人週五晚上來電邀約，八小時後我們便起程，跨境往奧地利的茵斯布魯克（Innsbruck）。
愛好滑雪的人，大概對茵斯布魯克這滑雪勝地也不會陌生，我們這些門外漢，也得見識一下阿爾卑斯山的景色。五月天果然是登山遊覽的好時候，天氣和煦，藍天一片，積雪還未溶掉，又正值萬物滋長之時，各種色彩在陽光下都份外鮮明，我們乘吊車登上北山（Nordpark），再走一段路上到Hafelekar山頂，但見山腳的茵斯布魯克，在阿爾卑斯山的環抱中，茵河（Inn）流通其中，四周青蔥，好一個山谷之城，充滿自然氣息。
難得上山，我們也趁機在那裡吃頓午飯才罷休。下山後匆匆在阿爾卑斯山動物園兜了一圈，便乘觀光巴士往市郊的Ambras城堡，那裡最吸引我們的，倒是城堡花園內的孔雀，彷彿會聽中文，祇消聽到我們讚美「漂亮、漂亮！」，便忙不迭給我們開屏，每讚一次便表演一次，還繞場一週，好讓全場觀眾都看得清清楚楚，我們猜想，孔雀大概是中國移民，難得同鄉捧場，自然格外賣力。
黃昏時從城堡坐觀光巴士，在小凱旋門下車，取道往舊城區。舊城區古色古香，幾百年的古老建築不少仍保留完好，包括在1500年建成而遊客必到的黃金屋頂，穿過舊城，來到茵河橋（Innbrücke），但見舊城區、茵河和阿爾卑斯山融為一體，正好展現出茵斯布魯克此山谷小城和阿爾卑斯山交織出來的特色和景觀。
Date of visit: 19 May, 2007 遊覽日期：2007年5月19日
The view from the cable car station at the foot of the mountain (left), and a kindergarten near the staion (right)
從山腳吊車站的景色（左）及吊車站附近的幼稚園（右）
The cable car station at Hafelekar Peak
Hafelekar山頂的吊車站
Leisurely times and scenes up on the mountains
山上的悠閑景緻
Innsbruck from the mountains
從山上俯視茵斯布魯克
A valley and its forest in the mountains
山巒中綠油油的山谷
Flying high ... 翱翔萬里
Schloss Ambras (Ambras Castle) Ambras城堡
A beautiful day for wedding
城堡內舉行婚禮
'Hello, my name is Handsome.'
表演慾甚強的孔雀
The Alpine Zoo is not the only place to see the animals!
(Photo taken in front of a shop near the Kaiserappartement)
茵斯布魯克有很多「有心肝」的動物
（在皇帝御所附近某店外攝）
Two sides of the Triumphpforte (Triumph Arch)
小凱旋門的兩面
Views along the Marie-Theresien-Strasse
Marie-Theresien街沿途景色
The Goldenes Dachl (the Golden Roof), with the roof coated with copper tiles
黃金屋，其屋頂實由銅片鋪砌
Some really old buildings in the Old Town (left and middle), and an undercover passage reminiscent of Berne (right)
舊城區歷史悠久的古老建築（左、中），及類似在瑞士伯恩所見的走廊（右）
Restuarants that have been around for at least 500 years! (Left: Ottoburg)
幾百年歷史的餐室（左圖者名為Ottoburg）
Quintessential Innsbruck by River Inn
茵斯布魯克最景色怡人的一面
Innsbruck should be well known to ski enthusiasts, as a ski town and host city to the Winter Olympics. But for us non-skiers, the opportunity to get up close with the Alps is also a special experience. May proves to be a perfect time to visit the Alps. The snow hasn’t completely melted while the vegetation starts to grow again. This contrast is particularly colourful and startling under the blue sky and plentiful sunshine. We took the cable car up the Nordpark region of the Alps, and trekked the last section up to the peak at Hafelekarspitze. The layout of Innsbruck became immediately clear from the peak. It’s a city founded in a valley surrounded by the Alps and an extensive area of lush-green, with the river Inn snaking through the city.
My friend and I took the chance to have lunch in the mountains before heading back downhill. After a whirlwind walk through the Alpine Zoo, we boarded the sight-seeing bus to the Ambras Castle in the suburbs. What caught most of our attention, in the garden of the castle, was a peacock which seemed to understand Chinese. Every time we called it ‘You pretty bird’ in Chinese, it would immediately show off its beautiful plumage without fail, put it up for enough time and go for a catwalk so that everyone had the turn to admire the beautiful colours. We thought that the peacock was probably a Chinese migrant and was only too glad to put on a good show when it saw some compatriots like us!
We took the sight-seeing bus towards the evening, and alighted at the Triumphpforte (Triumph Arch) to set off our walk into the Old Town. The buildings and their architecture were so well preserved that many of those were still standing after several hundreds of years, including the Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof) which was erected since 1500 and is a must for all tourists. After walking through the Old Town, we reached the Innbrücke (Inn Bridge). It’s probably the place where Innsbruck shows its most scenic side, where the river Inn, the Old Town and the Alps all appear to meet. This says so much about how Innsbruck’s pretty scenery and heritage are shaped by the Alps.
友人週五晚上來電邀約，八小時後我們便起程，跨境往奧地利的茵斯布魯克（Innsbruck）。
愛好滑雪的人，大概對茵斯布魯克這滑雪勝地也不會陌生，我們這些門外漢，也得見識一下阿爾卑斯山的景色。五月天果然是登山遊覽的好時候，天氣和煦，藍天一片，積雪還未溶掉，又正值萬物滋長之時，各種色彩在陽光下都份外鮮明，我們乘吊車登上北山（Nordpark），再走一段路上到Hafelekar山頂，但見山腳的茵斯布魯克，在阿爾卑斯山的環抱中，茵河（Inn）流通其中，四周青蔥，好一個山谷之城，充滿自然氣息。
難得上山，我們也趁機在那裡吃頓午飯才罷休。下山後匆匆在阿爾卑斯山動物園兜了一圈，便乘觀光巴士往市郊的Ambras城堡，那裡最吸引我們的，倒是城堡花園內的孔雀，彷彿會聽中文，祇消聽到我們讚美「漂亮、漂亮！」，便忙不迭給我們開屏，每讚一次便表演一次，還繞場一週，好讓全場觀眾都看得清清楚楚，我們猜想，孔雀大概是中國移民，難得同鄉捧場，自然格外賣力。
黃昏時從城堡坐觀光巴士，在小凱旋門下車，取道往舊城區。舊城區古色古香，幾百年的古老建築不少仍保留完好，包括在1500年建成而遊客必到的黃金屋頂，穿過舊城，來到茵河橋（Innbrücke），但見舊城區、茵河和阿爾卑斯山融為一體，正好展現出茵斯布魯克此山谷小城和阿爾卑斯山交織出來的特色和景觀。
Date of visit: 19 May, 2007 遊覽日期：2007年5月19日
The view from the cable car station at the foot of the mountain (left), and a kindergarten near the staion (right)
從山腳吊車站的景色（左）及吊車站附近的幼稚園（右）
The cable car station at Hafelekar Peak
Hafelekar山頂的吊車站
Leisurely times and scenes up on the mountains
山上的悠閑景緻
Innsbruck from the mountains
從山上俯視茵斯布魯克
A valley and its forest in the mountains
山巒中綠油油的山谷
Flying high ... 翱翔萬里
Schloss Ambras (Ambras Castle) Ambras城堡
A beautiful day for wedding
城堡內舉行婚禮
'Hello, my name is Handsome.'
表演慾甚強的孔雀
The Alpine Zoo is not the only place to see the animals!
(Photo taken in front of a shop near the Kaiserappartement)
茵斯布魯克有很多「有心肝」的動物
（在皇帝御所附近某店外攝）
Two sides of the Triumphpforte (Triumph Arch)
小凱旋門的兩面
Views along the Marie-Theresien-Strasse
Marie-Theresien街沿途景色
The Goldenes Dachl (the Golden Roof), with the roof coated with copper tiles
黃金屋，其屋頂實由銅片鋪砌
Some really old buildings in the Old Town (left and middle), and an undercover passage reminiscent of Berne (right)
舊城區歷史悠久的古老建築（左、中），及類似在瑞士伯恩所見的走廊（右）
Restuarants that have been around for at least 500 years! (Left: Ottoburg)
幾百年歷史的餐室（左圖者名為Ottoburg）
Quintessential Innsbruck by River Inn
茵斯布魯克最景色怡人的一面
Comments
Vow... envy you.
你竟然去了,太好了